With the pandemic affecting the safety of our kids, many parents are considering to homeschool their kids this year.

In homeschooling, the parents teach their kids and make their own lesson plans (sometimes according to Department of Education guides).  It is different from online/distance learning because the latter still involves a teacher who will give the lessons via electronic means asynchronous or synchronous.

In homeschooling, parents can go independent or through a homeschool provider.  The homeschool provider is in charge of guiding the parents (through giving a guide, training or seminar, support group, etc.) and submitting the documents of the kids to the DepEd.  If the homeschool provider is DepEd accredited, there will be a smooth transition if the parents decide to put their kids to formal institutions/schools.  These providers give Form 137 and 138.

Providers’ fee usually range from PhP10,000 to as much as PhP60,000 per year.  Some charge a family fee and registration fee, which are one-time payment fees, then charge minimal learning fees per year.  Most also give sibling discounts.

So you have decided to homeschool your child.  But there are a lot of options.  Here are some considerations that you might want to check in choosing your provider.

Curriculum.  Is it open, DepEd-guided or other homeschool curricula such as Charlotte Mason.  Open curriculum means that the parents will choose the books, topics and how they will conduct the lessons.  DepEd-guided means that the topics and subjects follow the DepEd guide and use K-12 compliant books.  Choose the one that works for your family.

Orientation.  Is the school sectarian or non-sectarian?  This may be important to parents who are sensitive to religion.

Support.  What are the support or assistance that the provider can give the parents?  Facebook group, trainings and seminars, learning guides, family coaches are some of the support that parents can get.

Fees.  Some parents may include this as one of the major reasons in choosing a provider but some may not consider this as an issue.  Some parents want a provider with lower fees but some may not.  There are homeschool providers that offer sibling discounts.

Accreditation.  Most parents want a provider that is DepEd accredited so they can transition to formal learning without a problem.  Some parents also want international accreditation so that they kids can transfer to schools abroad.

Reviews.  Of course, we as parents need some assurance that the provider can deliver what they promised.  Or is their system effective and efficient in reaching the learning goals of the families?  Can the parents easily contact the school?  Basically, what are the reasons why the parents choose this provider.

Here are some of the information that we gathered while doing our own research on what provider to choose. Click here for the Google Sheet.

Good luck on your homeschool provider hunting!