in need of advice& help other options for schooling?

each state is different when it comes to homeschooling. Just about every state offeres correspondance highschool, but some offer it for free, while others, like my state, charge for it, and it can be one of the most expensive ways to go.

Check www.hslda.org for an explanation of how homeschooling works in your state. You can even contact them with questions.

Some districts have charter schools, which are free, as an alternative to publicschool.

good luck

How can you not afford homeschooling? There is no cost...beyond what you want to spend. Any virtual school is going to cost a monthly fee that would probably supercede any cost you put out to begin with.

Start at your local bookstore and library. There are dozens of books in both places about homeschooling, how to find resources, how to get stuff for free, websites, etc that you can access for free.

Contact your local homeschooling group, undoubtedly if you google you'll find thousands of sites, but try this one

http://homeschoolcentral.com/support/michigan_home...

Homeschool groups not only provide a source for socialization, but also can support you in legal issues, as well as have curriculum trades or giveaways, where you can get stuff for free.

another good option is http://oklahomahomaschool.com/ . The owner of the site has developed a checklist of sorts that goes through the entire education career. You are free to use what resources are available, and the checklist just makes sure you cover everything. It's $35, and a trip to the library is free.

There are lots of different options.

You may consider a private school or a Montessori school (Montessori schools are similar to private schools but are non-religious and focus on the arts.)

Both of these usually have funding to help parents if they cannot afford to pay for the full tuition.

You may also be able to send them to a different school in the area depending on your city, look into if your area has a voucher program.

Also you may consider a tutor, which is homeschooling but much more structured and you don't have to do it yourself.

There are also online schools but a lot of these will need your involvement as a parent and some are not well accepted by colleges.

I think that the best option, especially if you are on a tight budget, is The American School of Correspondence. It is a good program that allows your children to keep all of the credits they have earned in highschool already. It requires just l6 credits for graduation, yet is fully accredited. It offers both a general course and a college prep course. Of course, the ccllege prep course requires more difficult credits: algebra, geometry, biology, American and English literature, and more English than the general course. American school does not accept transfers of credits in p.e. or music, nor do they offer those.

My oldest four children all used the American School course. The oldest three received their diplomas. The last stopped early and took his GED and began coursework at a local junior college. All four did extremely well in college after finishing with "just" a correspondence school highschool education. The oldest got his BA in accounting, the next in Counseling, the third has an AA in liberal arts and is planning to go back for her BA. The fourth is in the middle of his studies in computer science. All learned from American School to be accountable to other teachers, get their assignments in on time, etc., and got very high grades in college. I have also tutored and mentored at least a dozen other students through this program.

American School's one major drawback is that they are not the best at record keeping. Through the years, we found that they lost a test record here and there. Nobody wants to do work over, so it is best to keep every exam and certificate of completion of each exam. Each course requires about 8-12 exams, which are open-book style exams, and each exam will be returned to the student along with a little paper stating the grade and date of completion. Save those. All in all it's a very good, affordable course of study.

ASC is located in Lansing, Illinois, and you can reach them at (708) 418-2800. They will send you a free enrollment packet to look at.

I'm not sure where this is offered but I know that some people do correspondance classes for their high school degree from the internet...that would be an option to look into!

I don't understand what you mean by you can't afford homeschooling. You don't have to pay. Contact a local/regional homeschooling support group to have a talk with somebody who can explain to you your homeschooling options.