Home School with Connections Academy: A New Approach to Public School - for Free

Many parents wish they could afford to home school their children. Many parents have even looked into it only to find out that the cost of curriculum for home school and materials can be too much and there is a lack of support to help keep the child focused.

But there is an alternative to traditional public school, and it's definitely a winner in my eyes. It's called Connections Academy. If you are interested in home schooling your child than this is a must read article. So find out why Connctions Acadamy is right for you and your child!

Connections Academy is a new approach to public school and combines traditional home school with the supportive structure of public school. How do they do that? Well, as the parent of a child who enrolls in Connections Academy, you become the learning coach, not the teacher. Your job is to help your child complete their daily assignments much like you would with homework. Except, you will get your own set of books and teacher aids describing how to go about each lesson. You are the teacher in a sense that you do the same type of work that a teacher would do. However, your child will also be assigned a teacher. Because Connections Academy is a school without the bricks and mortar, your child will "meet" frequently with his/her teacher by phone and over the computer for live lessons.

The teacher assigned to your child will also keep track of the progress of your child and be in charge of grading your child's work. The teacher will work closely with both the student and the parent to be sure that the curriculum is effective and that the educational experience your child gets is enjoyable. The teacher will also make sure that your child and you are putting in the correct number of hours each week to meet the government standards for school attendance.

One of the best things about Connections Academy is it is entirely FREE. No, I don't just mean that you don't have to pay to be part of connections Academy, I mean you don't need t put out ANY money for books, curriculum, or even a computer. In fact, Connections Academy will even reimburse you for internet costs! No, I am not kidding either, everything is included including your child's computer and printer! You do have to return the computer and printer at the end of the year, but is is all part of the goodies that will arrive at your doorstep once your child is enrolled in Connections Academy.

Each state has their own Connections Academy, for example I am in Pennsylvania, so my Connections Academy is based out of Harrisburg, Pa and is the Commonwealth Connections Academy. The rules that apply to public school for students in your state will greatly shape how your states Connections Academy will run it's program. For example, here in Pennsylvania, a kindergärtner's is required to have 13 hours of work completed per week, which is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours of work completed each day. You figure when your child is in school, there is lots of time that does not constitute as school work such as lunch, snack time, recess, class room changes...you get the point. However that number may vary by state.

Also your state also decides the reimbursement for the internet usage, which also depends on the type of connection you have. You do need to meet income requirements to qualify for the reimbursement, but the majority of Connections Academy families qualify for the subsidy payment. I have found that what they offer in my state for cable internet is basically the actual costs I would pay for it, so it is as if 9 months out of the year, I get free internet because my child is enrolled in Connections Academy. They mail out checks every three months if you qualify.

Not to dwell on the fact that this is all free, but I have to add that you are getting high quality curriculum. They use Calvert curriculum which I have found to be easy to work with and provides consistent quality education with every lesson. As a parent at Connections Academy, you get to put in your opinions on the curriculum and you can rate it and give feedback, which is highly encouraged because Connections Academy strives to provide only the best for it's students and families.

One other huge perk of using Connections academy as the home school of your choice is the fact that they do felid trips in all the counties in your state. They divide the students up by county, or place a few counties together that are close to each other and schedule field trips where your child gets to interact with other Connections Academy students, and of course you get to know other parents who are doing the same as you.

Connections Academy also offers many of the same programs that your traditional public school offers, such as Book It, Scholastic Book Clubs, and participates in many of the other things that your child's peers get to participate in at traditional public school.

There is a commitment that you must make when you choose to home school your child whether through Connections Academy or anywhere else. You have to be able to set aside time each day to work with your child to complete the daily activities. However, connections Academy makes it very easy to stay on top of things with their easy to use system. You can work around all your child's other activities, doctor appointments or whatever it is that comes up during your typical day. After about the first month of enrollment, you should have set a routine that stays pretty much consistant to offer your child the best possible learning experience and to create order in their lives.

Choosing Connections Academy has been an answer to my prayers and I am thrilled to be such a huge part of my child's education. I feel accomplished when he shares all he has learned with friends and family. I plan on using Connections Academy with all my children as I still have two that are not school aged yet.

One more positive thing to note is that Connections Academy has proven to work wonders for children who have not done well in the traditional public school system. Those with ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities have actually improved so drastically that many parents swear by Connections Academy and have shared their testimonies with them. On top of that Connections Academy also offers children who tend to be fast learners and usually a head of most students a comprehensive curriculum which challenges them. I have even read of some students moving ahead in grades and excelling with Connections Academy, where as if they would have stayed in public school, they would have felt the need to stay with their peers in the same grade, rather than move up.

So if you were thinking of home schooling your child, I highly encourage you to check out Connections Academy!