Some jobs require employees to relocate to another city, or even country, for a period of time. What should you do in this situation for your child, who may be in the middle of his or her school year? There are a few important items to consider for home schooling or distance learning programs, especially regarding the school of record, and the ability to transfer credit. We offer some options below on the best way to approach this unique challenge, as well as some key questions to start asking right away.
HOME SCHOOL OPTIONS & DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMS
- Keep the current curriculum – This is by far the best option if it is available to you. Your child’s current school remains his or her school of record, and the curriculum stays the same as well. Most likely the school will be sending packets of material along with your child to complete and submit periodically during the time he or she is relocated. There’s a good chance you’ll need an instructor who can guide your child through the curriculum, unless you are confident in your ability to teach your child on your own.
- Umbrella accreditation by a homeschool – This option keeps the curriculum the same, but changes the school of record for credit tracking purposes. Some homeschools offer this “umbrella accreditation” if they approve the publishers of your child’s current curriculum and course outlines for each subject.
- Complete transfer to a homeschool – This is the most common option for families, since many schools require that a student attend at least part of the week to be considered enrolled. There are plenty of good homeschools that offer text, online and hybrid options for families, and that are fully accredited and reputable.
These are the steps to follow once you learn that your family may be relocating for a longer period of time:
- Inform your child’s school immediately and ask which of the options above make the most sense for your child’s situation. Do you have a definite return date? Would you like your child to return to that school? Does the school prefer any particular homeschool’s transcript over others? These are all important considerations to address early on.
- If you are choosing the alternate homeschool option, contact the homeschool itself and inquire about rates, timing, and options for instructors. Your child will most likely need someone in-person to work with them on the material, and some homeschools only provide online support.
- Plan backwards from your return date, if known, to map out a timeline of when your child will be finishing the work, going on trips, and returning to his or her current school. There will be at least a two-week period to get the transcripts transferred to and from the homeschool, so plan accordingly.
Lastly, if you would like to discuss any of these options with us here at Franklin, we can help! We have homeschooling options as well as plenty of expertise in school placement for families new Los Angeles and Orange County.
John Posatko
Director of Education
Franklin offers specialized academic tutoring, home schooling, test preparation, and educational therapy in Los Angeles and Orange County. Contact us for more info!