Looking for a South Carolina accountability association that offers more?

Carolina Homeschooler membership includes:

• Option 3 Accountability
• Online classes and book groups (included with membership)
• Letters of Completion/credit for classes
• Field Trips (when it’s safe)
• Field Studies (when it’s safe)
• Campouts (when it’s safe)
• Access to Kids Discover Online (included with membership)
• Outsiders Group
• Member Newsletters
• Text alerts of important deadlines, new classes, etc.

Note: Please read the Membership FAQs below regarding transcripts and other services.

Membership Fees

The registration fee is $75 for one student, and $25 for each additional student, with a family maximum of $150. This fee covers the entire membership year, from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021. (This is not a monthly fee.)

Apply for Membership

Apply now for the 2020-2021 school year!

NOTE: I usually close membership sometime in August so I can focus on providing more classes and field trips for my members. If you wait until August to apply, please give me extra time to process your application.

>> APPLY HERE <<

What we’re doing this summer (so far):

• Kids Discover Online
• Little House Book Group (credit: reading, history, writing)
• Beginning Latin 1 (credit: grammar, foreign language)
• Yellow Fever (credit: literature, history, science, writing)
• Great Irish Famine (credit: literature, history, science, writing)
• Civil Rights & Jim Crow (credit: literature, history, writing)
• Secrets, Spies, & Bombs (credit: literature, history, science, writing)
• More coming soon!

What we did in 2019-2020:

• Kids Discover Online access
• Pen Pal Club
• Outsiders Events
• Where on earth are we? – a virtual road trip! (online challenge)
• Andrew Jackson & the American Revolution (online book group)
• Barrier Island Adventure (field trip)
• Discovering Van Gogh (online book group & field trip)
• Journey to Cuba! (field trip)
• Space Tour (field trip)
• Space Mission (field trip)
• Arctic Kingdom (field trip)
• Flight School (field trip)
• Rocket Camp (field trip)
• Drone Camp (field trip)
• Heroes of the Holocaust (online book group & field trip)
• It’s Alive Graphic Art (online book group & field trip)
• Antarctic Dinosaurs (field trip)
• Being Me Anatomy (field trip)
• Sherlock Holmes (online book group & field trip)
• Beginning Latin 1 (online class)
• Word Games (online class)
• Literature & Film Studies (online class)
• Beginning Writing (online class)
• Beginning Spanish (online class)
• Surprising Science (online class)
• Moments in History (online class)

Membership FAQs

How is Carolina Homeschooler different from other SC homeschool associations?

We provide an active learning community for students and parents, both online and off. We coordinate field trips, camps, sleepovers, retreats, park days, field studies, classes, and workshops so children (and parents) can get to know each other and have enriched learning experiences together.

Why don’t you accept applications throughout the year?

We are an active association, providing many activities, classes, and trips for our members. In order to maintain a high quality of service, we close registration in the fall so we can focus on providing as many learning opportunities as possible for our members during the school year.

Your fee is higher than some of the other SC homeschool associations. Is Carolina Homeschooler worth the higher fee?

Every family has different needs, so you’re the only one who can decide if our services are worth it. Here’s what others say about us. We hope their reviews help you decide if we’re the right choice for your family. (No one receives a payment, commission, or discount for their review of Carolina Homeschooler or resulting memberships.)

I live in (NC, GA, OH, TN, TX, MD, Canada, Puerto Rico, etc.) and want to join your group trips. What is the fee?

If you want to join us for our larger group trips (to Disney World, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Italy, Ireland, England, Alaska, France, Peru, Morocco, Vietnam, rail journeys, river cruises, road trips, etc.), they’re featured at our Traveling Homeschoolers website and don’t require membership. (Carolina Homeschooler doesn’t accept out-of-state members.)

Will you teach our children the all the required subjects?

No, but we hope you’ll use our online and offline educational activities and field trips to enrich and inspire your children’s learning and connect with other homeschoolers. (I provide a Letter of Completion for students who successfully complete a program offered by Carolina Homeschooler.)

Can we “count” your classes, workshops, and field trips as part of our curriculum?

Yes, absolutely. All learning counts, and it doesn’t have to be planned, scheduled, directed, or approved by someone else. Children learn the most and retain it much longer if they initiate it, take ownership of it, and have input into what they’re learning. I don’t know of any research that doesn’t support this fact. Read more here.

Do you provide membership cards? A membership letter?

I email membership letters via PDF format. Your letter serves as proof of your legal status as a 3rd Option homeschooling family in South Carolina. We no longer provide laminated membership cards, but will provide downloadable membership cards for the primary instructor and students. You can laminate the cards yourself and use for discounted or free admission to museums, zoos, etc. (The membership cards aren’t necessary. You can also use your membership letter for discounts, etc., instead of your card.)

Do you provide transcripts for sports, high school students, etc.? Do you rank students? Should I join your association if I have a high school student? Will you provide college or post-high school guidance for my senior?

We’re an active association and provide online classes, book groups, trips, field studies, road trips, campouts, etc. As a result, I can’t guarantee a timely response for transcript requests (for college, sports, whatever) and guidance for college admission timelines.

Instead, we encourage parents to read the information and guidance provided in the member’s area to plan their student’s high school course of study and create their own student transcripts. Parents can also use one of the inexpensive homeschool transcript services available (HSLDA’s service, for example.)

We do provide verification of enrollment to colleges (required for SC scholarships), and we also provide permission letters to colleges for dual enrollment.

We have a no-ranking policy.

Are your activities and online classes mandatory?

All of our activities are optional. Our goal is to enhance your homeschool experience, not add more requirements and stress. Feel free to join in as many activities as you want, and leave out the rest.

What are your office hours? Can I call you if I have questions?

We are an internet-based organization and are available via email frequently throughout the day (and evening). After providing services, support, and group trips for 15+ years, we’ve found that email is the fastest and most efficient way to communicate with our members. We usually answer emails within 24 hours, but may take up to 72 hours if we’re away on a group field trip or event.

What am I required to do to homeschool in SC?

If you choose to homeschool under section 59-65-47 (commonly known as “Option 3” or “Third Option”), these are the requirements:

• The primary instructor (parent or guardian) must have at least a high school diploma or GED.
• You must teach 180 days (if you begin homeschooling after the school year begins, count any days spent in public or private school as part of your required 180 days).
• You must teach, at a minimum, the areas of reading/literature, writing/composition, mathematics, science, and social studies.
• You must maintain a plan book, diary, or other record of instruction and activities for each student.
• You must keep a portfolio of samples of each student’s academic work.
• You must maintain semiannual progress reports documenting attendance and progress in each required academic area.

What does your organization require for SC homeschoolers?

When you submit your registration, you’ll confirm you meet (or will meet) all the legal requirements stipulated in Section 59-65-47. At the end of the year, we’ll ask you to submit a form confirming that you completed 180 days of homeschooling and met all requirements.

Do you require us to mail our records to you?

No, the law mandates that parents/guardians maintain student records, not the homeschool association. However, Carolina Homeschooler reserves the right to request copies of your records if an official audit is requested by a SC agency (DSS, DJJ, Department of Education, etc.). In this case, you must mail a copy of your records within three days of receiving my request.

Do I have to notify our local school district, SC Department of Education, or any other state organization that we’re members of Carolina Homeschooler?

When you withdraw your children from school, give them a copy of your membership letter as proof of your legal status. You don’t need to notify any other state or local organization of your intent to homeschool.

If you’ve never registered your children at your local school (they were younger than 5, or you transferred from another state), you don’t need to notify your local school, or any other state or local organization of your intent to homeschool.

To protect your privacy, I won’t provide member information to any agency or organization unless I receive an official request for confirmation of your legal status.

Do you require textbooks? Do you approve curriculum? Do you require standardized testing?

I don’t require any specific textbooks or curricula or standardized testing, and I don’t have a list of “approved” resources. My experiences as a school psychologist, educational advocate, and homeschooler (for 25+ years) prove that learning happens all the time, with a breadth and depth that can’t be confined solely to textbooks or accurately measured by the narrow focus of standardized tests. Please feel free to use the resources and assessment methods that best meet the needs of your family.

Are membership fees refundable if we decide to re-enroll our children in public or private school?

Membership fees are not refundable for any reason.

What happens if DSS (or another agency) contacts me about my homeschool?

Email me at director@carolinahomeschooler.com within 24 hours with details about the situation and the contact information for the person who contacted you.

Ready to apply for membership?

>> APPLY HERE <<

Our 2020-2021 membership year runs from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021.