Sometimes, the best vacation is one that takes us away from our everyday routines and allows us to reconnect with nature and reclaim ourselves. I am typically a very scheduled person, but my recent trip frequently took me off the grid and absolutely spontaneous. We had a general itinerary, but our destinations were dependent on the weather and there was lots of weather. We had to escape torrential downpours and flooding. There were some frightening moments, but in the end, everything was fine. I am on my way back home and reflecting on the plane ride home.  Whether exploring the mountains of Arizona or visiting the beautiful national parks of Utah, traveling to a different part of the United States and off the grid gives us an opportunity to slow down, breathe deeply, and appreciate the world around us.

Spending time in nature offers so much more than relaxation. We might discover a new bird, observe a family of elks, explore a hiking trail, or simply sit quietly and listen to the sounds of the outdoors. These experiences encourage us to observe, ask questions, and become curious about things we may never have noticed before. We don’t always need a formal lesson or a classroom to learn something new. Sometimes, the best learning happens when we are simply present and paying attention to our surroundings and those around us. Talking with local residents, visiting small towns, trying regional foods, or learning about the history of an area can open our eyes to perspectives different from our own.

Keeping an open mind allows us to appreciate these differences rather than judge them. We may even discover that the things that make us different are just as valuable as the things we have in common. And what about the children who travel with us? Vacations provide wonderful opportunities for learning without the pressure of worksheets, assignments, or structured activities. Children can develop problem-solving skills while navigating a trail, build observation skills by watching wildlife, strengthen language skills by asking questions, and learn patience when things don’t go exactly as planned. They also learn by watching the adults around them. When we show curiosity, respect different perspectives, and welcome new experiences, we teach children that learning is a lifelong process. The beauty of a vacation is that we don’t have to be productive every minute. Rest is important, too! Relaxing at a campsite, watching a sunset, reading a book under a tree, waking up without an alarm, or cooking an unhurried meal on a campfire can help us recharge physically and mentally. Even during these quiet moments, our minds are processing experiences, making connections, and appreciating new surroundings.

Learning doesn’t always mean actively doing something. Sometimes, it means having the time and space to reflect. As you plan your next vacation, consider visiting somewhere unfamiliar. Choose a destination that allows you to experience nature, meet new people, and discover something you didn’t know before. You don’t need an elaborate itinerary or a packed schedule. Leave room for exploration, unexpected discoveries, and a little spontaneity. Remember, we are always learning, even when we are relaxing. The world is full of opportunities to grow, discover, and see things from a different perspective. Sometimes, stepping away from our usual routines is exactly what we need to return home feeling refreshed, inspired, and just a little wiser than when we left.

Helene Lieberman MS, OTR/L

www.blackbackhandwriting.com

Our mission is improving lives through the arts, and we welcome homeschool families looking for affordable, hands-on opportunities to make art and connect with others. Children of all ages, abilities, and learning styles are welcome, including children with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent.

Art can be part of the way your child learns. Mixing colors invites experimentation. Building a sculpture involves planning and problem-solving. Choosing materials and trying something unfamiliar gives children practice making decisions, adapting, and expressing their ideas. Sometimes, the most valuable part is having the freedom to see where an idea goes.

Our low-cost Open Studio includes materials and gives families space to explore at their own pace. There’s no expectation that everyone will make the same thing or leave with a perfect finished piece. Children can follow their curiosity, develop their own ideas, and enjoy the process of creating. Financial assistance is available when needed.

We welcome homeschool co-ops, too! If your group is looking for a shared art experience, we’re happy to work with you to arrange a session that considers your children’s ages, learning goals, interests, and individual support needs. Tell us what you have in mind, and we can discuss scheduling and affordable options for your group.

Whether you’re adding art to your homeschool week, exploring a particular topic, or looking for a place to create alongside other families, we’d love to welcome you.

Visit The Art Experience to learn more about Open Studio, or email Liz to plan a co-op visit or discuss your family’s needs.

Create • Connect • Belong

Morning: math that moves

The Robins have been counting by 5s lately. At this age, skip-counting isn’t a worksheet. It’s clapping, stepping, and chanting together until the pattern clicks. Small groups and a low adult-to-student ratio mean every child gets to try. No one hides in the back row, and no one gets left behind when the pattern gets tricky.

Language: words with a little mess involved

Reading and word work for young children should feel like play, so we make it play. This month the Robins went on a Halloween word hunt and played word games with slime. A child digging for letters in something squishy is building the same early reading skills as a child at a desk, and is having a lot more fun.

Wonder Workshop: hands-on discovery

In Wonder Workshop, the Robins carved pumpkins. It’s a classic fall activity, and it’s packed with learning. Kids predict how many seeds are inside, notice how the pumpkin looks and smells, measure, compare, and talk through what they see. The questions they ask matter as much as the answers.

Art Studio: polka-dot pumpkins

In Art Studio, the Robins made polka-dot pumpkins. Young artists practice fine motor control, pattern, and color, and they get to make choices about their own work. At RCS, art is about the process, not about making twenty identical projects for the fridge.

Nature Detectives: from garden to hand

The Robins harvested from our school garden this month. In Nature Detectives, kids learn by being outside: digging, observing, and seeing where food comes from. For many children, pulling something they helped grow out of the ground is the moment science becomes real.

Roots & Wings: growing as people

Our teacher opened one recent week with a note on kindness, and that theme carries through everything the Robins do. In Roots & Wings, children build social and emotional skills. They practice taking turns, working through frustration, and being a good friend. In a mixed-age, community-centered school, these skills get used every single day.

Out in the community

Learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. The Robins have been practicing songs for Halloween caroling at a local senior community. For young children, singing for an audience builds confidence. It also teaches them that they can bring joy to others, which is one of the most important lessons we know.

What ties it all together

You may notice what’s missing from this week: long stretches of sitting still, piles of worksheets, and one-size-fits-all lessons. That’s on purpose. RCS is a progressive, parent-participation homeschool learning center for ages 5 to 12. We believe young children learn best through hands-on experiences, time outdoors, and real relationships with teachers, classmates, and the parents who help make our school run.

Each week, families get a newsletter from every class, so parents always know what their child is learning and can keep the conversation going at home.

Come see it for yourself

A week with the Robins is hard to capture in words. If you’re exploring homeschool options for your young learner, we’d love to show you around. Campus tours are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. Come watch a class, meet our teachers, and picture your child here.

A tip for your visit: RCS shares an address with Roseville Community Preschool. We’re located behind the preschool, across from the fairgrounds stables.

ACTIONABLE GRADE-BAND DIRECTIVES FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Grades 3–5: Use "Two Stars and a Wish"
Young children can feel crushed by a page full of red marks. 

Parent & Educator Action: Deliver feedback in a predictable formula:
highlight two specific things done well, followed by one "wish." For instance: "Star 1: Your handwriting is so neat! Star 2: Your
subtraction steps were accurate. Wish: Let's double-check our unit labels on the answer."

Grades 6–8: Focus on Strategy Choice Over Raw Speed
Middle schoolers often rush to get math "over with." 

Parent & Educator Action: When reviewing their work, comment on their
method: "I really like that you drew a visual tape diagram to make sense of this word problem before computing." If an answer is
incorrect, ask: "What other tool or strategy could you test here?"

Grades 9–12: Scaffold Independent Self-Grading
High schoolers need to learn how to evaluate their own thinking. 

Parent & Educator Action: Provide an answer key that shows
step-by-step solutions, not just final numbers. Have the student take a different color pen, annotate their own work, and write a
one-sentence margin summary of any error before asking you for the solution.

EDUCATOR & PARENT TIP: Avoid empty phrases like "Good effort." Be specific: "Your written explanation in step two made your
logic completely clear and easy to follow."

MATHEMATICAL CONNECTION: When feedback focuses on strategies, learners understand that math success is about choosing
and refining methods, not magical intuition.

We wish to math SUCCESS!

The Classroom Ready Team.

One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the freedom to create an educational experience that fits your child's unique needs, interests, and learning style. From hands-on science experiments to outdoor adventures and creative projects, homeschool families know that some of the most valuable learning experiences happen beyond textbooks and traditional classrooms.

But have you considered adding dance classes to your homeschool curriculum?

At Dance Arts Academy in Meridian, Idaho, we believe that dance is so much more than an extracurricular activity. It's an opportunity for children to build confidence, develop friendships, strengthen their bodies, express their creativity, and learn important life skills that will serve them long after they leave the dance floor.

Whether you're looking for homeschool physical education opportunities, social enrichment, or a creative outlet for your child, dance may be the perfect addition to your family's educational journey.

1. Dance Makes Physical Education Fun!

Physical activity is an important part of a well-rounded education, but finding engaging ways to incorporate regular exercise into your homeschool routine can sometimes be challenging.

Dance offers a fun, structured way for children to stay active while developing essential physical skills.

Through dance classes, children can improve:

• Coordination and balance: Learning new movements helps children develop body awareness and control.

• Strength and flexibility: Dance encourages healthy muscle development, mobility, and posture.

• Cardiovascular fitness: Moving to music gets hearts pumping and helps build endurance.

• Gross motor skills: Jumping, turning, skipping, and traveling across the dance floor develop important movement patterns.

• Healthy habits: Regular participation helps children discover that exercise can be something they genuinely enjoy!

The best part? Children are often having so much fun learning choreography, playing movement games, and dancing with friends that they don't even realize how much they're exercising.

For homeschool families looking to supplement their physical education activities, dance provides an engaging option that combines movement, music, and skill development.

2. Building Friendships and Finding Community

Homeschool families have many wonderful opportunities to build community through co-ops, field trips, sports, church groups, and other activities. Dance can be another meaningful place for children to connect with peers who share their interests.

At Dance Arts Academy, we often say that our studio is a home away from home, and that's exactly the environment we strive to create for every dancer.

In dance class, children learn to:

• Work together toward shared goals.

• Encourage and celebrate one another.

• Communicate and cooperate with classmates.

• Develop friendships through shared experiences.

• Feel a sense of belonging within a supportive community.

Unlike activities where children may interact only occasionally, weekly dance classes give students opportunities to develop relationships over time.

And when recital season arrives, dancers experience the excitement of working together to create something special!

For homeschool parents looking for consistent social opportunities, dance can become a highlight of their child's week.

3. Dance Reinforces Academic Learning

You might be surprised by just how much academic learning happens inside a dance classroom!

Dance naturally incorporates concepts from several traditional school subjects, making it a wonderful complement to homeschool lessons.

Math: Dancers count beats, recognize patterns, divide music into phrases, and learn sequences. Understanding rhythm and timing provides opportunities to practice mathematical thinking.

Music: Dance introduces children to tempo, rhythm, musical structure, and different styles of music. Students learn to listen carefully and respond to what they hear.

History and Culture: Different dance styles have fascinating historical and cultural roots. Ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and other dance forms provide opportunities to explore traditions, artistic expression, and the evolution of movement.

Language and Memory: Learning choreography requires listening, remembering sequences, understanding terminology, and following multi-step instructions.

Creative Thinking: Dance encourages children to interpret music, solve movement challenges, and explore new ways of expressing ideas.

While dance isn't a replacement for academic instruction, it can reinforce important concepts through movement and hands-on learning.

For children who learn especially well by doing, this connection between movement and education can be particularly valuable.

4. Developing Confidence and Independence

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching dance is watching a child accomplish something they once thought was impossible.

Maybe it's a shy preschooler participating independently for the first time.

Perhaps it's a beginner finally mastering a challenging step.

Or maybe it's a dancer stepping onto the stage with a huge smile after weeks of preparation.

Every one of these moments represents personal growth.

Dance gives children opportunities to step outside their comfort zones in a safe, encouraging environment.

As students progress, they learn that success comes through practice, patience, and perseverance.

They also develop confidence in their ability to learn from instructors, work independently, and try new things.

These lessons carry over into academics, relationships, and everyday life.

The goal isn't perfection. It's progress.

And celebrating that progress is something we believe in wholeheartedly at Dance Arts Academy.

5. Learning Important Life Skills Beyond the Classroom

Homeschool education is about so much more than academics. Many families place a strong emphasis on character development, responsibility, and preparing their children for life.

Dance classes can support those goals in meaningful ways.

Students practice:

• Discipline: Showing up consistently and working toward improvement.

• Respect: Listening to instructors and treating classmates with kindness.

• Perseverance: Continuing to practice when something feels difficult.

• Responsibility: Remembering dance attire, arriving prepared, and participating appropriately.

• Teamwork: Understanding that every dancer contributes to the success of the group.

• Goal setting: Working toward new skills, performances, and personal achievements.

One of the most valuable lessons dance teaches is that improvement takes time.

Children learn that they don't have to master something on the first try. They simply need to keep learning and growing.

That's a lesson worth carrying into every area of life!

6. Encouraging Creativity and Self-Expression

Every child deserves opportunities to explore their creativity.

While some children express themselves through painting, writing, or building, others discover their creative voice through movement.

Dance provides an artistic outlet where children can connect music, imagination, and physical expression.

From the storytelling of ballet to the energy of hip hop and the expressive movement of lyrical dance, different styles allow students to explore their individual interests and personalities.

For homeschool families who value the arts as part of a complete education, dance provides an opportunity to make creativity a regular part of their child's week.

And sometimes, the greatest benefit is simply the joy of dancing!

7. A Special Place to Grow at Dance Arts Academy

For 50 years, Dance Arts Academy has been helping children throughout the Treasure Valley discover a love of dance.

Since opening our doors in 1976, our mission has extended beyond teaching dance steps. We are committed to creating an environment where students feel valued, supported, and encouraged to become their very best.

Our philosophy centers around three important values:

Love of Dance: Helping students discover the joy of movement and artistic expression.

Feeling of Home: Creating a welcoming community where dancers and families feel they belong.

Personal Growth: Encouraging each child to build confidence, develop skills, and celebrate individual accomplishments.

We offer a variety of dance styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, acro, lyrical/contemporary, and musical theater, with classes designed for different ages and experience levels.

Whether your child is trying dance for the very first time or looking to expand their skills, we would love to help them find a class where they can thrive.

Make Dance Part of Your Homeschool Journey!

Homeschooling gives families the wonderful opportunity to think creatively about education and provide experiences that nurture the whole child.

Dance can be one of those experiences.

It's physical education, creative expression, social connection, and personal development—all wrapped into an activity children can look forward to each week.

At Dance Arts Academy, we would love to welcome your homeschool family into our dance family.

Ready to see if dance is the right fit for your child?

We invite you to explore our classes and experience the Dance Arts Academy difference with a trial class!

Visit www.danceartsboise.com to learn more about our programs, or text us at 208-271-3364 to find the perfect class for your dancer.

Because some of life's most important lessons happen beyond the books—and sometimes, they happen on the dance floor!

Dance Arts Academy | Proudly serving Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Nampa, and Treasure Valley families since 1976.

The short answer

A family homeschooling under Indiana's homeschool law can use two things: the $1,000-per-child state income tax deduction, and, for a teenager in grades 10 to 12, the Career Scholarship Account. A child with a disability, and that child's brothers and sisters, can also use the Indiana Education Scholarship Account while learning at home, but only as an ESA student under ESA rules, not as a homeschooler. The two biggest programs, the Choice Scholarship and the tax-credit SGO scholarships, pay private school tuition. A homeschool can't receive them.

1. The Choice Scholarship (the voucher)

This is the one in the headlines. The Choice Scholarship Program is authorized under IC 20-51-1 and IC 20-51-4 and run by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). IDOE's 2025–26 annual report says the income cap was removed in May 2025, and beginning July 1, 2026, all students between 5 and 22 with legal settlement in Indiana may use a Choice Scholarship.

Here's the part that matters to you. The money goes only to a participating Choice school, and IDOE's list of school requirements rules out a homeschool: the school has to charge tuition, be accredited by the State Board of Education or a recognized accrediting agency, give the statewide assessment and agree to enroll the student. The school, not the parent, files the application. For 2026–27, IDOE's estimated award amounts run from $6,033.32 to $8,328.56 depending on the student's public school corporation, and the award can't exceed the school's tuition and fees.

2. SGO scholarships (the tax-credit scholarships)

Scholarship Granting Organizations are charities. People and companies donate, and the donors get a 50% Indiana tax credit. IDOE's School Scholarships page says the whole credit program is capped at $18.5 million each state fiscal year. A student has to have legal settlement in Indiana, be at least 4 and under 22 by August 1 of the school year, and live in a household at or below 400% of the federal free and reduced-price lunch income level. SGOs can add their own rules. The scholarships go toward tuition at private schools that partner with an SGO, so they don't pay homeschool costs either.

3. INESA (the special-needs ESA)

The Indiana Education Scholarship Account is different. It's an account, not a tuition voucher, and it can pay tutors, therapists, classes, curriculum and testing, not just a school. For 2026–27, a student with a disability can receive up to $20,000 and a sibling up to $8,000. To qualify, the student needs an Indiana IEP, a service plan or a choice special education plan, or must be the sibling of a student who qualifies.

The Treasurer of State's INESA family page lists "Home education" as one of the options. But the program's own FAQ says ESA students who learn at home are not homeschoolers. They must take the statewide assessment or the alternative test in the child's plan, money goes only to approved providers, and enrolling in a public or charter school ends the account. IDOE has run INESA since July 1, 2026.

4. The Career Scholarship Account

The Career Scholarship Account gives students in grades 10 to 12 up to $5,000 for 2026–27 to pay for approved work-based programs: internships, apprenticeships and similar training that leads to a credential. The Treasurer's CSA student page lists "a student who is educating at home" among those who can apply. IDOE's own 2026–27 FAQ doesn't address homeschoolers, so confirm with IDOE before you build a plan around it. The 2026–27 application ran March 1 to October 1, 2026.

5. The $1,000 deduction

This is the one every homeschool family can use. Under IC 6-3-2-22, you deduct $1,000 from your Indiana adjusted gross income for each dependent child you homeschool or send to private school, as long as you paid education expenses for that child during the year. Curriculum, textbooks, workbooks, software and school supplies count. Personal computers don't. Expenses paid by a scholarship, grant or ESA don't count. You claim it on Schedule 2 of Form IT-40, line 8 on the 2025 form. DOR's deductions page has the details.

What about the new federal credit?

Governor Braun opted Indiana into the federal scholarship tax credit on January 22, 2026, and Indiana is on the IRS list of participating states for 2027. That credit goes to donors who give to scholarship organizations. Whether those scholarships will pay homeschool costs isn't settled, so don't count on it yet.

One family, one year

The Greers in Noblesville homeschool three children. Their oldest, a 10th grader, wants to be an electrician. Their middle child has an IEP from the years she spent in public school, and their youngest is in second grade. Mom read about universal vouchers and assumed money was coming. It wasn't: none of their children attend a Choice school. What they did instead was claim $3,000 in deductions on their state return, ask IDOE whether their son could join a CSA electrical program as a home-educated student, and sit down to decide whether INESA, with its testing and approved-provider rules, was worth it for their daughter. They decided to wait a year and keep homeschooling under the homeschool law.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Can a homeschool family use it? A quick list

• Choice Scholarship: No. Accredited, tuition-charging participating private schools only.
• SGO scholarships: No. Tuition at partner private schools, with an income limit.
• INESA: Yes for a child with a disability or that child's sibling, but as an ESA student with testing, not as a homeschooler.
• Career Scholarship Account: Likely yes for grades 10 to 12, per the Treasurer's page. Confirm with IDOE at CSA@doe.in.gov.
• $1,000 deduction: Yes, every qualifying homeschooled child, every year you have expenses.
• Federal scholarship tax credit: Unsettled for homeschool costs. Ask the scholarship organization.

Your next steps

• Start a receipt folder for each child today. The deduction is the money you're sure to get.
• If your child has an IEP or service plan, read the INESA rules in full before applying.
• If you have a 10th to 12th grader, ask IDOE about the CSA before the next application window.
• Put program windows on our education calendar, and find tutors and curriculum providers in our vendor directory.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Indiana Department of Education, the Indiana Treasurer of State, the Indiana Department of Revenue, the IRS or any scholarship granting organization. Programs, amounts and dates change every year — confirm details with IDOE or DOR before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

What it is

An Education Freedom Account, or EFA, is New Hampshire's education savings account. The legislature created it in 2021, and the law is RSA 194-F. The idea is simple. The state already pays school districts a per-pupil adequacy grant for each child, plus extra money called differentiated aid for some children. With an EFA, the commissioner of education sends that same state money to a scholarship organization instead, and it lands in an account for your child (RSA 194-F:2, I).

You don't get a check. You spend from the account on approved education costs: tutoring, curriculum, online courses, classes, therapies, technology and private school tuition, among others. The money isn't taxable income to you or your child (RSA 194-F:2, VI). Only the state's share moves. Local property tax money stays with your district.

Who runs it

The New Hampshire Department of Education oversees the program and writes its rules, known as Ed 800. The day-to-day work belongs to Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, a nonprofit in Concord that everyone calls CSF or CSFNH. CSF takes applications on its ScholaVia portal, approves the tutors, schools and other providers who can be paid, and reviews every purchase. The money itself sits in ClassWallet, a digital wallet where you shop an online marketplace, pay approved providers directly, or ask to be reimbursed. CSF's EFA page and its 2026–27 Parent Handbook, updated August 2026, are the two documents to read first.

Who can get one

Since SB 295 became law in June 2025, there's no income limit. A child qualifies if parent and child live in New Hampshire, the child could enroll in a public elementary or secondary school, and the child turns 5 by September 30 of the school year. The big exclusion: a child enrolled full-time, meaning more than half of instructional time, in the resident district school or a public charter school, VLACS included, can't hold an EFA.

Universal doesn't mean unlimited. The law caps enrollment, and the cap for 2026–27 was 12,500 students. CSF announced on August 13, 2026 that every seat was filled, with 943 more eligible students on a waitlist. Four priority groups skip the cap entirely: current EFA students, their siblings, children with disabilities as defined in RSA 186-C:2, and households at or below 350 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. CSF's handbook says the cap rises to 15,625 for 2027–28.

How much it is

The account gets the state's base adequacy amount plus any differentiated aid your child qualifies for. The official 2025–26 rates were $4,265.64 base, plus $2,392.92 for a household at or below 185 percent of the poverty line, $2,184.84 for a student with a qualifying disability, and $832.32 for an English learner. By law those rates rise 2 percent a year starting July 1, 2026. We couldn't read the Department of Education's official 2026–27 figures, so we aren't printing a 2026–27 number. CSF put the average grant at about $4,800 in 2025–26. Money arrives in four installments, and whatever you don't spend rolls over until your child leaves the program or graduates.

What it pays for

The statute lists the categories (RSA 194-F:2, II), and CSF's handbook fills in the details. For families teaching at home, the ones that matter most are curriculum and textbooks, tutoring, non-public online programs, co-op and microschool classes, lessons and specialized programs, therapies, test fees, and a computer every three years. Every person who teaches or serves your child has to be an EFA-approved provider. Paying yourself, or a relative, to teach your own child is not allowed.

The string homeschoolers need to know

This is the part people miss. A child in the EFA program is legally an EFA student, not a home-educated student. Since July 1, 2026, RSA 193-A says so in plain words, and a home education program ends when the child starts in the EFA program. Your days can look exactly the same. You still teach at home and pick your own curriculum. But the signed EFA agreement is what satisfies compulsory attendance now, and it comes with duties that home education under the 2026 law doesn't have: teaching the core subjects listed in the statute, spending only on qualifying expenses with receipts, and turning in a yearly test score or portfolio evaluation by July 15 to keep the money coming.

Where things stand this fall

As of October 27, 2026, CSF's EFA page still describes the 2026–27 cycle, and no 2027–28 application dates have been posted. Applications are rolling. For 2026–27, an application completed and verified by July 15 got a full-year grant, and families can apply through February for a prorated grant. A 2026 bill on the cap, HB 1834, died on the table when the session ended. We'll add 2027–28 dates to our education calendar when CSF announces them.

The Morins homeschool three children outside Keene. Their oldest has an IEP from her years in the district school, so she joined the EFA program in 2025 under the disability priority. When the 2026–27 cap filled in August, her two younger brothers still got in as siblings of a current EFA student. Their mother now runs three separate balances in ClassWallet: one pays a speech therapist through Direct Pay, one covers a math curriculum from the Marketplace, and one is saving toward a laptop. In June she books a certified teacher to review all three portfolios before the July 15 deadline.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Your short list

• Read CSF's 2026–27 Parent Handbook once, start to finish.
• Decide whether you're comfortable with the legal switch from home education to EFA student before you apply.
• Check whether your family falls in a priority group. If not, apply anyway and expect a waitlist.
• Gather proof of New Hampshire residency (no P.O. boxes) and proof of your child's age.
• Use EFA-approved providers, or ask yours to register with CSF at no cost.
• Plan your July 15 test or portfolio review now, not in July, and browse tutors, evaluators and curriculum sellers on our vendor directory.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the New Hampshire Department of Education, Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, ClassWallet or the Education Freedom Account program, and a listing on our site does not mean a vendor is an approved EFA education service provider. Rules, amounts and dates change every year — confirm details with CSF before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

What it is

The CHOOSE Act, short for the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education Act of 2024, is Alabama's education savings account program. Governor Kay Ivey signed it on March 7, 2024. It's Act 2024-21, and it sits in Title 16, Chapter 6J of the Code of Alabama. The definitions in Section 16-6J-2 are worth a read if you like knowing exactly what words mean.

Here's the odd part. Legally, each award is a refundable state income tax credit. You never claim it on a tax return, though. The Alabama Department of Revenue deposits the credit into an education savings account, or ESA, and you spend from that account on approved education costs. The law says the money isn't taxable income to you or your child, and it can't be taken to offset a debt you owe (16-6J-3(g)).

Who runs it

The Alabama Department of Revenue, known as ALDOR, runs the program, not the State Department of Education. ALDOR hired ClassWallet to handle applications, accounts and payments, so most of what a family touches is ClassWallet: the application portal, the digital wallet and the help line. The address chooseact.alabama.gov forwards to the program site, CHOOSE Act Alabama. ALDOR keeps its own CHOOSE Act page with the provider lists, and its program rules are in Alabama Administrative Code chapter 810-28-1.

How much it pays for 2026–27

• $2,000 per student in a home education program, capped at $4,000 per family.
• $7,000 per student enrolled in a participating school, meaning an accredited private school (church, parochial and religious schools included) or an accredited public school that charges the student tuition.

Both are ceilings. The statute says the award is that amount or the actual cost of qualifying expenses, whichever is less (16-6J-3(c)). For 2026–27, money was deposited beginning July 1, 2026.

"Home education program" is ALDOR's phrase, and it is broad. The 2026–27 Parent Guide says it includes an individual or group program, homeschool, co-op and similar arrangements. ALDOR's rules go further: a homeschool student counts "even if enrolled in a church school, homeschool co-op, or similar entity." Most Alabama homeschoolers are legally enrolled in a church school, so that one sentence is why the program works for most of them. We cover it in depth in a separate article.

Who can get it

The child has to be 5 to 19, live in Alabama and not have graduated, or 5 to 21 with an IEP or a 504 plan. The child also has to be lawfully present in the United States. The law shuts out three groups: students getting an Alabama Accountability Act scholarship or tax credit, children enrolled in a private school that isn't a CHOOSE participating school, and children enrolled full-time in a public school unless that school is a participating school charging them tuition.

Income is the moving piece. For 2026–27, new families had to be at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level on 2025 income, which was $96,450 for a family of four. Starting with 2027–28, the law drops the income limit and any Alabama parent of an eligible student can apply.

Universal doesn't mean unlimited, though. Awards are made from a fund, and when there isn't enough for everyone they go in a set order: the first 500 to students with an IEP or 504 plan, then students who had an award the year before and their siblings, then children of active-duty service members at D- or F-rated public schools, then everyone else by household income.

How the money moves

The money never comes to you. You spend it in ClassWallet in two ways: Pay Vendor, where you pay an approved provider against its invoice, and the ClassWallet Marketplace, where you buy approved goods from approved retailers. There is no reimbursement. If you buy a math book at the store with your own debit card, the program won't pay you back.

Before you can spend, you have to accept the CHOOSE Act affidavit in ClassWallet for each child. Until you do, the balance shows $0. And the money is use-it-or-lose-it: whatever is left on June 30, 2027, goes back to the CHOOSE Act Fund.

What it pays for

For a home-educated student, the 2026–27 approved list covers textbooks and curriculum in approved subjects, school supplies, private tutoring, online courses, educational software and subscriptions, therapies for students with disabilities, test fees and test prep, a computer every two years, and other technology up to set limits. Every purchase has to come from an ALDOR-approved Education Service Provider. Sports fees, field trips, food, transportation, child care and toys are out.

What it asks of you

By applying, you agree to use the money only for qualifying expenses, that nobody else is claiming a credit for the same child, that you'll pay anything above the account balance, and that you'll follow ALDOR's rules (16-6J-4). You renew every year. One thing it doesn't ask of a home-education student: neither the statute nor ALDOR's rules require that child to take a test or report scores. The annual testing in the law is a duty of participating schools for the students enrolled there.

How big it has gotten

For 2026–27, the program took in 29,341 applications covering 48,927 students, and 34,322 students were using funds this school year, according to the governor's office on October 16, 2026. In July the governor's office said more than $174 million in ESAs had been approved for 2026–27.

What comes next

On July 1, 2026, the governor's office said the 2027–28 application process will begin in January 2027 and will be open to all Alabama families regardless of income. As of October 27, 2026, no exact dates had been posted on the program site or ALDOR's page. When they are, they'll go on our education calendar.

The Pruitts homeschool two children in Prattville through a church school cover. Their income was under the 2026–27 limit, so they applied as a new family in February and were approved in April. After accepting both affidavits in July, they had $4,000 to work with for 2026–27. They paid an approved online Latin course through Pay Vendor, bought a math curriculum and a microscope in the Marketplace, and set aside part of the balance for a laptop for their older son, keeping an eye on June 30 so nothing went back unspent.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Your short list

• Read the 2026–27 Parent Guide once, start to finish. It's short.
• Know your number: $2,000 per home-educated child, $4,000 per family, for 2026–27.
• Accept the affidavit for each child as soon as the account is funded.
• Spend only through ClassWallet, and only with approved providers.
• Plan to spend by June 30.
• Watch for 2027–28 dates in January 2027, and browse providers on our vendor directory while you plan.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Alabama Department of Revenue, ClassWallet, the CHOOSE Act program or any Alabama school district, and a listing on our site does not mean a vendor is an approved Education Service Provider. Amounts, dates and rules change every year — confirm details with ClassWallet or ALDOR before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

The short answer: Article VIII, section 2

Article VIII, section 2 of the Michigan Constitution starts by telling the Legislature to maintain free public schools. Then it gets specific. As amended by a voter initiative approved November 3, 1970, it says no public money, property or credit may be used "directly or indirectly to aid or maintain" any private, denominational or other nonpublic school.

The next sentence is the one that matters for school choice programs. It says no "payment, credit, tax benefit, exemption or deductions, tuition voucher, subsidy, grant or loan of public monies or property" may be provided, directly or indirectly, to support a student's attendance at a nonpublic school. Read that list again. Vouchers are named. Tax benefits are named. Credits are named. Most of the tools other states use to fund private and home education are spelled out as off limits.

The section does allow one thing: the Legislature may pay to transport students to and from any school.

The part the courts threw out

The 1970 language originally went further. It also barred public money for students at "any location or institution where instruction is offered in whole or in part" to nonpublic school students. In 1971 the Michigan Supreme Court struck that part down in Traverse City School District v Attorney General, holding that it violated the free exercise and equal protection guarantees of the U.S. Constitution. The Legislature's own annotation to the section notes the ruling.

That decision is one reason Michigan's shared-time classes can exist. A public school district can teach nonpublic and homeschooled students in public school classes and count them for state aid. MDE's Pupil Accounting Manual lists the Traverse City case among the legal background for shared time. The money still goes to the public district, not to the family or a private school.

The 2021 attempt: Student Opportunity Scholarships

Lawmakers tried a workaround in 2021. Senate Bill 687 would have created a Student Opportunity Scholarship program, and Senate Bill 688 would have given an income tax credit to people who donated to scholarship-granting organizations. The idea was that private donations, not state appropriations, would fill student accounts.

According to the Senate Fiscal Agency's analysis of the committee version, the Department of Treasury would have run the program, scholarship organizations would have funded accounts for eligible students, families could have spent the money on listed education expenses, and donors could have claimed a state credit of up to 100% of their contributions, with total credits capped at $500 million per state fiscal year. The analysis noted the accounts could help students attend nonpublic schools or home schools.

The bills passed the Senate 20 to 16 on October 19, 2021, and the House 55 to 49 on October 27, 2021. Governor Whitmer vetoed both on November 5, 2021. Nothing comparable has become law since.

What about the new federal tax credit?

A federal scholarship tax credit starts January 1, 2027, but only in states that opt in. Michigan was not on the IRS list of participating states as of October 22, 2026. We cover that in a separate article. Even if Michigan joins, it would be a credit for donors to scholarship organizations, not a state account for families.

What Michigan does pay for

Michigan spends public money on public school options that homeschoolers can use. None of it lands in your bank account.

• Shared-time classes. A district can enroll a homeschooled student part-time in nonessential elective courses such as art, music, physical education, world languages and career-tech, and count that student for state aid, never more than 0.75 of a full-time student. For 2026-27 the target foundation allowance is $10,300 per full-time pupil (2026 PA 25). That money goes to the district.
• Dual enrollment. Eligible high school students can have college tuition and mandatory fees paid, but a homeschooled student has to enroll in at least one class at a public or state-approved nonpublic school and dual enroll through it.
• State tests. Homeschooled students may take state assessments at their local public school at no cost, by arrangement with the district.

MDE's Home Schooling in Michigan guide puts it in one line: "There are no public funds available for home schooling."

What it means for your budget

Plan to pay for core curriculum, tutoring, therapy, testing and enrichment yourself. Districts are not required to give homeschool families textbooks or materials. The trade-off is freedom. Under exemption (f), Michigan asks for no notice, no registration and no testing. Families in ESA states often take on spending rules, receipts and annual reviews in exchange for the money. Michigan families keep the paperwork light and carry the cost.

That makes free and low-cost options worth real attention: district partnership classes for electives, library programs, co-ops and used curriculum. It also means a good tutor or class is a direct purchase, and you are the only one who has to approve it.

The Novaks moved from Phoenix to a township outside Grand Rapids with two kids, 9 and 12. In Arizona they had used an ESA for curriculum and a math tutor. In Michigan they found no account to apply for, so they rebuilt the budget around what they could pay directly. They signed both kids up for their district's homeschool partnership art and physical education classes, kept the math tutor through a local provider they found on our vendor directory, and bought core curriculum used through their co-op.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist for families new to Michigan

• Stop looking for a Michigan ESA or voucher application. There isn't one for 2026-27.
• Decide whether you will homeschool under exemption (f) or register with MDE as a nonpublic school. Our homeschool options guide explains both.
• Ask your resident district whether it runs a shared-time or homeschool partnership program for electives.
• Budget for core curriculum and services as a family expense.
• Check the IRS participating-states list in 2027 if you plan to donate to a scholarship organization.
• Add district enrollment dates and local events to your education calendar.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Legislature, the Internal Revenue Service or any Michigan school district. Laws and budgets change — confirm current rules with the Michigan Department of Education and the Legislature before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

The one sentence that settles it

The ESA comes from the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act, Miss. Code 37-181-1 and the sections after it. The law lists the schools where the money can go: a state-accredited special purpose school, a state-accredited nonpublic school, or a nonpublic school in Mississippi that serves the student's disability or IEP. Then it adds one line, kept in place when the Legislature reworked the program in House Bill 1229 of 2024: "An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91."

Section 37-13-91 is Mississippi's compulsory attendance law, the same law that lets you homeschool by filing a certificate of enrollment each year. So the statute that created the ESA points straight at the homeschool statute and says: not this.

It goes a step further. To get an ESA, a parent signs an agreement that includes a promise not to file a certificate of enrollment showing the child is in a home instruction program. MDE's 2026–27 application says that if any of the promises stops being true, the account is closed and the remaining money is forfeited.

Program one: the Education Scholarship Account

Who it's for: Mississippi children with disabilities whose parents want to move them from public school to a private school. MDE's ESA page describes it as giving parents of special needs children the option of withdrawing their child from the public school system and receiving funds to help pay private school tuition or other allowable expenses. MDE's Office of Special Education runs it.

• Amount: up to $8,421 for the 2026–27 school year, according to MDE's ESA FAQ, paid as reimbursement four times a year.
• The key requirement: an active IEP within three years of the application. MDE defines that as an IEP developed by a public school district where the student was enrolled and received special education or related services.
• The school: a letter of acceptance, on school letterhead, from an eligible private school qualified to meet the child's needs.
• Seats: the law limits new enrollment to 500 additional students each year, subject to appropriation. MDE awards ESAs first come, first served, with a waitlist.

Read the IEP rule twice. A child who has been homeschooled from the start usually has no public-school IEP at all, so the program may be out of reach before the private school question even comes up. A child who left public school with an IEP in the last three years is in a different spot.

Program two: the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship

Who it's for: students diagnosed with dyslexia who will attend a school built for dyslexia therapy. MDE's 2026–27 application asks for a diagnosis from a licensed psychometrist, psychologist or speech-language pathologist. MDE's dyslexia page lists five approved special-purpose nonpublic schools: Magnolia Speech School, 3D School in Petal, Lighthouse Academy in Ocean Springs, Innova Prep in Hattiesburg and The Canopy School in Ridgeland. The application also has a section for a move to another public school.

The homeschool problem is the same. The scholarship follows the child to one of those schools. There is no option for therapy at home.

Program three: the Nate Rogers Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship

Who it's for: children in kindergarten through grade 6, or the equivalent age of 11, whose IDEA eligibility is a speech-language impairment. MDE's questions and answers say students who are not enrolled in, and attending in person, an accredited nonpublic school are not eligible. The school must be an MDE-accredited special-purpose school whose main purpose is speech-language therapy. MDE pays the school directly, and the amount is based on the student base cost as appropriated.

Who each program is actually for

• ESA: a child with a recent public-school IEP whose family is moving them to an eligible private school.
• Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship: a child with a dyslexia diagnosis enrolling in one of five approved dyslexia schools, or moving to another public school.
• Nate Rogers: a young child with a speech-language impairment attending a speech-language school in person.
• A child taught at home under a certificate of enrollment: none of the three.

You can't stack them, either. The ESA agreement bars using the Dyslexia or Nate Rogers scholarship at the same time, and MDE's Nate Rogers parent guidance says accepting that scholarship rules out the other two.

Didn't the Legislature try to change this?

Yes. House Bill 2 of 2026 would have created Magnolia Student Accounts with a small homeschool category, capped at $1,000 a year per family. It passed the House 61 to 59 on January 15, 2026, and died in the Senate Education Committee on March 3, 2026. As of October 2026, nothing has replaced it. We cover that bill in its own article.

There is also a federal scholarship tax credit starting in 2027. Mississippi opted in, but whether those scholarships can pay homeschool costs is not settled, and we found no Mississippi scholarship organization list when we checked on October 27, 2026.

What Mississippi homeschoolers do have

The trade-off is a light law. You file one certificate of enrollment per child each year, now due by August 15 under Senate Bill 2103 of 2026, which moved the deadline up from September 15 starting July 1, 2026. There is no testing, no curriculum approval and no teacher qualification. Older students can take dual enrollment courses at a college that accepts them, and homeschool graduates can qualify for state college grants such as MTAG, MESG and HELP with a signed, notarized transcript and an ACT or SAT score.

Every school district also has a duty under federal law to locate, identify and evaluate children with disabilities, and the ESA law itself says nothing in it cancels the duty to identify and serve children in home instruction programs. What services follow an evaluation is a question for your district's special education director.

Curriculum, tutoring and therapy for a homeschooled child come out of the family budget. Our vendor directory lists Mississippi providers you can hire directly, with no one's approval.

The Pattersons homeschool three kids outside Tupelo. Their middle son, 10, has never attended public school. After a friend mentioned the ESA, his mother looked into it and learned the program wanted a public-school IEP from the last three years and an acceptance letter from a private school. They had neither, and didn't want to give up homeschooling to get them. Instead they asked their district about an evaluation for his reading struggles, kept teaching at home, and budgeted for a reading tutor twice a week.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist for Mississippi homeschool families

• Stop looking for a Mississippi homeschool ESA application. There isn't one for 2026–27.
• If your child had a public-school IEP in the last three years and you're open to private school, read MDE's ESA FAQ before you decide anything.
• If you suspect a disability, ask your school district about an evaluation.
• File your certificate of enrollment by August 15 each year, not September 15.
• Budget for curriculum, tutoring and therapy as family expenses.
• Put the August 15 deadline and college grant dates on your education calendar.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Mississippi Department of Education, its Office of Special Education, the Mississippi Legislature, the Internal Revenue Service or any Mississippi school or school district. Program rules and amounts change each year — confirm details with MDE before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

 
Frequently, what appears to be "math difficulty" is really executive function overload. When backpacks are chaotic, worksheets

go missing, and study sessions happen in last-minute rushes, mental bandwidth evaporates before the first calculation begins.

This week, we focus on simple organization routines that bring calm and clarity to your learning space. Thank you for showing

learners how to prepare their minds for deep thinking.

Being organized helps students feel calm, independent, and capable. When materials and routines are scattered, even

accessible math problems can feel intimidating. Predictable study habits give learners clear ownership of their success.

ACTIONABLE GRADE-BAND DIRECTIVES FOR PARENTS & EDUCATORS

Grades 3–5: Visual Color-Coding & Micro-Timers
Young learners easily lose track of loose papers. 

Parent & Educator Action: Use bright two-pocket folders (green for active math
work, blue for completed work). Set a physical visual timer for just 10 to 15 minutes of uninterrupted focus. When the timer rings,
celebrate that focused sprint—no marathon dragging at the table.

Grades 6–8: Replace Cramming with 15-Minute Daily Touches
Middle school math requires cumulative recall. 

Parent & Educator Action: Help your learner create a simple weekly calendar. Block
out 15 minutes every afternoon for math review rather than a frantic 2-hour panic the night before an exam. Consistency
dramatically lowers test anxiety and solidifies core concepts.

Grades 9–12: Chunk Complex Review Packets into Milestones
Multi-step problem sets and exam reviews feel overwhelming. 

Parent & Educator Action: Teach older students to divide big
assignments into bite-sized batches (e.g., 5 problems per sitting). Introduce tools like Trello, Google Keep, or an index card system:
"Concepts Mastered," "Practicing," and "Need to Ask About."

EDUCATOR & PARENT TIP: Dedicate the last 3 minutes of Friday to an organization reset. Have the learner clean out their folder,
sharpen pencils, and identify one topic to focus on next week.

MATHEMATICAL CONNECTION: Math fluency is built through short, repeated encounters—much like practicing an instrument or
sport. Routine practice beats stressful cramming every time.

We wish you math SUCCESS!

The Classroom Ready Team  

Building Resilient Math Learners • Practical Weekly Action Sheet • Week 3 of 10

A Major Building Project with an Ambitious Timeline

The planned facility will include approximately 30,000 square feet of two-story educational space attached to a 40,000-square-foot field house. The project is currently progressing through its financing and approval process. According to information shared during the meeting, Custom Class has secured investors for its bond and is working toward closing the bond in late October or early November 2026.

Meanwhile, the organization has been moving forward with engineering, bids, and construction planning. One West Builders, a company experienced in building similar educational facilities throughout Utah, is lined up to construct the project. With the engineering work, bids, and subcontractors lined up, the team hopes to begin construction promptly once financing closes.

One West Builders projects that construction could be completed by the end of July 2027, potentially allowing the facility to open in time for the 2027–28 school year. The timeline remains dependent on the project moving forward as anticipated.

Spaces Designed for More Than Traditional Classes

The building plans include a variety of specialized learning spaces intended to support different interests, activities, and educational approaches.

One standout feature is a 60-by-30-foot makerspace. Similar in concept to makerspaces found at libraries and universities, it is expected to include equipment such as 3D printers and laser engraving machines. Students and instructors could use the space for hands-on projects, creative exploration, and specialized classes.

Other planned spaces include:

The range of spaces could make the building useful to a variety of educational groups, instructors, and community organizations—not just those operating within Custom Class itself.

A Field House with Many Possibilities

The attached 40,000-square-foot field house is another major component of the project. The design calls for two large courts with bleachers between them, allowing the space to accommodate a variety of activities.

Potential uses include indoor sports, hockey, performances, graduations, and other large gatherings. Its flexible design could make it useful to educational organizations and community groups that need a substantial indoor venue.
The field house and its proximity to the city's recreational facilities could also create opportunities for activities that combine indoor and outdoor experiences.

The Learning Commons: Support for Flexible Homeschooling

One of the most distinctive features planned for the new building is the Learning Commons, a dedicated area where Custom Class students will be able to schedule time during school hours to work on their schoolwork with staff support.

For some families, this model could offer a helpful middle ground between learning entirely at home and attending a traditional school full time.

Parents who want to remain actively involved in their children's education may occasionally need time to work, manage appointments, or handle other responsibilities. The Learning Commons is intended to give Custom Class students a place to focus on their studies, work independently, and receive assistance from staff while their parents attend to other needs.

The concept reflects the flexibility at the heart of personalized homeschooling: families can maintain a home-centered educational approach while accessing additional support when it is useful.

Opening the Doors to the Wider Homeschool Community

The building is being designed with community use in mind. Rather than limiting access to Custom Class students, the organization wants to create opportunities for educators, instructors, and community members to offer learning experiences in the facility.

The basic arrangement already exists at Custom Class's current building: groups serving at least 50% Custom Class students can use available space without paying a rental fee (provided they carry the required insurance). The current facility also has evening availability, offering opportunities for groups and individuals to use the space outside regular school hours.

The new building will significantly expand those possibilities. Custom Class is still developing the details of its future scheduling and rental policies, including how priority will be given to groups serving Custom Class students and how other community users can access the facility.

The goal is to encourage educational use while also allowing the building to serve the broader community. Some organizations may qualify to use space at no cost, while other users may rent rooms or facilities for appropriate events. For homeschool families, this could create opportunities that might otherwise be difficult to arrange.

Imagine a local photographer who wants to teach a photography class but doesn't have an appropriate space. Or a professional who would love to teach students about website development, engineering, science, or another area of expertise but cannot afford to rent a classroom. A community facility designed to support learning could help turn those ideas into actual classes and experiences.

The building could also provide room for educational groups that need a larger or more suitable location than they currently have.

Room to Grow with the Community

The 10-acre property offers room for future development beyond the main building. Custom Class is considering possibilities for later phases, potentially including smaller modular buildings, additional facilities, and a greenhouse. Smaller standalone spaces near the pickleball courts could eventually offer opportunities for student or community entrepreneurs to sell products and services to people attending nearby recreational activities and events.

A trail along Horseman Park Drive is also part of the anticipated development, in response to city requirements.
These additional ideas are not all finalized plans. The broader vision is to develop the property in phases, allowing future additions to respond to the needs and interests of the community as the project progresses.

Growing to Meet Demand—and Expanding Options for Students

The new facility comes as Custom Class continues to grow. The organization had a student cap of 400 for the current school year but received enough interest to obtain approval to enroll 5% above that limit, bringing enrollment to 420 students.

According to the growth figures shared during the meeting, Custom Class expects its cap to increase to 560 students for the following school year and 920 students in the 2028–29 school year.

Custom Class is also developing a part-time option for students who attend public school but want to pursue particular interests or earn credit through other experiences. For example, a student involved in dance might seek to fulfill a physical education credit through that activity, while another student interested in veterinary medicine might explore an internship that could contribute toward science credits.

This option is still in development, but it reflects a broader philosophy: meaningful learning can take place in many settings, and students benefit when their education can connect with their interests, talents, and future goals.

A Resource for Southern Utah’s Homeschool Community

For Desert Blossom Homeschool Resource Center, learning about the project firsthand offered a glimpse into how the region's educational landscape may continue to evolve.

A facility of this scale, with specialized learning spaces, flexible classrooms, a large field house, and opportunities for community use, could help expand the kinds of educational experiences available to families. Just as importantly, it could give local instructors, organizations, and professionals a place to share their knowledge with students.

As the project moves through its remaining approvals and into construction, Desert Blossom will continue connecting homeschool families with local resources, organizations, and opportunities that support home-centered education.

The building is still taking shape, and some details remain under development. But the vision is clear: to create a place where education, community, and individual interests can come together in new ways.

For more information about Custom

Continue reading on My Learning Source →

]]> https://michigan.mylearningsource.com/blog/homeschool-music-classes-in-oakland-county https://michigan.mylearningsource.com/blog/homeschool-music-classes-in-oakland-county Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT Red Piano Music Studio Looking to add something creative to your homeschool routine? Music is a great way to bring hands-on learning, creativity, and a little extra fun into your week! At Red Piano Music Studio , our homesc…

Looking to add something creative to your homeschool routine? Music is a great way to bring hands-on learning, creativity, and a little extra fun into your week!

At Red Piano Music Studio, our homeschool music classes give students the chance to explore instruments, build musical skills, and discover new interests in a fun, encouraging environment. From learning their first chords to playing in a band, there's something for every age and experience level.

🎹 Group Piano – Learn the fundamentals of piano, music reading, and rhythm.

🎸 Group Guitar – Build skills, learn chords, and start playing favorite songs.

🎵 Early Childhood Music – Explore instruments, singing, movement, and musical foundations.

🎤 Rock Band – Learn to play together, develop performance skills, and make some noise!

🥁 Drum Ensemble – Explore rhythms, percussion instruments, and the power of a great beat.

The best part? Just $21 per class!

Give your homeschool week a creative boost with music classes that make learning hands-on, engaging, and fun.

🎶 Explore homeschool music classes at Red Piano Music Studio and find your child's next favorite activity!

]]> https://idaho.mylearningsource.com/blog/can-idaho-homeschoolers-use-the-parental-choice-tax-credit-yes-with-three-big-limits https://idaho.mylearningsource.com/blog/can-idaho-homeschoolers-use-the-parental-choice-tax-credit-yes-with-three-big-limits Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:17:05 GMT My Learning Source Idaho's Parental Choice Tax Credit is open to homeschool families, which is not true of every state's school choice program. But you can't pay yourself for teaching, your instruction has to cover four core subjects and be documented, and a semester of public school enrollment wipes out that… Scholarships Guides Tips In a lot of states, the school choice money stops at the private school door and homeschool families are left out. Idaho is not one of them. The Parental Choice Tax Credit is open to homeschoolers, and it pays back exactly the kind of costs many homeschool families already cover out of pocket. But there are three limits you need to understand before you count on the money. Miss any of them and you could lose a semester, a child's claim or the whole credit.

Why homeschoolers qualify

The law builds the credit around a "nonpublic school," which it defines as a private school, microschool or learning pod that provides academic instruction in person, online or both. That definition doesn't use the word homeschool. The Tax Commission fills the gap. Its 2026 eligibility checklist says the student must attend a full-year K-12 nonpublic school, "meaning a private school, homeschool, microschool, or learning pod." And the statute, as amended in 2026, says plainly that home schooling does not count as public school enrollment.

So a homeschool family is in. The question is what you can claim.

Limit one: you can't pay yourself

The law says parents may not claim tuition or fees for academic instruction the parent provides to their own child. The Tax Commission's qualifying expenses page lists "homeschool academic instruction that a parent provides" as nonqualifying. Your hours at the kitchen table don't turn into dollars.

What you buy to teach with is a different story. For a homeschool family, the claimable costs usually come down to these:

• Curriculum that covers, at a minimum, English language arts, math, science and social studies. Starting with 2026 expenses, the Tax Commission says the curriculum can come from more than one developer.
• Textbooks.
• Tutoring in the four core subjects, from someone other than the parent.
• Tests: nationally standardized assessments and prep courses for them, college admission tests, Advanced Placement exams and industry-recognized certification exams.
• Tuition or fees if your child also attends a microschool or learning pod that teaches the four core subjects.

Limit two: four core subjects, and proof

The law defines academic instruction as K-12 instruction that includes, at a minimum, English language arts, math, science and social studies. A family that only does math and reading this year, or only buys a phonics program, is on shaky ground. The Tax Commission frames the program as starting with tuition or a curriculum that covers all four, then adding tutoring, textbooks, transportation and testing. If your plan is to claim only one piece, such as tutoring alone, ask the Tax Commission before you count on it.

Then there's the paperwork. Instruction that isn't from an accredited school has to be documented in a portfolio of evidence or learning record that shows your child's growth, and the law says those records must be kept and available in an audit. The application checklist says you don't upload the portfolio when you apply, but you'll need it if you're audited, and it can include report cards, assessments and standardized test results.

That's a change for many Idaho homeschoolers. The Idaho Department of Education says the state doesn't regulate homeschooling and has no reporting or testing requirement. The tax credit adds its own record-keeping rule only for families who take the money. If you don't apply, nothing changes for you.

Limit three: the public school semester rule

You can't claim the credit for any semester your child is enrolled full- or part-time in a public school, public charter school, public virtual charter school, public magnet school or part-time public kindergarten.

This catches homeschool families who mix in public options. The My School Choice FAQ names the Idaho Home Learning Academy and Idaho Virtual Academy as public schools, so a child enrolled there isn't eligible for that time. The 2026 law change carved out some exceptions starting with 2026 expenses. A child isn't considered enrolled for:

• activities or instruction for which no academic credit is awarded;
• public school sports or other extracurricular activities;
• Idaho Digital Learning Alliance courses you pay for yourself that the state doesn't fund.

Taking a public school class for credit through dual enrollment is a different matter. That can count as part-time enrollment and cost you the semester. If you're unsure, the FAQ says to check with the public school about whether your child is enrolled.

The disability amount for homeschoolers

The credit rises to $7,500 per child for the 2026 tax year for a child with a disability who requires ancillary personnel, meaning people who provide special services. You document the disability with a diagnosis or determination from an Idaho licensed health care provider, or with eligibility for an IEP. The application checklist adds a detail aimed at homeschoolers: if you homeschool, keep receipts showing you pay ancillary personnel to provide special services to your child. Whether a given therapy is itself a claimable expense is a separate question the law doesn't answer directly, so confirm before you count therapy bills toward the total.

What about transportation?

The law covers transportation to and from a facility for academic instruction, at the state mileage rate. The Tax Commission says it means trips between home and the nonpublic school, not field trips, music lessons or sports. For a family teaching at home, there's usually no qualifying trip. If your child attends a learning pod or microschool, keep a log of dates, destinations and miles.

A family sorting it out

The Ruizes in Twin Falls homeschool two boys. In 2026 they bought a boxed curriculum for the younger one and pieced together math, history, science and literature from three publishers for the older one. The older boy also took a for-credit Spanish class at the local high school in the fall. When they sat down with the rules, they saw the fall semester was likely out for him because of the enrolled class, so they kept his spring receipts separate. They also started a simple three-ring binder for each boy with dated work samples and a year-end test.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist for homeschool families

• Make sure your 2026 materials cover all four core subjects for each child you plan to claim.
• Keep paid receipts showing the seller, the item, the amount, that you paid and the date.
• Build a portfolio or learning record for each child and keep it after you file.
• Track any semester with public school, IHLA or Idaho Virtual Academy enrollment.
• Don't count your own teaching time or co-op volunteer hours.
• Find tutors and curriculum providers in our vendor directory, and read our Idaho tax credit guide before the January 15, 2027 window.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Idaho State Tax Commission, the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit program or the Idaho Department of Education, and nothing here is tax or legal advice. Rules change — confirm details with the Tax Commission on myschoolchoice.idaho.gov before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://alaska.mylearningsource.com/blog/allotment-or-independence-what-alaska-families-trade-when-they-join-a-correspondence-program https://alaska.mylearningsource.com/blog/allotment-or-independence-what-alaska-families-trade-when-they-join-a-correspondence-program Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:16:18 GMT My Learning Source In Alaska, only students enrolled in a public correspondence program get an allotment. Independent homeschoolers keep full control and file nothing, but get no state money. Here is exactly what each side gives up: the ILP, teacher oversight, state testing, nonsectarian purchases and who owns the… Scholarships Guides Parenting Every Alaska homeschool family eventually faces the same question: take the allotment, or keep full independence? Both are legal. Both happen at the kitchen table. But they are different arrangements under the law, and the money comes with real conditions. This article lays out the trade honestly so you can pick with your eyes open.

Two different legal setups

Alaska's compulsory attendance law, AS 14.30.010, lists the situations in which a child of school age doesn't have to attend public school. One is a child "being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian." That is independent homeschooling. A separate exemption covers a student enrolled full time in a correspondence program approved by DEED.

That second route is not homeschooling in the legal sense. DEED's Alternative Schooling Options page puts it plainly: correspondence programs are district-supported schooling at home, and "homeschooling" means schooling without district affiliation. A correspondence student is a public school student.

Why independent homeschoolers get no allotment

The allotment statute, AS 14.03.310, authorizes an allotment only for "a student enrolled in the correspondence study program" and only for costs in that student's individual learning plan. An independent homeschooler has no ILP and no program, so there is nothing for the money to attach to. No application or exception changes that. To get an allotment, the child must enroll.

What you take on in a correspondence program

• An ILP every year, written with a certificated teacher the district assigns, with a signed agreement between the teacher and a parent.
• Teacher monitoring. DEED's regulations require quarterly reviews of the student's work, and at least monthly contact for a student who did not meet standards on the last statewide assessment.
• State testing. Correspondence students take the statewide assessments, and the program must provide or arrange a secure testing site.
• Teacher-assigned grades. For courses taken through the program, the certificated teacher responsible for the course assigns the grade. Parents can make recommendations.
• Approved materials. Curriculum bought with program money must be approved by the district and can't promote partisan, sectarian or denominational doctrine.
• Core course rule. At least half of the coursework a student takes through the program must be core courses, with some waivers.

What you keep

Enrolling does not mean you lose all say. You help write the ILP, you pick from the program's approved vendors, and you do the daily teaching. DEED's regulation also says nothing prevents a parent from giving their own child supplemental instruction using materials of the parent's choice, so long as those materials were not bought with department or district money. A family can, for example, keep a Bible study going on its own dime alongside a correspondence ILP. The line is simply that public money can't pay for it.

What independent homeschoolers keep, and give up

An independent homeschool family chooses every book, sets its own schedule, decides whether to test and keeps its own records. The statute attaches no conditions to that exemption. The trade is cost and support: no allotment, no assigned teacher, no program lending library and no program transcript. The parent issues the diploma.

Records and special education

In a correspondence program, the program keeps the official record. DEED's regulation says the transcript must show the source of any course the student took that the district didn't offer or approve and paid nothing for, and whether the district accepted that course toward graduation. A student with a disability is enrolled on the same basis as any other student, and the district stays responsible for the IEP and special education services. The regulation says allotment money can't be used to replace those services. An independent homeschooler keeps their own records, and special education works differently outside public enrollment.

Part-time enrollment: the middle path

DEED's rules allow part-time correspondence enrollment. A student can take some courses through a program and count toward that program's share of state funding, and the core course rule applies to whatever the student takes through the program. A student can't be counted as more than one full-time student for funding, and a student can't be counted in a course while taking a substantially similar course somewhere else, including a private school. Whether a part-time student gets any allotment, and how much, is up to the program. Ask before you sign up.

Switching sides

Families move between the two all the time. DEED's regulation requires a district correspondence program to keep enrollment open for the entire school year, though a program that is a charter school may cap enrollment. Leaving works the other way too, but remember that the unspent allotment goes back to the program when your child leaves. A 2026 law, AS 14.03.300(c), lets a departing student keep allotment-bought materials only if they are the type a student leaving a physical school in the district may keep, so the program may still expect some items back. Ask your program for its written rule before you buy expensive equipment.

A related option starting in 2027

Alaska has opted into the federal scholarship tax credit under Internal Revenue Code section 25F beginning in tax year 2027. DEED is approving K-12 scholarship granting organizations on a rolling basis, and approved groups can start raising qualifying contributions on January 1, 2027, according to DEED's SGO page. Which homeschool costs those scholarships may cover depends on federal rules and each organization, which were not settled as of October 2026.

A family weighing it

The Lindqvists in Homer homeschooled independently for four years. Money got tight when their oldest reached high school and wanted chemistry with a lab and a weekly welding class. They enrolled the two older children in a statewide program, which covered the lab kit and the welding course through its allotment, and kept their youngest independent because they wanted a free hand with her early reading years. Their family devotions stayed exactly as before, paid for out of pocket.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Questions to settle before you decide

• Do you want state money enough to accept an ILP, teacher contact and state testing?
• Is any of your planned curriculum religious? If so, plan to buy it yourself.
• Would part-time enrollment for one or two courses cover what you need?
• What does the program expect back if you leave midyear?
• Talk it through with other Alaska families in our community, and read our allotment guide for the program basics.
• Browse curriculum and tutors in the vendor directory either way.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, any Alaska school district or any correspondence program. Program rules differ and can change — confirm requirements with your correspondence program or DEED before you enroll or withdraw. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://california.mylearningsource.com/blog/filing-california-s-private-school-affidavit-step-by-step-dates-questions-and-what-it-doesn-t-do https://california.mylearningsource.com/blog/filing-california-s-private-school-affidavit-step-by-step-dates-questions-and-what-it-doesn-t-do Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:14:15 GMT My Learning Source The Private School Affidavit is how a California parent registers a home-based private school. The legal filing period is October 1 to 15, but CDE's online system is open August 1 through June 30 for new schools and homeschools. Here is what the form asks, what to keep, why it is a registration and… Guides Tips If you are homeschooling in California through a home-based private school, the Private School Affidavit is the one form that matters. It is short, it is online, and it is filed every year. It is also widely misunderstood. It does not ask permission, nobody approves it, and filing it does not make your school accredited or licensed. Here is how it works, start to finish.

For how the affidavit compares with the other routes, see our California homeschool options guide.

What the affidavit is

Education Code 33190 requires every person or organization offering or conducting private school instruction at the elementary or high school level to file an affidavit or statement with the Superintendent of Public Instruction each year, under penalty of perjury. CDE's Private School Affidavit information page says that includes parents who operate a private home school. CDE's PSA FAQ calls the affidavit, also known as the R-4 form, a registration document only.

For a parent, the affidavit is step one of a two-step exemption. Step two belongs to the school district. Under Education Code 48222, the exemption is valid only after the district's attendance supervisor, or another person the board designates, verifies that the school complied with Section 33190.

When to file

• Legal filing period: October 1 through 15 each year. The 2026 period closed on October 15, 2026.
• Online system: open from August 1 to June 30, so new schools and new homeschools can file mid-year. If you start homeschooling now, you can still file for the 2026-27 school year.
• July starts: CDE says schools established in July wait until the filing system opens in August.
• Every year: the affidavit is annual. Filing once does not carry over.

What the form asks

The statute lists the information the affidavit covers. In plain terms:

• The name of your school, real or fictitious. Many families choose a simple name for their home school.
• The address of every place the school does business in California.
• Where the school's records are kept and who the custodian of records is.
• The names and addresses of any directors and principal officers.
• Enrollment by grade, the number of teachers, whether the school is coeducational, and whether it has boarding facilities.
• A statement that required records are kept at the stated address and are true and accurate.
• A statement about criminal record summaries under Education Code 44237. CDE's code summary notes that the private school fingerprinting rule does not apply to a parent working only with their own children.

Step by step

• 1. Read the rules. CDE's Education Code for Private Schools page collects the sections that apply, including 33190, 48222, 51210 and 51220.
• 2. File online. Use CDE's online PSA filing system. You get an instant confirmation email.
• 3. Save the confirmation. It includes a link to edit your affidavit. The system also has a retrieve and update feature for the current year. CDE says you can't change a previous, closed year's affidavit.
• 4. Withdraw from public school if your child is enrolled. CDE's Schooling at Home FAQ lists withdrawal as a step and says districts verify filings, which typically means giving the district or school a copy of your affidavit.
• 5. Set up your records. Keep the attendance register, courses of study and teacher information from day one.

If you can't file online, the statute allows a statement in lieu of the affidavit. CDE says it must include every element Section 33190 requires and follows the same filing period. It is meant mainly for people without online access.

Records the law expects you to keep

• An attendance register that clearly shows every absence of a half day or more on each day school is held (EC 48222).
• The courses of study offered.
• The names and addresses of the faculty, with a record of each teacher's educational qualifications.
• CDE also recommends keeping copies of every affidavit you file and individual student records.

What the affidavit does not do

The statute makes it unlawful for a school to claim, directly or by implication, that the state, CDE or any accrediting agency has evaluated, recognized, approved or endorsed it unless that is actually true. CDE adds that filing does not mean the state has granted a license to operate a school, and that it does not verify the information you submit. Don't describe your home school as state-approved on a transcript or website.

Privacy

The affidavit is a public record. CDE says it only publishes directories and data files for private schools with six or more students. Data for schools with fewer than six students is released only under a public records request, and CDE redacts the address when it does. Schools with five or fewer students also don't get a CDS tracking code.

A family filing late

The Delgados in Riverside pulled their fourth grader out of public school in mid-October after a rough start to the year. They had missed the October 1 to 15 window by a few days. They filed through CDE's online system, which stays open until June 30, saved the confirmation email, and brought a printed copy to the school office when they withdrew. They started an attendance register that week and a simple folder with the courses they planned for the year. Next year the filing date goes on their calendar in September.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Common mistakes

• Assuming one filing covers future years. It does not.
• Waiting for approval. None is coming. The confirmation email is what you get.
• Not withdrawing from the public school or not giving the district a copy when asked, which leaves the absence unexplained.
• Skipping the attendance register because nobody asks for it.
• Filing an affidavit while also enrolled in a charter independent study program. A child can't be a private school student and a charter student for the same year.

Checklist

• Put the October 1 to 15 filing period on your education calendar.
• File online, save the confirmation email and print a copy.
• Withdraw from public school if needed and give the district a copy if asked.
• Start the attendance register and course list now.
• Find curriculum and classes in our vendor directory.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the California Department of Education, any school district or any county office of education. Laws, school policies and filing systems change — confirm details with the California Department of Education, your school district or your charter school before you act. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://southcarolina.mylearningsource.com/blog/homeschool-option-or-estf-two-legal-ways-to-teach-at-home-in-south-carolina-and-why-not-both https://southcarolina.mylearningsource.com/blog/homeschool-option-or-estf-two-legal-ways-to-teach-at-home-in-south-carolina-and-why-not-both Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:13:02 GMT My Learning Source South Carolina families homeschooling under Option 1, 2 or 3 can't use the Education Scholarship Trust Fund. But a family can leave its option and teach at home under the ESTF agreement, which itself satisfies compulsory attendance. Here is how the two paths compare, what you gain and give up, and… Scholarships Guides Tips If you homeschool in South Carolina and you have heard about the state's $7,634 Education Scholarship Trust Fund for 2026-27, you have probably also heard that homeschoolers can't use it. That is true, and it isn't the whole story. There are now two legal ways to teach your child at home in this state, and they don't mix. This article explains the difference in plain terms.

Door number one: the three homeschool options

South Carolina's compulsory attendance law, in Title 59, Chapter 65, gives parents three ways to homeschool. Option 1 is approval by your school district's board of trustees under Section 59-65-40, with extra requirements such as a 4½-hour instructional day, a semiannual progress report to the district and annual statewide testing. Option 2 is membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools under Section 59-65-45. Option 3 is membership in a homeschool association with at least 50 members under Section 59-65-47, where the parent keeps a plan book, a portfolio and a semiannual progress report.

All three share the basics: a parent with at least a high school diploma or GED, a 180-day school year, and instruction in reading, writing, math, science and social studies, plus composition and literature in grades 7-12. None of them comes with state money.

Why those options shut the ESTF door

Every ESTF parent signs a yearly attestation listed in Section 59-8-115(D)(4). Item (e) is a promise "not to participate in a home instruction program under Section 59-65-40, 59-65-45, or 59-65-47." SCDE's Home School FAQ puts it plainly: students homeschooled under those sections are not eligible. The ESTF program site words it by school year, saying a student can't homeschool under Option 1, 2 or 3 for the 2026-27 school year.

Door number two: teaching at home under the ESTF

Now the part that gets lost. Section 59-8-115(H) says a parent's signed ESTF agreement "satisfies the state's compulsory attendance law." In other words, the ESTF agreement is its own legal footing, just as an option is. SCDE's ESTF FAQ says it directly: some families are choosing to educate at home and use the ESTF to buy curriculum, technology, tutoring and educational therapies. The FAQ sums up the only two hard limits: you can't attend your zoned public school, and you can't enroll in an Option 1-3 association.

So an ESTF family can teach at home. It is just doing so under the ESTF's rules, not as a homeschool under Options 1-3.

What you sign up for on the ESTF side

• Instruction in at least English/language arts including writing, math, social studies and science, per the yearly attestation.
• Annual testing for students in grades 3-11, reported to SCDE (state tests, an approved norm-referenced test such as the Iowa, or an approved formative test given three times a year; high schoolers may use the ACT, SAT or PSAT).
• Spending only on approved expenses, through ClassWallet, with invoices, under SCDE review.
• A yearly renewal and the income limit, which is 500% of the federal poverty guidelines for 2026-27.
• For a child with a disability, an acknowledgment that the ESTF is a parental placement under federal special education law.

The ESTF statute has its own list of parent promises, and it isn't a copy of the option rules. Read the affidavit in ClassWallet carefully, and keep your own records of what you teach, because you are the one answering for it.

What you gain and what you give up

The gain is money: $7,634 per child for 2026-27 that can pay for tutoring, therapies, online courses, curriculum and devices within limits. The costs are real too. You give up the association or district that stands behind your homeschool, you take on testing even if your option didn't require it, and every purchase runs through an approval process. The program is also capped and was full for 2026-27, so a family that drops its option without a confirmed award could be left with neither. Don't leave your option until the ESTF award is in hand.

Questions to settle before you switch

• Siblings. If one child gets an award and another doesn't, can the second stay in your association? The attestation is signed by the parent, so ask SCDE in writing before you assume.
• Sports and activities. South Carolina's Equal Access to Interscholastic Activities Act, Section 59-63-100, defines a home school student by Options 1-3. ESTF students taught at home aren't named, and we found no official guidance. Ask your district before the season.
• College scholarships. LIFE and Palmetto Fellows rules refer to homeschool programs and associations. If you have a high schooler, ask the Commission on Higher Education how ESTF years will be treated.
• Records and transcripts. Under an association, the association often keeps or reports records. Under the ESTF, plan to keep your own transcript and grades.
• Timing. Ask your association how and when to withdraw, and confirm with SCDE when your ESTF agreement starts covering attendance.

Going back

Nothing in the law locks you into the ESTF. A family can tell SCDE it is leaving (the FAQ says to email ESTFProgram@ed.sc.gov with the reason) and return to a homeschool option. Under Section 59-8-125, money left in the account reverts to the fund when a student leaves, so spend wisely and plan the exit date.

A family deciding

The Hamptons in Rock Hill homeschooled three children under an Option 3 association for six years. When their middle son was diagnosed with dyslexia, the cost of weekly therapy pushed them to look at the ESTF. They applied during the general window, kept everyone in the association while they waited, and only withdrew the son after his award letter came. His siblings stayed in the association after SCDE answered their written question. The first year meant learning ClassWallet invoices and scheduling a MAP test, but the therapy bills were covered.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist

• Write down what you get from your current option and what you would lose.
• Check the household income limit for your family size.
• Join the ESTF waitlist and watch for the 2027-28 windows.
• Ask SCDE about siblings and timing in writing, and keep the answer.
• Stay in your option until an award is confirmed.
• Find tutors and therapists in our vendor directory, compare notes in our community, and read the full ESTF guide.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the South Carolina Department of Education, the Education Scholarship Trust Fund, ClassWallet, SCAIHS or any South Carolina homeschool association. Eligibility rules and timing can change — confirm details with SCDE and your homeschool association before you withdraw or apply. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://northcarolina.mylearningsource.com/blog/north-carolina-opportunity-scholarship-award-tiers-for-2026-27-how-household-income-sets-the-amount https://northcarolina.mylearningsource.com/blog/north-carolina-opportunity-scholarship-award-tiers-for-2026-27-how-household-income-sets-the-amount Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:09:49 GMT My Learning Source For 2026-27, North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship pays up to $7,942, $7,148, $4,766 or $3,574 per student depending on 2025 household income and household size. Here is how the four tiers are built in the statute, how to read NCSEAA's income chart, what income verification asks for, and why the… Scholarships Guides Tips The single most common question about the Opportunity Scholarship is "how much will we get?" The honest answer is: it depends on your household income, your household size, and what the school charges. This article walks through the 2026-27 numbers and the rules behind them, so you can figure out your tier before you apply.

Where the tiers come from

The tiers are written into G.S. 115C-562.2(b2). The law ties each tier to the federal free or reduced-price lunch income level and to the average state per-pupil allocation for the prior fiscal year:

• Tier 1: income at or below the free or reduced-price lunch level gets up to 100 percent of the per-pupil amount.
• Tier 2: income above that level and up to 200 percent of it gets up to 90 percent.
• Tier 3: income above 200 percent and up to 450 percent gets up to 60 percent.
• Tier 4: everyone else gets up to 45 percent.

Because the per-pupil figure changes each year, the dollar amounts change too. That is why you should never budget off last year's chart.

The 2026-27 dollar amounts

NCSEAA's Opportunity Scholarship Income Guidelines 2026-2027 turn those percentages into dollars:

• Tier 1: up to $7,942 a year, paid as up to $3,971 per semester.
• Tier 2: up to $7,148 a year, up to $3,574 per semester.
• Tier 3: up to $4,766 a year, up to $2,383 per semester.
• Tier 4: up to $3,574 a year, up to $1,787 per semester. This tier has no income limit and also covers families who do not report income.

Reading the income chart

The chart asks for two things: the number of people in your household and your total household income from 2025. Find your household size, then read across. Your income can be up to, but not more than, the maximum in a tier. If you are over, move to the next column. A few 2026-27 rows:

• Household of 2: Tier 1 up to $40,034, Tier 2 up to $80,068, Tier 3 up to $180,153.
• Household of 3: Tier 1 up to $50,542, Tier 2 up to $101,084, Tier 3 up to $227,439.
• Household of 4: Tier 1 up to $61,050, Tier 2 up to $122,100, Tier 3 up to $274,725.
• Household of 5: Tier 1 up to $71,558, Tier 2 up to $143,116, Tier 3 up to $322,011.

The chart itself gives an example: a household of four with 2025 income of $85,000 lands in Tier 2, because $85,000 is over the Tier 1 limit for four people. NCSEAA also posts an interactive income calculator and an income FAQ on its How to Apply page. Use them if your household has self-employment, multiple earners or a recent change.

Why tier matters beyond the dollars

Tier also sets your place in line. Under the statute, renewal students are awarded first. New students are then awarded in tier order, starting with Tier 1, until funding is exhausted. NCSEAA's 2026 announcement described the new-student lottery the same way: conducted by income level, with the lowest tier getting first priority.

The cap nobody mentions

The tier amount is a ceiling, not a check. The law says no award can exceed the school's required tuition and fees. NCSEAA's FAQ explains that MyPortal shows an award of $0 until schools complete what it calls Certification and Endorsement between August and October, when they report final tuition and fees for each semester, including discounts or school aid. So if a school charges $5,000 and you are in Tier 1, the scholarship pays $5,000, not $7,942, and the rest stays with the state.

Ask each school for its tuition and required fees in writing, after any discounts, and compare that number to your tier. If the school costs more than the award, you owe the difference.

Income verification

Your tier is based on what you report, but the law requires NCSEAA to verify income on a percentage of applications each year. If you are selected, you will be notified in MyPortal. The Opportunity Scholarship FAQ says NCSEAA accepts only an electronic IRS tax return transcript, not a paper return, and you need one for every household member who filed. You can request the transcript through the IRS Get Transcript tool. Households that did not have to file get a different form in MyPortal. If you are not told to verify, you do not need to.

Testing money for schools

One more line in the statute: for scholarship students in grades 3, 8 and 11, NCSEAA pays the school an extra amount equal to the cost of the required test. That money goes to the school on top of the award and does not reduce what you get.

What this means for homeschool families

None of these numbers can be spent at a home school. NCSEAA's rules exclude home schools, so the tier only matters if your child will attend a registered private school, or be co-enrolled in a home school and a private school with the scholarship paying the private school. For families with a child who has a disability, the ESA+ account is a separate program with flat amounts of $9,000 or $17,000 in 2026-27, explained on our program guide.

A family running the numbers

The Oxendines, a household of five near Pembroke, had 2025 income of about $130,000. That was over the Tier 1 limit of $71,558 for five people but under the Tier 2 limit of $143,116, so each child qualified for up to $7,148. The private school they liked charged $6,200 in tuition plus a required $300 technology fee. They expected the scholarship to cover $6,500 per child, with nothing left over, and planned the rest of their budget around the two children they keep home.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist

• Count your household and total your 2025 income.
• Find your tier on NCSEAA's 2026-27 chart, and rerun it when the 2027-28 chart is posted.
• Get each school's tuition and required fees in writing.
• If you file taxes, make sure you can pull an IRS return transcript online.
• Mark the February 1, 2027 opening on your education calendar.
• Ask questions of other North Carolina families in our community.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, the Opportunity Scholarship or ESA+ programs, ClassWallet, or the Division of Non-Public Education, the IRS, or any private school. Tier amounts and income limits are reset every year — confirm your tier with NCSEAA before you rely on it. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://tennessee.mylearningsource.com/blog/tennessee-s-esa-pilot-for-memphis-nashville-and-chattanooga-families-2026-27-amounts-and-rules https://tennessee.mylearningsource.com/blog/tennessee-s-esa-pilot-for-memphis-nashville-and-chattanooga-families-2026-27-amounts-and-rules Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:08:39 GMT My Learning Source Tennessee's Education Savings Account pilot serves lower-income students zoned to Memphis-Shelby County, Metro Nashville or Hamilton County schools, or a former Achievement School District school. For 2026-27 it is worth about $10,100, can pay private school tuition and other approved costs, and… Scholarships Guides Before the Education Freedom Scholarship, Tennessee's main private school choice program was the Education Savings Account pilot. It still exists, it is worth more per student than EFS, and it serves a specific group of families in three of the state's largest school systems. If you live in Memphis, Nashville or Chattanooga and your income qualifies, it may be the better fit.

The legal basis

The ESA program was created by state law at Tenn. Code Ann. §49-6-2601 and the sections after it, and it is guided by State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-16. The Tennessee Department of Education administers it.

Who it serves

The department's ESA page says the program is for eligible students zoned to attend Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Hamilton County Schools, or a school that was in the Achievement School District on May 24, 2019. The 2026-27 comparison chart lists the other main conditions:

• Residency: a Tennessee resident zoned to one of those systems.
• Grades: entering kindergarten through grade 12.
• Income: household income for the previous year no more than twice the federal income eligibility guidelines for free lunch.
• Enrollment history: the student was in a Tennessee public school the prior school year, or is eligible to enroll in a Tennessee school for the first time, or meets one of the other history rules listed on the ESA page.
• No IEP requirement.

What it is worth in 2026-27

The ESA page lists 2026-27 award amounts by district:

• Hamilton County Schools: $10,093.89
• Metro Nashville Public Schools: $10,132.54
• Memphis-Shelby County Schools: $10,132.54

The comparison chart explains the formula: the maximum annual amount is the lesser of the average TISA allocation generated by students in the zoned district or the combined statewide average of required state and local TISA allocations per pupil. Up to 50 percent of the current year's award can roll over to the next year for approved students.

When money arrives

For full-year students in 2026-27, the ESA page lists four allocations: 50 percent on August 4, 2026, 20 percent on October 1, 20 percent on January 5, 2027, and 10 percent on March 1, 2027. Families pay tuition and buy approved items through an online family wallet and marketplace, and the program posts user guides for both.

Where it can be spent

Students must enroll in a Category I, II or III non-public school. Funds pay tuition at an ESA-participating school, and the program allows other approved expenses, such as textbooks, uniforms and after-school educational programs available in the marketplace. Category IV and V schools and independent home schools are not allowed.

Applying now: the second-semester window

The full-year 2026-27 application has closed. As of this writing, the ESA page says a second-semester-only application opened September 1, 2026, and closes October 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. CT. The second-semester award is half of the full-year amount, and students begin attending in January 2027. Related deadlines on the program calendar include November 16, 2026, for school enrollment verification and December 15, 2026, for account holder contracts and expense budgets.

How many students use it

The department's 2025-26 ESA annual report says 4,766 students were enrolled in a non-public school and used an ESA that year, including 87 seniors who graduated. It also reports that 251 students used an ESA during the year but withdrew before the end, by enrolling in a public school, a Category IV or V school, moving out of state or for other reasons.

Testing and accountability

The annual report notes that state law required participating ESA students in grades 3 through 11 to take the TCAP tests in math and English language arts. The department publishes school-level results in its annual reports. If you are choosing a school, ask how it supports students taking the TCAP, since many private schools normally use a different standardized test.

For schools and providers

Schools apply separately to participate in the ESA program, and the ESA schools page says the school application for the second semester of 2026-27 closes November 2, 2026. Service providers must complete the program's background and fingerprinting process.

ESA, EFS or both?

A student can apply for both ESA and EFS but can participate in only one program in a school year. The ESA award is larger in 2026-27, but income and zoning limits apply. ESA-eligible students also fall into Priority 2 for EFS, which helps if the ESA does not work out.

When a student turns 18

The ESA page explains that once a student turns 18, either the student becomes the account holder or the parent must provide a notarized power of attorney signed by the student or a conservatorship order. The department offers an optional limited power of attorney template and an age of majority form.

Students with disabilities

The ESA does not require an IEP, but a student with a disability who uses an ESA attends a private school by parental choice. Ask any school you are considering what support it can provide, and compare with the IEA, which is designed for students with qualifying disabilities and allows a wider range of school options.

A family deciding

Danielle, a single mother in Antioch with two children in Metro Nashville schools, earns under twice the free lunch guideline. She missed the full-year ESA window but applied in the second-semester window in September for her middle schooler, who would move to a small Category II school in January. She budgeted around the half-year award and the spring disbursement dates.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Checklist

• Confirm your zoned district or former ASD school.
• Check income against twice the free lunch guideline for your household size.
• Pick a participating Category I, II or III school and confirm it accepts ESA.
• Watch the October 15, November 16 and December 15 dates on your education calendar.
• Compare with EFS in our EFS guide and find service providers in our vendor directory.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the Tennessee Department of Education, the Tennessee State Board of Education, the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, the ESA or IEA programs, or any Tennessee school district. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility rules are set each year — confirm details with the ESA program before you apply. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

]]> https://westvirginia.mylearningsource.com/blog/how-much-is-the-hope-scholarship-in-2026-27-and-why-do-later-applicants-get-less https://westvirginia.mylearningsource.com/blog/how-much-is-the-hope-scholarship-in-2026-27-and-why-do-later-applicants-get-less Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:05:20 GMT My Learning Source The full 2026-27 Hope Scholarship award is $5,435.62, paid in four quarterly deposits. Families who apply after June 15 receive 75, 50 or 25 percent of that amount for their first year. Here is how the figure is calculated, how the proration windows work and how notice-of-intent timing affects when… Scholarships Guides Tips Two families in the same county can both be approved for a Hope Scholarship for 2026-27 and receive very different amounts in their first year. That is not a mistake. It is how the program handles applications that arrive at different points in the year. This article explains the 2026-27 award, the proration windows and the quarterly payment schedule.

The full award for 2026-27

The Board's FAQ and the parent handbook updated June 25, 2026, both put the full 2026-27 award at $5,435.62 per student. The handbook says the amount changes every year and is published on the Hope website before the first August funding date.

The formula is in §18-31-6: the yearly amount equals 100 percent of the prior year's statewide average net state aid share allotted per pupil, based on net enrollment adjusted for state aid purposes. That ties Hope to the state school aid formula from the year before. The handbook adds that up to five percent of the per-pupil amount may be retained by the Board to administer the program.

Why later applicants get less

The statute says the Board must accept applications at any time during the year, and that a student awarded an account for less than a full fiscal year receives a prorated amount based on the portion of the year covered. To keep that simple, the Board adopted standard windows. For 2026-27:

• March 2 to June 15, 2026: 100 percent, or $5,435.62.
• June 16 to September 15, 2026: 75 percent, or $4,076.72.
• September 16 to November 30, 2026: 50 percent, or $2,717.81.
• December 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027: 25 percent, or $1,358.91.
• After February 28, 2027: no 2026-27 funding, but you can apply for 2027-28.

Those dollar figures come from the funding chart in the Board's FAQ. The handbook says the window is set by when the original completed application is submitted, and that the Board may shift the window dates slightly from year to year.

Proration applies to a student's first year only. Once a student is in the program, continuing from year to year depends on the continued participation confirmation, which must be submitted between January and June 15. The FAQ warns that missing that deadline means filing a new application, and new applications after June 15 are funded at less than 100 percent.

Quarterly payments are new this year

Before 2026-27, the account was funded in two halves, by August 15 and January 15. House Bill 5686 from the 2026 session added §18-31-6a, which requires four deposits starting July 1, 2026: one quarter each by August 15, October 15, January 15 and April 15.

For a student funded at 100 percent from the start of the year, the FAQ chart shows four deposits of roughly $1,358.90 each. A 75 percent student funded from August receives four deposits of $1,019.18.

The notice of intent cutoffs

A student's account is not funded until the application is in Approved status and a Hope notice of intent is on file with the county board of education. The handbook lists funding cutoff dates of August 1, October 1, January 2 and April 1. If you miss a cutoff, your child is funded in the next quarter, and the FAQ chart shows the missed amount catching up then. So a family that files its notice late does not lose the money, but it arrives later.

Leftover money

Unused funds carry over to the next year, as long as the student stays eligible and the family submits the continued participation confirmation by June 15. If the account closes, the statute says remaining money goes back to the state. The law also says the Board will give a parent 45 days' notice before closing an account for a problem, and the account closes if the parent does not respond or fix the issue within 30 days of the notice.

What does not change the amount

A few things families sometimes expect to matter do not. The award is the same for every eligible student in a given window. It does not change with household income, with your county, with grade level or with whether your child attends a private school or learns at home. It is not reduced because your child takes a part-time class at a public school, although that class is paid for from the account. And siblings each receive their own account, so a family with three eligible children applying in the spring window would receive three full awards, each kept separate.

Taxes

Under §18-31-6, deposits into a Hope account are not taxable income to the parent or student, with one exception in the statute for funds spent on transportation services. If you use the account for fee-for-service transportation, ask a tax professional how to handle it.

A late start

The Delgados moved to Morgantown in August 2026 and applied for their two children in September. Because the applications landed after September 15, each child was approved at 50 percent, or $2,717.81, for 2026-27. They filed their notices of intent right away so the first deposits could arrive in the January quarter, and they put the June 15, 2027, renewal deadline on the calendar so next year would start at the full amount.

(A composite example — names and details are illustrative, drawn from situations homeschool families commonly describe.)

Planning tips

• If you are considering Hope for 2027-28, the handbook says new applications open March 1, 2027. Apply by mid-June for the full award.
• File the Hope notice of intent as soon as your application shows Eligible. It is the most common reason for a delayed deposit.
• Budget by quarter, not by year. Tuition schedules and big purchases need to line up with August, October, January and April deposits.
• Put the funding cutoffs and the June 15 renewal date on your education calendar.
• Before buying, check that the seller is a participating provider. Our vendor directory is a good starting point.

Bottom line

For 2026-27 the full Hope award is $5,435.62, and when you apply decides how much of it you get in your first year. Apply early, file the county notice promptly and the rest of the schedule takes care of itself. Our Hope Scholarship guide has the current windows in one place.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with the West Virginia Hope Scholarship Board, the West Virginia State Treasurer's Office, the West Virginia Department of Education, Student First Technologies or any county board of education. The award and the funding calendar are set each year — confirm the current figures with the Hope Scholarship Board before you plan purchases. Family examples are composites, not real individuals.

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