Can any of you provide some in depth insight into your experiences with either?
We have a 5 yr old (K) who we were considering unschooling but I think it may be beneficial to him (as well as my 3 yo daughter who will follow along and actually seems more advanced than DS) for us to have some accountability to an outside source. I also run 2 non-profits and have baby#3 who is >1yr... We need a bit more structure...
SOOO.. we started exploring the online options and found a few pros and cons that we still haven't worked through to make a final determination.
I appreciate that the PAVCS rep explained that they have second language options at K level (Agora does as well, but at an extra cost). We also REALLY need a laptop (vs. desktop) as we don't have a lot of space. I often refer to our home as the hobbit house. Agora provides desktops, PAVCS-laptops.
I plan on going to our neighbors house to see what supplies were sent to her through PAVCS (Agora's manipulatives seem pretty impressive-but we also have many of the supplies already as we are pretty artsy in this home!). Another positive about PAVCS is that there seem to be more families in the area going w/PAVCS and with that, more opportunities for our LO to enjoy other homeschooling families at outings and events.
PAVCS seems much more rigid though. Both require 900 hours. Aprox 5 hours a day - which seems a BIT MUCH for any child. Agora seemed to be much more flexible with their time tracking than PAVCS... PAVCS rep said advanced approval for travel/vacation is required-seriously?
Music is another important element for our family, and although I have 20+ yrs of piano under my belt.. I would still like an outside quality program for our children to learn ...
I figure we have some time to test either, before DS reaches compulsory age (8 in PA, I believe?), but would rather avoid having to transition if the CS we choose doesn't fit our family well...and as far as making a choice about what we are doing this year-the clock is ticking!
Any thoughts/suggestions all welcome and appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
We have a 5 yr old (K) who we were considering unschooling but I think it may be beneficial to him (as well as my 3 yo daughter who will follow along and actually seems more advanced than DS) for us to have some accountability to an outside source. I also run 2 non-profits and have baby#3 who is >1yr... We need a bit more structure...
SOOO.. we started exploring the online options and found a few pros and cons that we still haven't worked through to make a final determination.
I appreciate that the PAVCS rep explained that they have second language options at K level (Agora does as well, but at an extra cost). We also REALLY need a laptop (vs. desktop) as we don't have a lot of space. I often refer to our home as the hobbit house. Agora provides desktops, PAVCS-laptops.
I plan on going to our neighbors house to see what supplies were sent to her through PAVCS (Agora's manipulatives seem pretty impressive-but we also have many of the supplies already as we are pretty artsy in this home!). Another positive about PAVCS is that there seem to be more families in the area going w/PAVCS and with that, more opportunities for our LO to enjoy other homeschooling families at outings and events.
PAVCS seems much more rigid though. Both require 900 hours. Aprox 5 hours a day - which seems a BIT MUCH for any child. Agora seemed to be much more flexible with their time tracking than PAVCS... PAVCS rep said advanced approval for travel/vacation is required-seriously?
Music is another important element for our family, and although I have 20+ yrs of piano under my belt.. I would still like an outside quality program for our children to learn ...
I figure we have some time to test either, before DS reaches compulsory age (8 in PA, I believe?), but would rather avoid having to transition if the CS we choose doesn't fit our family well...and as far as making a choice about what we are doing this year-the clock is ticking!
Any thoughts/suggestions all welcome and appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
