Looking for help with Homeschooling registration

[lauracd]

My oldest child is 4 and we have decided to homeschool right from the start. I live in Florida and though I'm usually pretty good at finding stuff on the internet, I can find nothing about how to "register" my son as homeschooler instead of a kindergartener at a public or private school. Does anyone know where I can look? This board has so much information and so many knowledgeable posters. I'm already taking notes on curriulums to start researching.

TIA!
Laura

[3momkmb]

Looks like you don't have too. You don't have to do anything until your child has "attained the age of 6 years by February 1" at which time you file a notice of intent to homeschool and have annual testing/evaluation done until he turns 16.

Basically you just don't register him for Kindergarten!

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=FL

[lauracd]

Thanks

Thanks for the information and the link. The part that seems to apply to me is to: notify county superintendant within 30 days of establishing a homeschool. So, if I'm going to being homeschooling in the Fall of 2007 then I would need to register it then, right? This is when he would legally be required to attend kindergarten. I like to have all my ducks in a row and this is a new option and one I know that I'm going to meet with resistance from all of our outside family. But DH and I feel strongly about this from an academic point of view. I was glad to see there are many posters who are homeschooling as well for non-religious reasons. I feel like I'm not alone!

[beanandpumpkin]

It depends. Depending on his birthday, you will either have to register for the 2007/2008 school year or the 2008/2009 school year. If he will turn 6 before Feb 1, 2008, then you'll need to do the former, but if not, then you will wait the additional year.

Your other option is to register under a private "umbrella" school. These run the gamut from wanting you to use a certain curriculum to requiring only attendence records. Some have a yearly fee and some do not. If you use this option, then you won't have to register with the state or county, because in the eyes of the law, he'll be a private school student. This is the option we're using, and all I have to do is report 180 school days in the academic year. There is no other documentation (other than initial submission of birth certificates and vax records or exemption) requested or required.

Good luck with whatever you decide!