Homeschooling in Ohio

Hello Ohio homeschoolers! My name is Jennifer and I'm the Ohio state representative for Time4Learning. I've got 6 kids, ranging in age from 16 years to 11 months old. We pulled our kids out of Ohio public schools to homeschool them a few years ago and have never looked back.

If you have questions about homeschooling in Ohio, or want to learn more about our experiences in the state, you can contact me in the Parent forum at The Ohio Homeschool Section.

Homeschooling Your Kids in Ohio

At the end of each school year, you'll need to send the school district either your child's scores on a national standardized achievement test of your choice OR a signed statement from a certified teacher who has reviewed a portfolio of your child's work and deemed it to be adequate annual progress for that individual child. Sometimes these requirements can really seem like a pain in the neck, but remember, it could be worse!

To find out more about the legal requirements for homeschooling in Ohio, visit one of these sites: Ohio Homeschool Legal Requirement by HSDLA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association); Home-Ed Magazine’s OH resource page -with information, articles, and state-specific resources; and info on Home Education in Ohio by Ann Zeise; Ohio State Board of Education official homeschool page

An Eclectic Homeschooling Approach

My family follows an eclectic homeschooling approach, meaning we do a little of this and a little of that. Each child has a slightly different learning style, and one of the beautiful things about homeschooling is your ability to tailor your child's experiences to what works for them. We use Time4Learning several days a week, and I like to have one child on T4L while I'm working with another child on some different topic. I also really strive to incorporate elements of different educational methods into our day. We do a lot of unit studies, but Montessori, Waldorf, and even unschooling concepts find their way into the homeschooling here at my house too. Our days are pieced together with these various building blocks and lots of public library resources thrown into the mix as well.

My daughters belong to a Girl Scout troop of exclusively homeschooled kids, and we've done the same with Boy Scouts in the past. I belong to several online groups for homeschooling families in our local area to connect, plan field trips, and share ideas. There are several of these on Yahoo Groups and Meetup. We also belong to a homeschool co-op group that meets weekly for field trips and other activities.

The Time4Learning Homeschool Curriculum

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Alpha Omega, Five in a Row and A Beka. Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:
Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multi-media materials.
Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.
Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing the each lesson.
Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.
Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children, risk free! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.