How to Homeschool Your Child in Delaware

How to Homeschool Your Child in Delaware
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What to Expect

Approved Program(s): Parents who need to know how to homeschool in Delaware will do best by following regulations that outline these learning environments as private schools. Delaware classifies homeschools as single-family or multi-family, no longer recognizing single-family homeschools coordinated with public schools as an option. The Delaware Department of Education does not supply curriculum to parents nor require approval.

Special Conditions:

  • Private schools in Delaware are learning institutions where students take classes all or in part from Kindergarten through grade 12 and can include an accredited university or college as operated by a board of trustees governing faculty.
  • The parents of the student in their own home conduct single-family homeschools.
  • Multi-family homeschools contain students who are not those of the instructor(s), are not related to each other, and reside outside of the instructional facility. Contact the Delaware State Department for specific information about other agencies to report to when functioning as a multi-family homeschool (childcare regulations and reporting, food service, etc.).
  • The homeschool liaison communicates pertinent information to the Department of Education (DOE) on behalf of parents or guardians in a multi-family homeschool.
  • Registration forms designate which type of homeschool the student has enrolled in for the year and are attainable from district offices of the Delaware DOE website.
  • Homeschools receive a code upon registration acceptance. This code is used for the issuance of forms for completion throughout the year.

The Process

Application: Select a registration form based on the type of homeschool the student will enroll in per the descriptions for the two options available. List all students to be taught, their grades, the name of the school (if not already chosen by another school), and the district of residence.

Approval Process: Registration processing takes ten business days upon which homeschoolers receive their school code.

Submission Date: Return the registration form to the DOE by October for homeschools with enrollment prior to September 30.

Documentation: Attendance records are to be turned by July 31 of that school year. Single-family and multi-family homeschools both turn in this information.

Materials: Delaware does not require the extension of textbooks and other resources to homeschools by public schools. In addition, there is no information given for requesting or borrowing these items from local districts.

Reentry: Local districts are allowed to make their own policies for reentry of homeschooled students into public classrooms. They can require testing or samples of work, so it is best for parents to make plans to accommodate requests to prove student performance and achievement.

Driver Education: Homeschoolers can take driver’s education within the public school at an approved tuition rate conjured up by general assembly joint committee.

Standardized Testing: Norm-referenced assessment is unnoted by the Delaware DOE upon immediate review.

Graduation: Contact the DOE in this state about graduation options for homeschoolers.

Special Education: Delaware does not openly inform parents of state homeschool regulations for children with special needs. Contact a local educational agency of your district of residence for the best details on providing a free and appropriate education for your exceptional child as delegated by the federal government.

Source:

Delaware Department of Education: Non Public School Information Forms