As a result of the ongoing effects caused by COVID-19, parents throughout the U.S. are looking into the possibilities of having to homeschool their children for the first time as regulations and uncertainties hinder the current public education system.
Amid this crisis, Christian Organizations have taken the lead to prepare for the growing demand. Home School Legal Defense Association, a Christian group with the purpose of training parents to meet the requirements for homeschooling has grown at a rate of 300 percent compared to its pre-COVID-19 growth rate.
"We are seeing unprecedented interest in homeschooling and it's clearly a consequence of the plans that public schools are issuing for the return," said Donnelly, himself a homeschooling parent.
"We are seeing just dramatic numbers of people contacting us, asking questions about how to get started homeschooling. Our membership numbers are growing at record levels."
In addition to the growing interest in homeschooling, there is also an influx in new resources for parents as churches and communities nationwide introduce seminars and workshops to foster a bond among homeschoolers.
"The Home School Legal Defense Association has created the resource website, www.youcanhomeschool.com, and is hosting a series of free virtual workshops. The latest in the series is the 45-minute "You Can Homeschool Through High School!" launching at 5 p.m. CDT today (Aug. 18). A session on homeschooling children with special needs airs Thursday at 5 p.m."
Donnelly, the director of global outreach for the Home School Legal Defense Association states that the average cost of homeschooling a child can be as low as $600-$1000 a year or less. Additionally, research on public education has shown that there is very little correlation between the education of the parent and the results of a homeschool education.
"A parent who has a Ph.D. versus a parent who has a high school diploma, they're going to produce an average homeschool kid. Average homeschool kids score, on academic and standardized achievement tests, very well, much higher than private and public school students."
