How to homeschool on a budget

Written By Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)
piggybank

With school starting right around the corner, many full-time working parents are at a loss of for what to do. They don’t feel comfortable with new social distancing policies. They may not like the way distance learning is being implemented at their school. If you’re wracking your brain trying to figure out how you’re possibly going to afford homeschooling or manage it with two full-time jobs, you are not alone.

What many families don’t realize is that homeschoolers are not rich typically In fact, they are just as likely to be poor or near poor than other families. In fact, homeschoolers generally spend only $300-600/year on curriculum.

For decades, homeschooling families have found creative ways to educate their children on a shoestring budget. We’ve talked to thousands of homeschooling families around the world about creative solutions they’ve found and are excited to share them with you. 

Here are a few ways that families can homeschool affordable.

1) Use free curriculum

There are so many wonderful free resources available to homeschooling families. A great place to start for free curriculum is Khan Academy for PreK-12th grade or Khan Academy Kids for Prek-2nd. Khan Academy is a strengths-based program.  This means that your child will get positive reinforcement for doing well, not penalized for weaknesses.  It is also mastery-based, meaning children move ahead at their own rate.

Some others we love that offer free or inexpensive options are:

Here is a more comprehensive list of free homeschooling resources curated by homeschool parents. 

2) Solve for your childcare problem, not your education problem

Education and childcare are inextricably linked, but when trying to find creative ways to budget for homeschooling, I find it helpful to focus on the childcare problem, rather than the education one. Homeschooling one on one is very different than learning in a classroom because children get individual attention from their parent or tutor and thus benefit from mastery learning. When learning happens through independent study or with a tutor, it happens much more quickly than in a classroom setting. This is why most homeschoolers only need 1-2 hours a day of parent-led instruction to optimize learning outcomes and meet or exceed state standards for learning.

Many of the curriculum available are designed to be easy to facilitate for a parent or a caregiver, so you don’t need to necessarily spend extra money on a professional teacher or tutor. Lastly, if you do need extra professional teaching support, many free tutoring platforms exist with exceptional teachers and grad students available to guide your child’s learning.

Often, parents can just set their children up to the day and they’re off to the races. And there are many great curriculum options available to support parents teaching their children in this way for the first time that require no prep or teaching experience. 

Therefore, it’s useful to think about how you managed childcare when your child was in preschool when school was not available to you and start thinking of creative solutions in that context. 

Here are a few great ways to make childcare more affordable:

  • Ask a family member to watch your children: While this might seem drastic, having a family member live with you and take care of childcare is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get the job done. It’s very common in other cultures, but in the United States, we’re not accustomed as much for asking for this type of support from extended family. 

  • Swap childcare with other families: Are there a few other families in your neighborhood who need childcare support? Consider creating a schedule where each family watches the kids one day a week or alternate half-days. Each family takes a morning or an afternoon.  

  • Ask your company for support: During this time, it’s not unreasonable for parents to ask for special support from their companies to do the impossible (work full-time when schools are not providing childcare for kids). Ask your company for completely flexible hours. Ask them to make meetings optional. Ask them to give you a schedule where you do one 3 hour block of work a day. 

  • Take advantage of free classes online: While the online experience has not been optimal for many students, there are definitely many teachers who are finding creative ways to build highly engaging online courses. The best place I’ve found for inexpensive or free classes for kids is Eventbrite. Here is a search I did for free virtual classes for kids. 

  • Hire a sitter to homeschool your child: There are so many great secular, homeschool resources available that are easy for parents and caregivers to follow. You don’t need a professional teacher to guide your child’s learning and a caregiver can often be less expensive.  You can also share a sitter with another family to reduce the price. During quarantine, families are also hiring virtual sitters to great success. The more interactive activities a sitter does with a child online (Art projects, movement, etc) the more likely they are to stay engaged.  

  • Ask a neighbor or friend to watch your child. You might be surprised by people’s generosity. Often older people in your community feel lonely and would be thrilled to spend time with a child. Likewise, many people are looking for ways to be helpful during the pandemic and helping others (like a working parent) helps them feel like they can make a difference. Have the courage to ask for help from your community.

  • Join a virtual skill share community: Modulo has a community of parents who offer free classes to other families. This can be a great way for kids to learn and connect.  To learn more about joining, contact us. 

3) Find a job that lends itself better to homeschooling: The optimal job for a homeschooling parent allows work from home with flexible hours. Generally homeschooling parents find that they work best in 2-3 hour a day chunks.

Here are a few jobs we’ve found homeschooling families tend to love:

  • Homeschool another family: If you’re homeschooling your own child, you can make extra income bringing another child into the fold and give your own child a great social experience as well.

  • Outschool (teach classes to kids online)

  • Airbnb host (rent out an extra room)

  • VIP kids (teach English online)

  • Start your own business (I started my own and am happy to chat with anyone who needs help getting started)

  • Tutor on Wyzant

  • If you’re a certified teacher, tutor on Chelsea International for the best pay

  • Write content on Contently

  • Become a bookkeeper (very well paid and no shortage of work)

  • Start a preschool or family-based childcare with Wonderschool.

  • Deliver food or groceries with a company like Uber Eats. Food delivery can be a surprisingly lucrative job and very flexible. Kids can come along for the ride and listen to educational podcasts on Audible or Torchlight. The best paying food deliver app varies from state to state but families we’ve spoken to tend to make the most income on Uber Eats.

For more great website to find remote jobs, try these favorites of homeschooling families:

Modulo is on a mission to support all families in finding exceptional social, emotional and academic support for their children. We believe that money should never be an obstacle in providing children with the highest possible quality education that honors their unique strengths and potential. 

We are happy to talk to any family and give free advice. Just contact us! 

We also offer personalized curriculum, social-emotional learning groups and  private coaching for families and caregivers. We are committed to helping all families get the support they need, so if you’re interested in joining our program and need a scholarship, just reach out and we’ll find a scholarship plan that works for your family and meets you where you are. 

For more information on homeschooling, watch our intro to homeschooling workshop!

Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
Previous

Best hardware and software for “virtual school”
Next

How to help kids build social skills while social distancing.