15. How to Afford Homeschooling
Quick summary: The average homeschooler makes the same salary as any other family. Homeschooling is considerably more affordable than private school. In many cases, homeschooling is also more affordable than public school because families don’t have to pay for back-to-school supplies, summer camp, and after-school. There are lots of free resources available to homeschoolers. Additionally, homeschoolers have a long history of resource-sharing, which cuts down on the cost of childcare, curriculum, and other expenses (including clothing and food).
Free homeschooling programs
Free and discounted homeschooling curricula
Free online homeschooling program
Getting access to free resources
Federal & state funding for homeschooling
Company perks for childcare and education
Childcare and education
Free tutoring
It doesn’t hurt to ask
Pro-tip: Reciprocate
It’s not just for the elite
Contrary to popular belief, homeschool education is not that expensive. According to the NCES, the average homeschooling family is just as likely to be poor or near poor as any other family.
There is no need to fork over thousands of dollars on private tutors to have a high-quality homeschooling experience. Homeschoolers have a culture and history of resource-sharing and finding free and cost-effective educational and childcare options.
The average homeschooler spends an average of $600 a year on their child’s education. This is in contrast to an average of $864 that school families spend on back-to-school supplies. 20% of families spent over $2000 on back-to-school supplies this year. And it’s also less than private school (which can range from $5,500 to $119,000 per child).
All kinds of families homeschool
There are homeschooling families with a stay-at-home parent, single parents, two parents working remotely, and two-full time parents working outside the home. No matter the family structure, most families can find the time for the 1-2 hours of daily Mastery Hours.
Childcare is the most significant expense in homeschooling
Just as with traditional schools, the main challenge is childcare. This is especially true for families with younger children. However, this quickly changes as kids get older. Homeschoolers tend to have a very high level of autonomy and naturally self-direct many of their activities as they get older. As we explored in the section on childcare, there are many creative ways to make homeschooling childcare free, less or equivalent to childcare expenses in traditional school.
In this section, we explore a variety of great options to help fund homeschooling.
1. Free homeschooling programs
Homeschoolers have a highly interdependent community that is quick to share education and childcare. Likewise, many education providers have made their resources free to the public. Here are the most common ways to find free homeschooling programs.
Skill exchange & childcare exchange
Many homeschool parents offer free classes to other community members. Join your local online homeschool group to find out what’s being offered. Sometimes older kids offer lessons too!
Free Forest School
One of our favorite organizations spreading across the United States is Free Forest School. Families attend with kids - or take turns as facilitators, guiding children through activities that encourage free play and help them learn through nature. If you’re interested in finding (or starting) a local forest school, visit the Free Forest School. They have a fantastic team with a deep commitment to social justice, the environment, and equity in education.
The local library
One of our favorite activities is reading at the local library. In addition to great literature, local libraries often have reputable homeschool curricula on-site. If not, they can request them via other libraries. More and more libraries have online materials, which greatly expand access to the best homeschool curricula. In addition, local libraries often offer free tutoring and other free programs such as foreign language, art, and even makerspaces complete with 3D printers. The Philadelphia library provides over 28,000 virtual programs, including Arabic, Theater, and Mindful Meditation.
Museums and cultural institutions
Like the library, museums, jazz centers, local colleges, universities, and science centers frequently offer free days and programs. Since tax dollars and donations go to supporting these organizations, sometimes families have the option to “pay what they can.” As these are service-centered institutions, it’s always a good idea to ask to go for free if you can’t afford the ticket price.
2. Free & discounted homeschooling curricula
Homeschoolers tend to be very generous - and once they’ve used their curriculum, they don’t need it anymore. Here are three ways to get free or discounted homeschooling curricula from other families.
eBay: Families frequently sell used curricula on eBay. Here’s a link to discounted homeschool curricula.
Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op: The homeschool buyer’s co-op sells used homeschool curricula and buys curricula in bulk to help families get discounts. They also have a Facebook group.
Facebook free curriculum groups: a quick search on Facebook will reveal many great groups where families are giving away their curriculum or selling it at a discounted price.
Curriculum discussion groups: One of the best ways to find free and discounted curricula is in the community groups for that particular curriculum. Many curricula, such as Blossom and Root and Right Start Math, have active online communities devoted to their resource on Facebook.
Free and recycled technology: During the pandemic, we partnered with PCs for People to provide free computers to kids. AFTRR offers a comprehensive database of local and national programs that provide free computers, iPads, and other electronic devices to families.
3. Free online homeschooling programs
So many exceptional, free educational resources have been created for families, funded by grantmakers - or just developed out of the kindness of the creator’s heart. This is a list of 222 free, high-quality mastery-based programs we’ve created for families. Highlights include Khan Academy Kids, Prodigy Math Game, and Teach Your Monster to Read.
Make sure to check out our favorite free educational youtube channels as well, with highly engaging shows like Physics Girl, Art for Kids Hub, and Cosmic Kids Yoga.
See the top free online homeschooling programs for PreK-12th grade.
4. Getting access to free resources and discounts available through local public schools
Even if you register as a homeschooler, you may be able to take advantage of some of the resources your public school provides, such as special services or participation in clubs, cub scouts, and team sports. In some states, special-needs students are eligible for up to $8000 in homeschool expenses.
Congress allotted billions of dollars to public schools to help them recover after the pandemic. Homeschoolers can sometimes access this funding through their public school.
We strongly encourage families to ask friends in their local homeschool group and contact their local public school to see what resources might be available to them.
5. Federal & state funding for homeschooling
Depending on the state a family lives in, funding and tax credits may be available to help subsidize homeschooling, education, and childcare.
Vouchers
Some states, such as Arizona, are starting to offer vouchers to homeschoolers. Beginning in September, every school-age child will qualify for a $7000 voucher that can be used towards private school or homeschool. In Colorado, families qualify for a percentage of per-pupil spending.
Tax credits and deductions
Illinois, Louisiana, and Minnesota are the only states offering homeschooling tax credits.
Childcare credits
Childcare credits are much more common. Twenty-five states offer dependent care credits. Find out if you are eligible on the IRS website.
Tax deductibles for homeschooling expenses
Tax deductibles are rare, but four states allow families to deduct some childcare expenses.
Microgrants
Several non-profits offer small grants to families homeschooling, including HSLDA and EHEP. A google search for homeschool microgrants will reveal a variety of grants families can apply for to fund technology, curriculum, and more.
Umbrella charter schools
In states like California, families can enroll in umbrella schools such as Ocean Charter that allot a certain amount of credits for vetted extracurriculars.
6. Company perks for childcare and education
Many companies offer childcare and education benefits to employees, so you should ask your company what might be available and take advantage. More and more companies are offering backup childcare, tutoring, and college counseling as part of their company perks. In August 2022, the Muse featured the best companies for working parents.
We can all help each other out by asking and insisting that companies offer these types of benefits to support working parents.
7. Childcare and education swaps
As discussed in the childcare section, the homeschool community is very effective at sharing resources. Especially if you’re homeschooling as a single parent, you’ll have to get used to a new lifestyle where parents lean on each other for support. Join a babysitting co-op, homeschool co-op, or find another family interested in swapping a day or a few hours of childcare once or twice a week. Bringing some more kids into the homeschool mix might even save you time because kids entertain each other.
Babysitting swaps can especially benefit only children, as it expands their family circle and gives them surrogate siblings.
8. Free tutoring
It’s valuable for your child to have influences and relationships beyond their immediate family. And so many organizations have sprung up to provide 1-1 mastery learning with highly trained volunteer tutors. At Modulo, we offer live, free math tutoring with via our non-profit, masteryhour.org. We also recommend schoolhouse.world for exceptional free tutoring.
9. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
In general, good education companies feel at least some moral imperative to make quality education accessible to all families. No one who is developing educational resources for the right reasons wants to feel like they’re just privileging the elite.
Likewise, your company hopefully knows that recruiting and retaining parent employees is advantageous. Hiring is more challenging than ever, and parents are a critical part of the workforce.
For homeschool resources
If there are curricula you’re interested in purchasing but can’t afford, consider contacting the company directly, telling them that you love their resource and want to make it accessible to their child but can’t afford it. If possible, you can offer to pay what is possible for you to afford. Many companies will make their resource available. At Modulo, we have a scholarship process that makes our resources available for free to any family who can’t afford to pay.
For company perks
Ask your HR department if stipends or other childcare or education benefits are available. The more you ask, the more these types of benefits will become commonplace in the workforce, as employers start to see this as a key draw for new recruits and a way to retain their best employees.
It might feel uncomfortable in the beginning to ask for freebies, but remember that having the courage to ask opens the door for other families in your situation to get the resources and support they need to raise their children well. It’s unrealistic that our society expects parents to raise children without help.
You can pay it forward by writing a glowing review of the company that gave you an employee perk or educational resource that gave you a scholarship or free resource.
10. Reciprocate!
Many homeschooling families have created free resources, taught free classes and given free tutoring and babysitting to homeschooling friends. The more you support this culture by sharing your own talent and expertise, the more it will continue to encourage others to do the same. And you’ll make friends in the process!
Have a great homeschool freebie or educational discount to share? Put it in the comments so other families can benefit!
Homeschooling can help you build a high-quality life for your family and a high-quality education for your child no matter what resources you have to make it happen.
One of the reasons modular learning has become more affordable is because of the software and online resource that have emerged to support this path. Now that you’ve gotten a sense of your schedule and how to afford homeschooling, we’ll share some of our favorite software and tools to support cost-effective homeschooling. Take what you like and leave the rest.
