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The state of Arizona is often considered one of the best places in the United States to homeschool, with its flexible regulations and the availability of funding for at-home education. Deciding to homeschool your child in Arizona allows you to craft a unique educational experience for your child in the safety and comfort of your own home, but it’s not without challenges.
Homeschool programs are specially designed to help you guide your homeschooled child through their K-12 academic career. With educator-designed curriculum, academic advisors, and other support, a good homeschool program can be key to helping you and your child be successful throughout their educational journey. Of course, not all programs are the same, and it can be overwhelming to understand all the options. In this post, we’ve outlined six factors to consider as you search for the best homeschooling program in Arizona for your family.
Accreditation
Concerns over educational quality in traditional public and private schools are one of the top reasons that families like yours choose to homeschool their children. Naturally, the academic standards of homeschool programs vary as well. Choosing an accredited homeschool program is one way to ensure that your child receives an excellent education at home.
Prospective employers, colleges, universities, and trade programs all may look at not only if your child completed a certain level of schooling, but also the value of the education they received. Using an accredited program offers you peace of mind and helps to ensure that your child’s education will be recognized by others throughout their academic journey and career.
Accreditation indicates that the program has been evaluated and approved by an independent agency such as Cognia. Whether you’re planning to teach your child yourself, or you’re looking for an online homeschool program in Arizona, these organizations review each program’s academic standards and offerings, certifying that they will provide your child with a high quality education.
Proven Results
Families have been legally homeschooling in Arizona for nearly four decades, with approximately 5.4% of K-12 students in the state receiving their education at home. In the fall of 2020, that number temporarily rose to 13%⸺2% higher than the national average for the period.
Many entrepreneurs saw this sudden growth as an opportunity and homeschooling as an industry expanded significantly across the country. This means that families like yours have a wealth of options to choose from to support your child’s education. However, few of these newly-established companies have the history and reputation to support their alleged expertise, and it’s important to choose well.
A post-COVID homeschool business established in 2020 and beyond simply can’t offer the same proven results as one with decades of experience in supporting homeschool families. As you evaluate your options, look at how long the program has been in business, where their expertise comes from, and what kind of results you can expect. Talk to other families who have used the program and learn about their experience, then use that information as you decide on the best homeschool program for your family.
One-to-One Academic Advisors
Your child is unique, so shouldn’t their academic advising experience be as well? With homeschooling, you have the opportunity to customize your child’s curriculum and focus areas. With their interests and needs in mind, you can curate the subjects they study and the ways they study them, even with the help of a homeschool program.
Having an academic advisor who knows your child, their unique gifts and struggles, and their goals for the future is key to supporting their success and progression through a custom education experience. While most homeschool programs offer some form of academic advising and support for students, it’s often accomplished with a call center.
Instead of a rotating team of call center advisors who don’t know your child, the best homeschooling programs in Arizona offer one-on-one academic advising. A one-to-one advisor is matched with your child to be a direct resource. Over time, they learn your child’s goals, aspirations, and personality, allowing them to better guide your child through their unique educational experience.
Homeschool Communities and Groups
Homeschooling your child doesn’t necessarily mean isolating them from other children or the world, no matter what homeschool detractors may say. For decades, homeschool programs in Arizona have worked to connect like-minded families across the state, and modern technology has made the opportunities for connection even better. The best homeschooling programs offer ways for both parents and students to engage with others in the wider homeschooling community.
For parents like you, homeschool communities and groups allow you a safe space to connect with other families to share resources, get advice, and support each other in your at-home educational journey.
For your child, these groups offer connections to other students around the corner and around the world, uniting students through academics, athletics, or common interests. With the best homeschool programs in Arizona, in-person activities, virtual meet-ups and field trips, and even live graduation ceremonies are all a normal and enriching part of the modern homeschooling experience.
Customized Approach to Learning
A one-size-fits-all approach to education rarely fits anyone. Each child is different, from the way they take in new information to how they organize their studies. For students with a physical or learning disability, understanding these differences is even more essential for their success. The best homeschool programs help you shape your child’s educational experience to better match their unique learning style and needs.
To ensure that your child’s homeschool experience is perfectly tailored for them, look for a homeschooling program that will take the time to learn about your child’s learning style and recommend a learning approach and curriculum that suits their unique needs. Doing this effectively requires experience and specialized knowledge about how children learn, so make sure the program you choose was developed and staffed by educational experts. The best programs draw on the knowledge gained in advanced education and years of hands-on experience in the field.
Funded by the Arizona ESA Program
The Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) is a state-wide program administered by the Arizona Department of Education to provide resources for students in the state. With scholarship amounts averaging $4,000 to $9,000 per student, money from the ESA can be used for tuition, tutoring assistance, disability services, and, of course, homeschooling curriculum and programs.
Arizona’s ESA program is extremely flexible, especially compared with similar programs in other states. Choosing a homeschool program that is already registered in Arizona’s ClassWallet funding account not only saves you the stress of getting vendor approval but also indicates that the state has already determined them worthy of state funding for homeschool education.
Choosing the Best Homeschool Programs in Arizona
Are you ready to find the best homeschool program in Arizona? With more than 35 years of support for homeschool families like yours, one-on-one academic advising, a 96% success rate in matching students to the right curriculum and learning plan, and robust virtual and in-person communities (including Parent Connections), Bridgeway Academy’s accredited homeschool programs meet all the criteria to help you provide a high-quality education that meets the unique needs of your child and family. Plus, all of our homeschool programs are approved through Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account.
Connect with Arizona Homeschool Experts
Bridgeway Academy’s comprehensive homeschool program options allow you to select the products and services you need for a customized education package. With everything from community groups to online classes and teacher support, we tailor our offerings to meet your child’s needs based on their learning style, personality, educational level, and future goals.
Contact us for more information by calling toll-free at (800) 863-1474, register to attend our next virtual open house, or use our live chat feature!
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