Considering a New Homeschool? Here’s What You Should Be Looking For.

You may be a full-time homeschooler looking to make a change. Or you may be new to homeschooling, perhaps because of school closures due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Either way, there are certain things you should look for when considering a new–and high-quality–homeschool. Keep reading to see which traits are most important when deciding on a homeschool for your family.

Accreditation
If you already know about accreditation, you’re a step ahead. If not, here’s why it’s so important: accreditation ensures your students are getting the proper credit they deserve for all of the hard work that they put in during the school year. Accreditation means your child’s education is recognized by colleges and universities across the globe, and it also opens the doors to possible scholarships. Bridgeway Academy, for example, has accreditation through AdvancED, NCA CASI, and The National Association of Private Schools. We work diligently every year to review our homeschooling standards and systems to ensure they exceed expectations.

Personalized Learning
Kids are different from one another. They have different personalities, aptitudes, capabilities, strengths, and styles. An education that works for one child may not work for another. That’s why identifying each student’s learning style is so important. Doing so allows you and your homeschool partner to create a customized education that’s conducive to learning and is tailored to your child’s strengths. At Bridgeway, we offer prospective students a Learning Style Assessment. Based on the results, Bridgeway will create a personalized curriculum that will allow your child to learn, focus, and enjoy learning at their own pace and to the best of their abilities.

Specialized Academic Tracks
Similar to personalized learning, kids have different interests and abilities. Having a homeschool that utilizes specialized academic tracks can help get your child on the path that they want to take for not only their education, but also their career and goals. Look for a homeschool that offers technical and/or vocational courses, college prep classes, honors and advanced placement (AP) courses, and dual-enrollment courses, which actually count as college credits.

Flexibility and Choices
Every family is different, but one common denominator among why families choose homeschooling is the flexibility and choices it offers. But not all homeschool programs provide the same level of flexibility. Some may require that students learn during certain parts of the year and for a certain number of hours per day. Others dictate the type of curriculum to be used. Some are strictly Bible-based, while others are only secular. Bridgeway Academy, however, takes a different approach. We know each family is unique, so we encourage flexibility and choice in a number of ways.

• We empower families to determine the months and days that your child receives instruction.
• We give you the freedom to choose which subjects you focus on each day and for how long you focus on them. After all, we all want the student to master the subject, not struggle with it.
• We partner with more than 50 curriculum publishers so your family has plenty of options from which to choose. That includes electives. This allows you and your students to select the courses that are most appealing, important, and relevant to their education or career path.
• We offer both Bible-based and secular homeschooling programs, so you can decide which works best for your family.

Assistance and Support
Navigating the oftentimes complicated waters of homeschooling can be a challenge, especially for families new to home learning. There’s paperwork to file, state laws to consider, records to keep, grades to track…it can be daunting. That’s why you want a homeschool that offers support and help whenever you need it. You get all that and more with Bridgeway. Not only do we offer services to handle records, report cards, transcripts, standardized testing, and the paperwork your state requires, we also provide each family with an academic advisor. Our advisors are former teachers and homeschoolers who understand the demands and requirements and are with you every step of the way to answer questions, make recommendations, and offer helpful advice. With Bridgeway, you’re never in this alone.

Variety
When searching for the right homeschool, variety is important. Too much of the same routine gets stale very quickly, and that can lead to kids completely tuning things out. That’s why you want to find a homeschool program that offers a healthy variety of learning formats to keep school fresh for kids. Bridgeway gives you the option of textbook learning, self-paced online courses, Live Online Classes where kids are in a virtual classroom with other students and a professional teacher, and even the opportunity for kids to go on virtual field trips! Variety is part of the benefit of customization, and we offer plenty of variety.

Choosing a homeschool requires a considerable amount of thought since there are so many factors to keep in mind. It’s an important decision, as it will shape your child’s education and potentially his or her career choice. Take your time when considering which homeschool is right for your family. Make sure it offers the flexibility, choice, curriculum, accreditation, and support your student needs to embark on a successful education adventure. For more information on how Bridgeway can help you, give us a call at (800) 863-1474.