Homeschooling in California is vibrant. Over 200 thousand children in California are now being homeschooled.

The possibilities for homeschooling in California were severely limited in February 2008 when a California judge ruled that only persons with a credentialed teaching degree could now teach children. But in August of that year, the same court changed its decision. If you declare your home to be a private school, your children may be taught by anyone whether they have teaching credentials or not.

But if you want to homeschool your children in California, and you would like to stay within the law, then what are your options? This article tries to clear up the legal situation.

California Homeschooling Options

Basically, homeschooling laws in California give you 4 options for homeschooling. You are free to pick the one that most suits you and your family:

• You declare your home to be a private school

This option has the least restrictions and red tape. But you still have to comply with the homeschooling laws in California. Each year between October 1st and October 15th, you have to fill in a Private School Affidavit (R4 Form) . The teacher does not have to have formal teaching qualifications.

You do need to keep an attendance and you have to have a faculty record – a list of people who "work" in your "private school", so please write down your name on a piece of paper…

You also have to keep a California School Immunization on file to show that your children are not vulnerable to certain transmittable diseases. You should also be able to provide a Report of Health Examination for School Entry or a Waiver of Health Check-up for School Entry.

You also need to write down your children’s curriculum ever year. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy report, but there has to be some kind of written plan for authorities to check.

Finally, you have to teach a minimum of subjects to your children, but you are free to teach them in any way you see fit.

• Independent study program through a public school (ISP)

There are 2 marching routes within this option. The first is the Public School Districts. Some offer a home study plan. If they do, run with it. You’ll have to work with a state program teacher, who will check if the education you give your children complies with the minimum standards in California. If they don’t, you will have to use one of the other methods.

The second is the Public Charter School. These are schools that receive public money but are exempt from some of the regulations that apply to other public schools. They are considered to be better than public schools. The California Charter Schools Association keeps a list of good schools in your surroundings. You will have to work with a facilitator from the charter school, who will meet you once a month.

• Education provided by a certified private tutor

The easiest but also the most expensive option. The tutor has to be a state certified teacher and the education has to be in English. He should teach for 3 hours for 175 days a year. This option isn’t used much, because parents want to control the education of their children themselves. This way they would still bring the public school into their home, and they would have to pay for it (while it is normally free of charge to them).

• Private school satellite program (PSP)

This is an extension program run by private schools. However, they differ among themselves. Some schools allow you to take full control over and responsibility for your children’s education. You can educate your own children at your home.

This option is popular among Californian Homeschoolers as parents don’t have to fill in the tiresome Private School Affidavit (R4 form). The school has to handle the paperwork and red tape, not the parents.

On the downside, you are responsible for meeting the requirements of the California Education Code.