Parents who opt for homeschooling their children are often surprised at the expense associated with schooling from home. These parents find themselves in the position of having to buy educational tools that would be provided free in a public school environment. Most of the expense involved in schooling from home comes from the purchase of textbooks and teaching aids. In addition, parents may need to provide additional furnishings for the home, and in some cases may hire additional help to implement the home school program.
The cost of textbooks and workbooks can often be very expensive. In order to keep pace with children of the same grade level in public schools, parents may need to purchase textbooks in as many as six subjects per year. In some cases, if there are younger children in the home school program, these books may see more than one use. If not, the books can constitute a very large expense that will offer only limited use.
In addition to textbooks, schooling from home may require other auxiliary resources. For instance, teaching geography or history would likely require purchasing maps and globes. Science classes would ideally include some study aids such as microscopes, chemistry sets, and dissection kits. Some of these items can be very expensive to purchase, but are often necessary in order to provide education resources equivalent to those offered in public schools.
To create a good leaning environment, it may be necessary for the homeschooling parent to purchase addition furniture. Desks, chairs, and study lamps may be needed to provide students with a good area to do their schoolwork. Most parents will want to keep records that document the progress of their children, so filing cabinets to store paperwork will likely be needed.
Depending on the grade level of the students, and the education level of the parents, it may be necessary to hire tutors to assist in the home school program. As students begin to study higher levels of mathematics and science, this may become more necessary. In addition, most children in public school eventually have the option of learning a second language, so if parents want to offer the same option at home, it may be necessary to hire a tutor to assist in teaching the language.
In many cases, families involved in schooling from home discover that the job is so demanding that they need to hire extra help around the house. This is especially true if the parent who is responsible for the home school program is also responsible for household chores. Hiring household help can account for a significant increase in home school expenses, but depending on the number of children involved, it may be necessary to ensure a complete home school program.
