How do I begin Homeschooling?

To begin homeschooling, you must make a major decision first.  You must decide if you want to register or enroll with a certain school.

What is the difference between Registering and Enrolling?

Enrolling means that school is responsible for your child’s education and they set up a program for you to meet all the government outcomes.  They provide you with a consulting teacher.  You must submit work, and do reporting and testing.  They provide marks for you.

For Registering, you as a parent are responsible for your child’s work.  Testing is optional.

There are a number of public schools, private schools, virtual schools or correspondence branches throughout the province, all offering a variety of services depending on whether they enroll or register homeschoolers.

Cornerstone Christian School is a school that registers children.  The job of the home school coordinator is to help the parent choose curriculium and set up a program, but the parent is in charge.

How much does it cost to register?

At Cornerstone Christian School there is no registry fee. You are allowed to borrow teacher keys, textbooks, and answer keys, and purchase workbooks.

When do I register?

You should be registered by September 30 because the school you are registered with at this time will get the government funding. However, late registrations are welcome.

What about testing?

Canadian Achievement Tests are available in grades 3 to 8. These are not mandatory, and are administered at Cornerstone. Parents will get the results. These tests measure the child’s English and math skills.

What curriculum is available?

ABeka, Bob Jones University, Ministry of Education, and Christian Schools International.

What is the difference between Bob Jones and ABeka curriculum?

Both of these are Christian curriculum coming out of the States with high standards. They both have a workbook approach opposed versus unit studies. The only major difference is that in their math programs, Bob Jones is about 6 months ahead of the Ministry of Education, and ABeka is about 1 year ahead. Both programs do phonics.

What are the basic subjects?

The basic subjects for students are math, reading, spelling, grammar (Language Arts), social studies, and science.

How much time a day does it take to home school?

It varies, but generally 3 hours a day if you work diligently.

When does the order for curriculum go out?

The order for books goes out during the first week of July and then another one again on October 1. After these times, you can purchase any leftover books, but no new order is done after then.