Will County
Regional Office of Education
Dr. Shawn Walsh
Fax: (815) 740-4788
Home Schooling
The Regional Office of Education must ascertain that all children in the Will County region have the opportunity to attend school. If you choose to create a Home School education, Illinois courts have ruled that homeschooling must provide an education that is equivalent with the standards set for public schools. Those standards are:
- Public Schools must have a calendar of 176 attendance days and a daily schedule of 5 hours or more.
"Illinois law does not set any minimum number of hours per day, or days of instruction per year, for students in private schools(which includes home schools)." This information is taken from the ISBE website.
- Create and maintain an educational program that is comparable to that of the public schools. Subjects which must be taught in an Illinois home school are language arts, mathematics, biological/physical sciences, social science, fine arts, physical development and health.
Registration of your home school with the school district, the Regional Superintendent, or the State of Illinois is voluntary. However, you may wish to notify your local school district and your Regional Superintendent of your intention to home school by filling in this form and providing one copy to your Regional Office of Education. To register your child for homeschooling with the Illinois State Board of Education, complete the Notification of Intent to Homeschool. Otherwise, they may think that your child is truant.
Please note:
1. If your child returns to the public school, it is the responsibility of the Public School to place the child in the grade it designates (School Code 10-22.5).
2. It is the responsibility of the Will County Regional Office of Education to help maintain school attendance. The compulsory attendance laws of the State of Illinois hold the parent/guardian responsible for their child’s attendance in school. The law states: “Whoever has custody or control of any child between the ages of 6 and 17 years shall cause such child to attend school the entire time it is in session.” (122/26-2).
More information from the Illinois State Board of Education
Please call or email Michelle Gannon or Colin Phillips at the Will County Regional Office of Education if you require more information at 815-740-8360 or michellegannon@willcountyillinois.com or cphillips@willcountyillinois.com.
RESOURCES
Due to the many requests for information about home education, the following list of resources has been compiled. This is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is this an endorsement of these organizations or publications. Home schooling parents are not required to use any of the services or organizations listed below.
Illinois Support Network
(For information about current laws affecting home schooling, contact either organization.)
| ICHE | HOUSE | Special Needs |
|
Illinois Christian |
Home Oriented Unique Schooling Experience 847/676-2440 www.illinoishouse.org |
Jean Kulczyk 847/662-5432 |
Commonly used curricula
| Nonsectarian | Christian Protestant |
| Calvert (K-8) 301-243-6030 |
Christian Liberty Academy/Press (k-12) 847-259-4444 www.homeschools.org |
| American School (9-12) 708-418-2800 |
Abeka 877-223-5226 www.abeka.org |
| Clonlara (k-12) Illinois Contact: Dorothy Werner 773-338-8330 www.clonlara.org |
Alpha Omega Academy Online 602-438-2717 www.aop.com |
| Compuhigh (Secondary) 866-291-7040 www.clonlara.org |
Bob Jones University 1-800-845-5731 www.bjupress.com |
| Oak Meadow (K-8) 802-387-2021 www.oakmeadow.com |
Konos 972-924-2712 www.konos.com |
| Christian Catholic | Special Needs |
| Mother of Divine Grace (K-12) 805-646-5818 www.motherofdivinegrace.org |
Vast (Special Needs with Christian Orientation) 256-829-1074 www.vastnetwork.org |
| Our Lady of Victory (K-12) 208-773-7265 www.olvs.org |
|
| Seton Home Study School (K-12) 540-636-9990 www.setonhome.org |
|
|
The Angelicum Academy Online |
|
Books on why to home school
Nonsectarian:
- How Children Learn by Jon Holt
- Taking Charge through Homeschooling by Larry & Susan Kaseman
Christian, Protestant:
- Why Christians are Going Home to School by LuEllen Davis
- For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley
- The Heart of Home Schooling by Christopher Klicka
Christian, Catholic
- A Catholic Homeschool Treasury by Rachel Mackson and Maureen Whittmann
Books on how to home school
Nonsectarian:
- Homeschooling Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp
- The Homeschool Source Book by Donn & Jean Reed, Publisher: Brook Farm Books
Christian, Protestant:
- The Three R's by Ruth Beechick
- Homeschool Curriculum Manual by Cathy Duffy
- The Heart of Home Schooling by Christopher Klicka
Christian, Catholic:
- Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, A Guide to Catholic Home Education by Laura Berquist
Journals
| Nonsectarian | |
| Home Education Magazine 800-256-5278 P.O. Box 1083 Tonasket, WA 98855 www.home-ed-magazine.com |
Live Learning 1-800-215-9574 www.lifelearningmagazine.com |
| Christain, Protestant | |
| The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 888-718-4663 www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com |
Home School Digest Wisdom's Gate 800-43-1943 www.wisgate.com |
Gifted resources
Creative Home Schooling: A Resource Guide for Smart Families by Lisa Rivero
A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling Web Site-Gifted pagehttp://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/gifted.htm
Hoagie's Gifted Education: Homeschooling Gifted Children pagehttp://www.hoagiesgifted.org/homeschool.htm