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5 Easy Steps to Homeschooling in New York State

Have you been thinking about homeschooling in New York but don’t know where to start? Keep reading to learn more.

I come from a background in public education. I was not only raised in public school, but I also taught elementary and middle school, in two different states, for a total of seven years.

I never thought I would be a homeschooling mom. All I knew was of public education, and honestly I had never thought of homeschooling before.

But then in 2019–20, my daughter had the worst school year, ever. She went through three different teachers in the same classroom. The behavior problems were so severe that the entire class of students had to be led to a different classroom for “safety reasons” because another student was out of control. How can children possibly learn when things like this are happening?

To top it off, in the middle of this horrible school year, the schools closed down because of COVID-19. Instruction was limited to a couple Zoom meetings a week that were definitely lacking, to say the least.

By this time, I was no longer teaching. I chose to take some time off for personal and professional reasons.

I had the perfect opportunity to try out homeschooling. I figured I could re-enroll my daughter at any time, so what did I have to lose?

I set out to learn as much about homeschooling as possible.

The first thing I learned is that homeschool regulations differ from state to state. This guide is going to reference New York State in particular. However, even if you live in a different state, make sure to read to the end where I give a list of resources and a free cheat sheet for homeschooling in New York State.

Before I get into the six easy steps to homeschooling in New York State, it’s important to have an understanding of what is expected of homeschooling families according to the law.

I’m going to break down the important parts of the New York State regulations for you, along with giving you tips and hints to beginning a great homeschool journey.

*If you live in a different state, scroll down to the section titled, “What do I teach?”*

In some ways, this is the hardest part. You are committing to being responsible for every aspect of your child’s social and educational development. It’s a little scary if you think about it. Public schools have multiple professionals and support professionals fulfilling that role. This is going to be primarily … you.

Don’t run away yet. If you can get past this step, the rest isn’t so bad. It can actually be a lot of fun!

So, you’ve made a commitment. What now? You need to let the school district know that you intend to homeschool your child. You do this by submitting what is called a “Letter of Intent.”

This is a simple, to the point letter, sent to the school district that your child would attend, stating that you intend to homeschool him or her.

What do the regulations say?

Here’s an example of a Letter of Intent.

Not too scary, right? Let’s move on to the fun part!

Your job, from this day on, is not only going to be parent and teacher, but also researcher.

You are going to compile as many homeschool resources as possible. But before you start going gaga on the web, check out these helpful tips for beginning your search.

After compiling possibly hundreds of resources, you are going to have to narrow it down to 5–6 curriculum materials, textbooks, or plans of instruction for each subject area.

You couldn’t possibly list all the available resources to teach any given topic, so make your materials in general terms. For example, instead of listing all the science books in your home library, simply write: high quality children’s literature from our home library. If there is a specific curriculum you want to use, go ahead and list it, just don’t give yourself extra work to do if you don’t have to.

A quick tip:

So, you’re probably wondering how to write your IHIP so you have the ability to change your materials, resources, curriculum, etc. along the way.

Just make sure the following statements are on your IHIP:

These two statements are what makes it possible to change up what you teach during the year. If your child isn’t interested in a topic, change it! If you don’t care for the all-in-one curriculum you thought you would like, switch it up! For me, that is the best thing about homeschooling; the flexibility!

You know what you want to teach for the year and some general topics for each subject area. What’s next? It’s time to submit your called an Individualized Homeschool Instruction Plan or IHIP.

What do the regulations say?

The school district will most likely send you a TON of paperwork.

According to the NYS homeschool regulations, the only things you are required to send the district are the Letter of Intent (LOI) and the Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) in order to begin homeschooling.

Here’s an example of a completed IHIP.

It’s not as hard as you might think!

Approximately every 45 days (in a 180 day school year), you will need to submit a written report documenting your child’s progress in all subject areas.

What do the regulations say?

In other words, New York State wants proof that you actually taught your child. They want to know what your child learned and how successful they were in their learning.

Here’s an example of a quarterly report.

New York State homeschool regulation 100.10f states that each child must be provided 180 days of instruction totaling 900 hours (grades 1–6) or 990 hours (grades 7–12).

Absence allowance is the same as the allowance of the public school district where you live. Do some research. Don’t feel like you have to teach your child even if they are sick just because they’re at home. I made this mistake too many times. When they’re sick, let them rest. Just keep track of the number of “absences.”

You’ve worked really hard planning and researching and teaching. Now, it’s time for your child to show what they know.

What do the regulations say?

On the quarter 3 report, provide a section stating which assessment you are going to use (written report or norm-referenced test) and who is going to give the assessment.

It’s really a personal choice. Some people like the ease of giving a test online. Other people would rather write a narrative of their child’s development. There is no right or wrong choice. Do what is best for your situation.

There you go. 5 easy steps to homeschool in New York State. I hope this guide makes you feel a little less anxious about beginning your homeschool journey.

When I taught public school in New York, we used this site. It’s completely FREE and has a curriculum for Math and English language arts/spelling/reading. The teacher guides are a little cumbersome at first glance, but aren’t too hard to follow after getting the hang of it. This website is perfect if you don’t know how to teach something and if you want to know what is expected at each grade level.

I really like this website for math. It is interactive and includes videos, games, and quizzes. I’m not as thrilled about the reading portion, but there are new mini-lessons available for small groups that can be assigned! It was easy to create a Teacher Account by signing up for a Parent Account and emailing customer service, telling them you are a homeschool teacher and would like a teacher account. It is FREE!

This website is great for reluctant readers! Children can choose stories by grade level. Each story embeds multiple text-based questions that children must answer to move on in the story. The stories have small chunks of text, almost like text messages that help those kiddos who feel overwhelmed when reading a whole page. This site is one of my favorites

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