Rochester Area Home Schooling Groups/Resources

Home schooling: It's a trend that's growing in leaps and bounds as increasing numbers of parents decide that they are best equipped, and have the means and energy, to coordinate the education of their own children. Here are the organizations and resources we're aware of in Rochester. (Please send email to suggestions@kidsoutandabout.com if you have ideas for additions to this page.)

Local groups

• Simply Homeschooling
  Simply Homeschooling is an all-inclusive, non-discriminating group of home educating families in and around Rochester, NY. Members vary not only in their personal philosophies but in their approaches to homeschooling as well; they have traditional homeschoolers, un-schoolers, those using curriculums and those combining several approaches.

• Rochester Area Homeschoolers Association
  Monthly meetings in support of families growing without schooling ("unschooling").
  Voicemail: 234-0298

• Lilac Children's Carden
  Lilac Children's Garden was conceived by Rochester parents in 1998 to bring the influence of Waldorf education to homeschooling families. Lilac Children's Garden offers weekly classes in a Waldorf environment which supplements and inspires members' homeschool activities. 585-234-5073

• Catholic Homeschoolers of Western New York. The email contact is chswny@rochester.rr.com.

• LEAH: Loving Education at Home
  A Christian support group, with local chapters throughout the state. Website is www.leah.org/regions/fingerlake.html.
  

• Charity LEAH: Loving Education at Home
  This group is a sub-branch of LEAH that encourages homeschoolers of all faiths to join; it is not limited specifically to Christians. Contact: Matt and Ellen Gerwitz at 621-6445 or visit the web site at www.charityleah.org.
  

• Lake-to-Lake Homeschoolers, Phelps, NY, Julie Burgess, 315-548-4026
  Nonsectarian group that welcomes all orientations, mostly from the northern Finger Lakes area.

• Buffalo Area Homeschooling Association (BAHA)
  8750 Tonawanda Creek Road, Clarence Center, NY 14032
  Sue Tannehill, 716-741-4755
  STannehill@aol.com

• Syracuse-area Homeschoolers' Association (SaHA)
  201 Milnor Ave., Syracuse, NY 13224 315-446-3068
  syracusehomeschoolers@yahoo.com

Local Resources

• Secrets in Stone - educational program for students in grades 4 to 12 aimed at promoting the educational resources of Rochester’s Mount Hope Cemetery.

• Getting Started with Home Schooling - This one-day seminar is often offered by Patricia Welch at Rochester Info-Courses. Call them at256-1960 to find out when the next such seminar is.

• Homeschooling resources from the Monroe County Library

• New York State Home Education News
  PO Box 59, East Chatham, NY 12060
  Katharine Houk Seth Rockmuller, 518-392-6900 ALLPIESR@aol.com

• New York Home Educators Network (NYHEN)
  PO Box 24, Sylvan Beach, NY 13157
  Chris Wheeler, 315-762-5166 coordinator@nyhen.org

• Fingerlakes Unschoolers Network
  Clare Grady, (607) 273-6257 Laundress@aol.com

• Links to essays, reviews, articles, etc. about home schooling
  

Discussion Lists from YahooGroups.com

The following are some relevant discussion lists you could join on YahooGroups, by going to yahoogroups.com and doing a search for the name of the list.

• nyhsforum · This list is for New York State homeschoolers. The primary purpose of this list is to facilitate friendly, open discussion of the current or proposed homeschooling regulations and/or legislative action.

• funschooling · An e-mail list for the Fingerlakes Unschoolers Network.

• NYHEN-support - This list is hosted by the New York Home Educators' Network. It is open to anyone interested in homeschooling in New York State. Questions and answers/suggestions about complying with the state regulations, filling out required paperwork, dealing with school districts, useful homeschooling resources in New York, etc.

• FERNetwork - A discussion list for home schoolers in Columbia County, NY.

• CharlotteMasonWNY - This is a discussion list for homeschoolers in the Buffalo, NY area interested in Charlotte Mason's teaching methods and ideas. Ideas, experiences, announcements, etc.

• homeschool_atheists - This list is primarily for those who are home schooling their children for secular, rather than religious, reasons, and addresses (among general h.s. info) the special issues these parents and children face as they navigate home schooling resources that are dominated by religious content.

• NYS-HomeEducators - This is a group for people who are educating their children at home or for those who are just interested in doing so. Ask questions and find support

• newyorkhomeschooling - A Place where other New York homeschoolers can get together share ideas and chat

• HomEdWNY - InterDenominational, support, news, curriculum, etc. all unique to the Western NY area and slightly beyond. Corning to Erie, PA., NWest PA to Rochester, NY

• Links to Supplies/U.S. Resources