It’s estimated that just over 3 percent of students in the US are homeschooled according to National Centers for Educational Statistics.
That’s about 1.77 million kids that parents want in a alternative school environment.
At the Dayemi Community Center a few students are gathered at a table for their literature lesson.
Each student is reading the same book and has a dictionary next to them, so they can physically look up any word they might not know.
Most people think of homeschool as sitting at the table while your parent teaches lessons.
Center manager Antia Brown says the building gives homeschool children and parents a break from that routine.
Home schooling can sometimes be a lonely job.- Anita Brown, Manager
“Your not on your own, home schooling can sometimes be a lonely job and so for the families it allows their kids to come together and have some social interaction and the parents can share resources.”
And sharing their resources can help the parents and the students.
“The families here often do classes so that while one parent is working another parent is with their child so that they don’t have to be here all the time, they’re using they’re collective resources to do things to make it easier for the families and to bring benefits to the kids as well.”
Brown says she’s seen an increase in homeschooling over the years, because some parents want steer the direction of the children’s education.
“Families want to take charge of their kids education, they want to have more choice in curriculum, subject being taught how they being taught. And they want to be more efficient”
But there’s also a weekly hands on education day every Wednesday.
About 15 students spend the day at a farm in Anna learning farm work, animal care, and cooking.
“Not everybody learns well from books of coarse some people are tactual or kinesthetic learners and they learn better when they’re actually in motion and doing things and it also teaches more practical skills rather than having your head in a book and learning math or something, your out there calculating to build something or to plan out a garden bed.”
Parents who are members of the center don’t have to bring their students there everyday, it’s there to offer that extra help and social environment for students.
“It just brings some ease into their lives and they have support and a regular place to go and sometimes they do just want to stay home but its nice to be able to go come on let’s pack up and let’s go be around other people.”
There is a membership fee to use the space for home schooling and the number of students utilizing the space determines the fee.
