Is Part-Time Homeschooling Right For You?

It’s all we hear about lately- inflation and the ever-increasing cost of goods and food. Everything seems to be more expensive than ever before. In some cases, this is translating to stay-at-home parents finding themselves going back to work. When this happens, many parents and caregivers feel they need to give up the dream of homeschooling their child. What if I told you that you didn’t have to kiss the dream good-bye just yet? That it is possible to be a working parent and a part-time homeschooling parent. Would you believe me?

Part time homeschooling can be a great compromise for working parents looking to incorporate home learning.

What is part time homeschooling and what can it provide?

As stated in an article on PBS.org, part-time homeschooling or partial homeschooling as it is sometimes called, means that parents may opt to teach just one subject at home or teach the core subjects at home such as Math and Reading and send their child to a physical school for other subject such as Music and Art. ¹ While many people discuss part time homeschooling in reference to elementary aged children, this article will focus on partial homeschooling for children ages 1.5-5 years old.

The reasons for choosing one style of homeschooling over the other vary for each family, but for many parents part-time homeschooling is a great fit. It allows them to pursue other interests and commitments such as working away from the home while still providing the education their child needs. This style of homeschooling also has many benefits for the parent and their child including the opportunity to make new friends, to build confidence and leadership skills, and to learn new things outside of the classroom.

Who is a possible candidate for part time homeschooling?

Allow me set the scene: you’re a working parent with a traveling spouse and a small child at home. Your child is in a physical day care while you are at work. The teachers tell you your child is on track to be ready for main stream kindergarten in a few years.  She can count to 10 and knows most of her colors. She’s learning her alphabet. You’re thrilled! She’s learning the things she needs to know, and you can provide the ever important second income to your household.

But you find yourself missing something. Remember when she was little and you were the one teaching her everything. You wonder how those days passed so quickly. You feel as though the teacher role you used to play has been passed onto someone else. But deep down you miss being the one to spark her curiosity. The one with a front row seat to watch her face light up when she learned something new.

Maybe I just started my own autobiography with those paragraphs. The reality is there are many other parents and their children who can benefit from part-time homeschooling: the stay-at-home parent with multiple small children at home, the overwhelmed parent who can’t imagine getting through an entire homeschooling curriculum with their busy child, the child with numerous  doctors’/therapy appointments, or the parent with a child who has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

The most common challenge of part time homeschooling

The part time homeschooling parent faces unique challenges. Perhaps the most common challenge faced by the partial homeschooling parent is the challenge of finding enough time to educate their child. Regardless of why a family chooses partial homeschool, time is always a factor. It is the one thing that parents can agree on- we all wish we had more time.

Benefits of choosing Masterminds Early Learning curriculum for part time homeschooling

What if I told you the answer was in 20 minutes per day? We provide the curriculum, you provide the setting. It seems overwhelming, but the truth is, you turn on the pre-recorded lesson and let the rest just flow. By having predetermined topics in a set curriculum, you can start down a path of learning and let your child choose the avenues. For example- the topic may be “Great Art Masterpieces”. The teaching video will present the artwork, the artist, and perhaps the era and location of the painting. Your child will begin asking questions and show a desire to learn more. Suddenly, you can take that desire to learn more about the Mona Lisa and you find that you are both learning new things and enjoying the process at the same time.

At Masterminds, we are parents ourselves. Our curriculum is self-paced which means you choose the daily/weekly time commitment and work your way through the program at a rate that is comfortable for you. As long as you maintain your subscription, you will have access to all released content in that age group. That means if you need to take a day or even a week off for any reason, it’s ok!

It can feel overwhelming to find a balance between being a busy working parent and an available parent. Maybe it doesn’t have to be as challenging as we think it does. It requires just a little extra time each day set aside to explore engaging and sophisticated topics with your little one and you will be on your way.

References:

1. Sizer, Bridget Bentz. “Part Time Homeschooling.” PBS.org, Public Broadcasting Service, 27 October 2011, https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/part-time-homeschooling.