Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to homeschool for this coming year. After you have chosen your curricula you will need to send in your notification form to the superintendent. I am going to walk you through the steps so it won’t seem so overwhelming.

First, go to either CHEO or Ohio Homeschooling Parents Facebook page to get a copy of the notification or Notification of Intent (NOI) form. I will go through this item by item for you.

1. School year Write just the year you are homeschooling.
2. Name of parent and address. You can include your telephone number and/or your email address, but it is optional.
3. Name, address, telephone number (optional)of person(s) who will be teaching the child… This is only if you are having someone who is going to be homeschooling your child other than yourself, such as a grandparent while you are at work. This does not include a weekly co-op class, etc., because you are still responsible to oversee their instruction and are responsible to provide an assessment.
4. Full name and birthdate of child(ren) to be educated at home. Do not include their grade. Compulsory age is 6 years to 18 years of age. If you have a five year old at the time school begins, do not notify.
5. Assurance that home education will include the following… Put a check mark here on this line.
6. Brief outline of the intended curriculum… You will provide an attachment for informational purposes. See example below.
7. A list of textbooks, correspondence courses… You will provide an attachment for informational purposes. See example below.
8. Assurance that the child will be provided a minimum of 900 hours… Place a check mark here.
9. Assurance that the home teacher has one of the following qualifications… Place a check mark here.
10. The parent shall affirm… sign and date

Some confusion and apprehension occurs for new homeschool families when they see items 5, 6, 7, and 9. Let me assure you that it is not as intimidating as it appears. 🙂

Line 5 is the list of subjects you are going to teach. Do you need a textbook for each subject? No, you can choose to cover these topics in whatever way you wish. You can discuss and practice the following things for health and safety: washing hands, personal care, kitchen safety, basic first aid when accidents occur, wearing bike helmets, watch a documentary of African wildlife, play an educational game, etc.

Line 6 is an informational sheet that you attach with the notification form. Here is an example:

• Language: Reading from various children’s classics, grammar, spelling, writing on various topics.

• History & Geography: Reading, maps, and related activities of American historical figures, visiting places and attending special events.

• Math: Instruction in operations and concepts, word problems.
  
• Science: Daily readings, hands-on experiments, and accompanying work in life science.

• Physical education that includes, but is not limited to, bike riding, swimming, and soccer.

• Art and music education correlating to the curriculum topics.

• Health and wellness along with kitchen, fire, first aid, and personal safety.

Line 7 is an informational sheet of the intended curricula you are using. If something does not work, you may switch to find a curriculum or program that is a better fit for your child. You will attach this with the notification form. Here is an example:

• Language: Book Jones University Press, Handwriting without Tears, Easy Grammar, and Institute for Excellence in Writing, various library books, electronic resources

• Geography, History- Story of the World, Maps, Charts and Graphs, as well as various library books, Google Maps, field trips, and community programs.

• Math- Teaching Textbooks

• Science- Apologia, One Small Square, various library and electronic resources

• Physical Education: SAY soccer

• Fine Arts- piano lessons, Outschool art class

• Health, First Aid, Fire Safety- My Body unit, various community programs

Throughout the year we will employ the use of various electronic and library resources, community events and programs, and field trips in regards to topics being studied.

Line 9 does not state that you need to be using textbooks, sitting at a desk and doing school for 900 hours. It says home education. This can include field trips, helping with the running of the household, making a meal plan, choosing a route for a family road trip, writing a family newsletter, etc.

Have a great week! If you have questions, please leave a comment. ~ Lisa~

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and should not be taken as such. This has just been my experience and what I have seen similarly from other homeschool families across the state. Should you have any questions of that nature, please contact Home School Legal Defense.