Welcome to homeschooling in DC. Here are some links to resources that might be particularly helpful to DC folks. If you have any more that you think should be added to this list, please send the suggestions to dchea@dchea.org.

Groups

Bolling Area Home Educators

Bolling Area Home Educators (BAHE) is a home school support group for military families living in the greater D.C. area and offers a variety of activities for BAHE members. BAHE welcomes home school families from every branch of the military whether you are active duty or retired. We also welcome DOD civilians. If you have access to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, BAHE may be a great connection for you

Capitol Hill Homeschoolers

Capitol Hill Homeschoolers is a group for families on or near Capitol Hill who are currently homeschooling, planning on homeschooling or simply interested in homeschooling. The group exists for discussion, activity planning, and social networking.

Classical Conversations

Classical Conversations exists to support home-centered education by providing quality educational materials and connecting like-minded families through structured weekly meetings. One day a week, a paid parent-tutor introduces new material for memorization and leads the class in review, science experiments and fine arts. The CC curriculum provides a skeletal structure that parents can build on to suit their family. The DC group meets on Wednesday mornings at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. If you would like more information, please contact Emily Bradley | 202-538-0047 | bradley.emily@gmail.com.

Culture at Home

Culture at Home is an African American homeschool support group in the Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia area with an emphasis on the older (ages 10-18) homeschooled student and for families concerned with the healthy well-being and academic guidance of their African-American child.

DC Area Preschool Homeschoolers

D.C. Area Preschool Homeschoolers (DCAPH, or “decaf”) offers community and support for homeschooling parents of children ages birth to six who are willing to commute to activities inside and slightly outside the Beltway. We hold playgroups and sponsor field trips to museums, as well as other activities. Most of us consider ourselves relaxed or eclectic homeschoolers, or even unschoolers (that is, doing little about schooling except taking life as it comes while providing exciting educational opportunities). One brief warning: this group does not have a strong religious base, and few of us follow a strict curriculum. If those are vital components for you, this is probably not a group that will meet your needs.

DC Metro Gifted Home Schooling

DC Metro Gifted Home Schooling is for parents home schooling gifted kids in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. While home schoolers of all persuasions are welcome to join, this list is secular and inclusive.

Homeschool Resources

This group is set up to inform all homeschoolers about local events that are happening in the greater DC metropolitan area. The main purpose of this Yahoo group is to network and let others know about certain events, upcoming shows, classes and other things pertaining to homeschooling.

MD_DC_VA_Educators

This groups exists to create an online forum to share resources, activities, ideas, and support among the homeschooling community to include the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area, Hampton Roads (Tidewater) Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania. We currently have members from many states to include: Virginia, Washington DC, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland counties, Baltimore City, Pennsylvania,and Delaware. Approximately 50% of the group currently serves our country in uniform.

NVA Muslim Homeschoolers

Muslim Homeschooling support group for Northern VA and the DC metro area.

Sankofa Homeschool Community

Sankofa is a community of homeschooling families of color who want to grow, learn, and build together. We are dedicated to creating a rich, supportive homeschool village through a combination of social outlets, field trips, and the sharing of resources.

Blogs / Sites

Chocolate Covered Boy Joy

My name is Monica Utsey. In all of my reading, I discovered slim pickings among blogs dedicated to the education of African-American boys. I thought it was time to not only chronicle my experiences as a home educator for almost a decade, but to also create a place where moms can find relevant information to help them on the journey of growing boys into men.  Readers will enjoy cultural resources, activity ideas, curriculum recommendations, enrichment programs, rites of passage programs, interviews, great articles and a little bit about our home schooling fun.

I Capture the Rowhouse

A blog by DC resident Farrar Williams focusing on two of the things she’s most passionate about: homeschooling and children’s books.

KidFriendly DC

KidFriendly DC is a resource for parents who take advantage of all the city’s great offerings for children.   From the tried and true to the new and cool, find out where to go and what to do with the kiddos in the nation’s capital.

Our Kids

Our Kids LLC is the leading online resource guide for families in the DC metro area. Our Kids provides a one-stop website to find resources and activities that are fun for children and places that are “parent-friendly”. You’ll find everything organized by category to get you what you need right at your fingertips. Find classes for kids, local support groups, children’s theatres, party planning resources and much more. In addition to the website, Our Kids has a comprehensive member only area.

Programs

DC Public Library Educator Cards

This special card is offered exclusively to educators in District of Columbia schools, childcare facilities, or home settings.

• Check out a total of up to 100 children’s and young adult books.
• Borrow the books for nine weeks from any DC Public Library location.
• Visit the library to select materials, place electronic reserves or contact the librarian to gather items (3 to 5 days in advance).
• Enjoy the benefits of borrowing without overdue fines.

DC Tuition Assistance Program (DCTAG)

The DCTAG expands higher education choices for District residents by providing grants of up to $10,000 toward the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public four-year colleges and universities throughout the US, Guam and Puerto Rico. DCTAG also provides up to $2,500 per academic year toward tuition at private colleges in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide and two-year colleges nationwide.

Home School at the Museum

This is an excellent, free, museum program open to all homeschoolers. The museum is located in the Navy Yard, right next to the Anacostia River. From their announcement: The Education Department at the National Museum of the United States Navy launched its first “Home School at the Museum” program in September of 2010. This program was designed to bring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as well as history and arts to home schooled students throughout the DC METRO area. From its small beginning with a hand full of students, we blossomed to over 250 students every month!

Homeschool Days at the Forensic Anthropology Lab

In the Forensic Anthropology Lab of the Nantional Museum of Natural History, students will learn that forensic science is far more mysterious and engaging than forensic fiction. They will use real human bones to identify and describe people from the past and draw conclusions about their lives. On the first Monday of every month, students in homeschools can participate in one of the three staff-led lessons available in the Lab. Lessons will rotate on a monthly basis, posted one month in advance.

Homeschool Programs at the National Building Museum

The National Building Museum offers many classes tailored to homeschool groups who want to register as a group for a class, but they also have regular “Homeschool Days” when they plan an entire day around homeschoolers. During the day they offer different classes appropriate to different age ranges (from 4-14). The cost is only $10 for the day. Register early as the programs often sell-out.

Tudor Place Home School History Days

Travel back in time to early Washington, DC! Home-School History Days are similar to programs offered for school or Scout groups, but tailored to suit home-school families and groups with children aged 5 to 14.

Events

Capital Science Evenings (appropriate for teenagers)

Science lectures provided courtesy of the Carnegie Institution for Science. Most are in the areas of biology or cosmology. Lectures are free and open to the public and are held at the Carnegie Institution, located at 1530 P Street, NW(corner of 16th and P Streets).

MAA Distinguished Lecture Series (appropriate for teenagers)

The Mathematical Association of America, with the generous support of the NSA, is proud to present a series of public lectures. The series features some of the foremost experts within the field of mathematics, known for their ability to make current mathematical ideas accessible to non-specialists, and provides a fabulous and fun learning opportunity for both professionals and students, as well as anyone interested in learning more about current trends in mathematics and the relationship between mathematics and broader scientific, engineering and technological endeavors.

Smithsonian Teachers’ Night

The annual Smithsonian Teachers’ Night is a fabulous event and homeschoolers are encouraged to attend! Be sure to come hungry, because the complimentary refreshment are outstanding. Representatives from all Smithsonian museums will be on hand, to provide information, answer questions, and share what is available for your homeschoolers. Giveaways will be in abundance; look for things like calendars, event registrations, posters, fact sheets, postcards, and coloring books, just to name a few. The event is held in the fall of each year and online registration is required.