Most home schooling programs are fully comprehensive & provide everything you would need for your child’s complete k-12 education. However, you should keep in mind that many experienced home schoolers do not stick to just one program. They pick & select from what they believe are best of each of the various programs. I cover in greater detail how people mix & match in my home schooling newsletter.

There are many popular & respected home schooling programs. The ones I will cover briefly here are Saxon, Center for Learning & Curriculum Associates.

Perhaps one of the more well-known home schooling programs comes from Saxon. Saxon is a part of Harcourt Achieve, a publisher that gives a variety of educational materials across various subjects. Saxon focuses on math, phonics & early learning. Many home schoolers like Saxon’s math texts. Math is an area that children will need expert instruction in. If the parents do not have a math background, Saxon may be the right math program for your child.

The Center for Learning is another of the great home schooling programs. They provide curriculum materials to public, private & parochial schools. They are also a favorite choice of home schoolers. Just as Saxon gives good math texts, the Center for Learning gives materials on English, Language Arts, Drama & Social Studies. They provide religious materials.

Finally, another favorite among the various home schooling programs is Curriculum Associates. Their materials focus on Reading, Language Arts & Math. They also have materials on test preparation, study skills & assessment.

As I mentioned, most parents will not stick to any one of the home schooling programs. They will select Reading from this publisher & Math from that one. They often find what they like best through experimentation or from what their friends recommend.

So, which of the home schooling programs do you choose? If it were me, I would contact your State’s Department of Education Home School contact person. This individual will realize what programs with which students are having the most success.

About the Author
Rich has a home schooling tips newsletter. Join now by sending an email to homeschool-help@aweber.com. Visit Effective Home Schooling to learn how to avoid the major home schooling mistakes.