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As a first-time homeschool parent, co-teaching with Mrs. Camacho and Mountain Oaks has been very successful. The curriculum, flexibility, and overall experience have been great. We will continue with the homeschool program for many years to come and look forward to what it has to offer us in the future. -Review on Great Schools
We’ve had a wonderful experience with the JCS Home Study Program! It has truly allowed our kids to thrive! The daily flexibility to move at each child’s pace, whether that means taking extra time to master a concept or advancing quickly when they’re ready, has been invaluable. Choosing a curriculum that best fits each child’s needs has also made all the difference. We are especially grateful for our educational facilitator, Mrs. Camacho, who is always responsive, encouraging, and consistently goes above and beyond to support our family. This program stands out for its fantastic enrichment opportunities and the chance for students to share and present their work to peers. These experiences have built our kids’ confidence and kept them excited about learning. We feel so fortunate to be part of this program and wholeheartedly recommend it to families seeking a personalized and supportive educational journey. --Review on Great Schools
We decided to do the home study program because a friend loved it, and another friend would have done it looking back. Mrs. Camacho goes above and beyond. She is very encouraging. The curriculum she recommends is challenging and personalized. I never imagined how much 5 year olds could learn. Our daughter’s confidence and curiosity has grown throughout the year. The program provides flexibility (which worked out well for having a newborn) and enrichment funds (we choose private piano class). Mrs. Camacho provides structure, support, and follow up throughout the program- I feel she made this program successful for us, having no teaching experience myself. This experience has been meaningful for us, and has given our daughter a solid educational foundation.
--- Vanessa, Homeschool Mother to a Kindergartner, 202-23 School Year
This is our first full year with JCS Homeschool Program, and I have been pleasantly surprised! We dove in for a few months at the end of last year, to get an introduction to the process, and I felt like we were completely lost! Starting mid year was a challenge, as was being new to the program. I didn’t understand the requirements, processes, online systems, or resource options available, and didn’t find access to the support I needed or answers to my questions. We just sort of “made it through”. It was a supplemental program for us, since my child wasn’t required be in school yet, but I was hesitant as to how this new year would go.
It has gone well! I am so grateful to have had this opportunity with my child - not only for the one-on-one engagement, but also to know exactly what he is learning, how he is learning, and to choose the curriculum and manner of presenting it that works best for him and our family. It has made such an impact to be able to review several curriculum options for math, language, etc. and choose the material presented in a way that he learns best from, and that I am best able to teach. Instead of using standardized “one size fits some”, I have found intuitive materials available that have made the learning process easier and more enjoyable for both of us. When he is excelling and needs a challenge, I know it, and can go to my EF or the Resource Center for supplemental ideas and materials. When he needs a little more time to master a concept, or even just a break for the day, we can work at his pace and spend exactly the time he needs. He is never “lost” or “behind”. We set the pace - his pace!
My current EF has been a wonderful facilitator, between myself, the school, and state requirements. She has put together detailed communication, with emails, links, slides and videos, that walk me step by step through the processes that I couldn’t quite get the hang of last year. I rely on the resources she has created, and refer to them thought the year, to clarify what I need to do, how to do it, and when the deadlines are. Her weekly updates are enjoyable to receive and she always keeps us up to date on field trips offerings, resource funds, and project dates. I really appreciate her accessibility when I need support, and that my child and I are able to function independently otherwise.
I really have enjoyed taking advantage of the many fantastic benefits the Homeschool Program has been able to offer our child - the Friday Learning Center, the many field trip offerings, and the funding for enrichment activities and materials! The Friday enrichment through CoLab Commons has filled a social void that my young child was feeling, by allowing weekly gatherings with children of a similar age, and fun activities to keep the kids learning and engaged. He looks forward to the weekly meet-ups, familiar faces, and sharing with me what they learned each day at pick up. With our funds, we have brought wonderful art, science and cooking kits into our home as curriculum additions, as well as taken up new physical activities such as Martial Arts. Accompanying on field trips with my child, I’ve see him first hand, experiencing the world around us, out during the school day - a field journal in hand, observing nature, making scientific predictions on-site, and conducting experiments “in the wild”, exactly as I think kids learn best. We give them the gift of being able to “see it, touch it, and feel it”, and they will remember the experiences and lessons learned, and have fun doing it!
Finally, in addition to the support of my own EF, Krista Camacho, who has done a really great job throughout the year, I would like to commend Tanner Blough as a wonderful resource at the Mountain Oaks campus, as well as Elizabeth in the Resource Center in Temecula. Tanner is always friendly, responsive, supportive, and has a smile on his face. He is approachable for both adults and students, and very good at answering questions, or finding you the right person with those answers, when needed. Elizabeth has been invaluable during my trips to the Resource Center. In addition to being friendly and welcoming, she has helped me navigate the many resource options at the center, suggested materials, assisted with copying reproducibles, answered questions, and anything at all that I’ve needed during my visits there. I appreciate Krista, Tanner, and Elizabeth as great resources to myself and my child this school year. They are wonderful assets to the JCS program!
-- Home School Parent, 2022/2023 school year
When our family arrived to California last year we were fortunate to have been assigned to our EF, Krista Camacho. At the time, I felt overwhelmed, excited and confused all at the same time. From the moment she was assigned to our family she reached out with a nice email with photos and information about the LP (and during the holiday vacation!). Since we had just moved over from Europe we laughed so hard when we received an email from their school teacher that shared photos and great links to educational resources! We were used to a much more formal and distant relationship with teachers. It was the start to a new journey of home study learning.
Now, after working with her for almost a year and a half, we feel like we have learned so much with her guidance. Her casual, fun and energtic outlook are contagious. I always feel open to be in touch with her with my questions. As I continue to navigate the world of charter schools, homeschooling and curriculum, she gives me sound advice, while still keeping my children accountable for their hard work.
What stands out to me most about her is that she always goes above and beyond for the sake of the kids. She started a Writers Workshop online and helped my children write their first essay, short story, and even poetry! When we requested that we have the Poetry Cafe outside at the park, she jumped on board with the idea and brought it outside to our favorite local park. She even worked around their activities to make sure that they could participate when they had schedule conflicts! Shel helped me figure out how to use funds to pay for amazing extra-curricular activities, like mornings at my favorite permaculture farm.
All educators should strive to put the child at the center of their work. She does this every time she sends the kids and encouraging email, or highlights their hard work. She puts them at ease so they are comfortable to share their work and not feel afraid to try new things. Nowadays we all look forward to those same Monday morning LP emails that highlight other classmates, list field trip opportunities, give us parents some encouraging advice, and promote community among the home study crowd.
Education looks different for every family and student, and I"m grateful that by chance we were able to be assigned to that teacher who understands and acts on this foundational idea. I'm grateful that JCS supports this type of innovative and individualized style of education.
-- Homeschool Mother to a 4th and 7th grader 2023-24 school year
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