Home School

The ALA's definition of Diversity for the Library: We value our nation's diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues

As the number of homeschooled students rises in this country, needs for resources, instruction and support also has risen.  The homeschooled students have needs that should be satisfied by public library services. This includes access to materials and technology, information literacy skills instruction, reading and writing support, curriculum materials and methods, reference services.  Some non-instructional needs that libraries can offer to homeschooler is  “make and take”, facilities and quiet study areas or areas where they can meet with mentors or tutors. As a taxpayer in a city, homeschooler families are entitled to similar services as their traditionally schooled counterparts. 

5.56% of school-age children are homeschooled in the United States, which equals to 3.1 million households. The National Center for Educational Statistics published a survey from 2012, in which 70% of homeschooled parents cite the public library as their most valued resource (Redford et al., 2017, p.13). https://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/odlos-blog/homeschoolers-and-public-library

Despite today’s widespread availability of public and private K-12 education, many parents and children prefer learning at home ; being home schooled. There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children. Here are a few reasons: religious beliefs, accommodating parent's work situation, health reasons, safety issues, struggling schools, and I'm sure other pertinent reasons that parents see fit. 

As we all know, libraries technically are not schools, and many librarians don't have their teaching credentials. Nonetheless, libraries and librarians educate the public and offer a great deal to guide families toward some experiential learning opportunities. Libraries and librarians can offer parents support in many ways and want nothing but the best for homeschool families to be successful.