Hello Colorado friends! I hope you are all settling into your new Colorado homeschooling adventure. I know there are a lot of first year homeschooling families, and Welcome to Homeschooling, Colorado is by far the most popular post on my site. I thought I should put together a little update and answer some frequently asked questions I’ve seen lately. If you have any questions that I don’t answer in this post, leave your questions in the comments below and I will be happy answer them.

Just so I’m covered, the following is not intended as legal advice. I’m just sharing my experience with you as a homeschool mom. If you need legal homeschooling advice, HSLDA is a great place to start. Alright, here we go.

Do I have to get my Notice of Intent approved before I begin homeschooling?

Absolutely not. There is no approval process in order to homeschool in Colorado. When you file an NOI, it is a statement that you are homeschooling, not a question. If anyone tells you that you need to wait for your NOI to be approved, confidently inform them otherwise. Turn in your notice and you can start fourteen days later. No approval needed.

If I start homeschooling part way through the year, can I count the days they were in public/private school toward our 172 attendance days?

Yes, the days they were in another school count toward the attendance requirement.

Do I have to keep records of what we do on a daily basis to turn in to the state?

No, you are not required to keep track of what you do on a daily basis for the state. You are required to keep a copy of your child’s vaccine record or exemption, attendance, and test or evaluation results. You do need to turn in the test or evaluation results at the end of odd grade years starting in third grade. The other records don’t get automatically turned in. They can be requested by the district in which you file your NOI, but they must give you two weeks written notice. You are free to keep other records if you would like, but those are for your benefit. You can read my post, Homeschool Planning: Record Keeping to get some record keeping ideas.

I registered with an Independent/Umbrella School; do I still need to file a Notice of Intent?

Nope, it’s an either/or kind of thing. You choose one option and follow the guidelines for that option. I have heard that some parents are told otherwise when they withdraw their child from school. In that case, tell the school that you have enrolled in a private school and they will contact the school for records if needed. Read more about Independent Schools here.

What does an average of four hours a day of learning look like?

Okay, so there have been so many variations of this question and it seems to be the hardest concept for parents to wrap their heads around as new homeschoolers. I get it; public school is soooo structured and takes so long, it feels like you need to be doing the same. Homeschooling is more efficient and I’m sure any teacher would tell you that if they only had one or two students they would be done in much less time.

The four hours a day is an average. One day your child’s science curriculum is talking about butterflies, which turns into your child spending six hours researching butterflies or trying to catch them outside. The next day all work is complete in two hours. You do not need to make them keep studying for two more hours. It all has a way of evening out. Also, consider how much time they are spending on other learning experiences like cooking, building with LEGO, etc. You can count all of that. You don’t have to separate the structured school part from the unstructured learning part.

Don’t get caught up into feeling like you need to strictly count hours. As long as they are spending time learning, they are probably getting in more than four hours a day. If you want to test this, take a week and track all of the time spent on any type of learning activity, not just book work. You will probably be surprised at how many hours they are actually spending on school.

Can I count field trips as school?

Absolutely! You can even count field trips you take while on vacation. I’ve counted days spent at museums while overseas and at a dolphin research center in Florida. If they’re learning, it counts.

What are the state standards per grade level that I am required to teach?

There are none. You are required to make sure they get regular instruction in communication skills of reading, writing, and speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular courses of instruction in the constitution of the United States. There is nothing stating how you teach these subjects or what topics to cover when. It is up to your discretion and you do not need to teach a state directed school scope and sequence.

When do we do testing or evaluations?

A test or evaluation is required in odd grade years starting in third grade. You can test at any time during the year. Most people test toward the end of the year, and turn in the results with their NOI for the new school year.

My Thoughts

Remember you are in the driver’s seat and in charge of your child’s education. You don’t need to get anyone’s permission or approval to make decisions on how to educate or raise your children. This is a different way of thinking for some people. When we are used to somebody else dictating when, where and what our kids should be learning, it can be difficult to change our way of thinking. Embrace the freedom and independence that come with homeschooling.

It’s important to keep in mind that you aren’t doing something wrong by homeschooling. Mistakes are redeemable and there are no homeschool police waiting to trip you up. You are capable of making decisions for your child’s education, so walk into homeschooling with confidence. You can do this!