Getting Started

How to Start Homeschooling in Nebraska

1. Educate yourself about home education by reading books and periodicals that focus on home education.

The NCHEA recommends:

• “The Right Choice: The Incredible Failure of Public Education” and “The Rising Hope of Home Schooling” by Christopher Klicka
• “The Christian Home School” by Gregg Harris
• “Starting a Home School” by Richard Fugate
• “You Can Teach Your Child Successfully” by Ruth Beechick
• “How To Tutor” by Samuel Blumenfeld

Other sources of information include the public library, local support group's lending library, and homeschooling friends. Read and discuss with other home educators their various teaching and learning styles and approaches. Many books are available at greatly discounted prices at the NCHEA's annual Conference and Curriculum Fair (C&CF) or from advertisers in the “shopping bag” provided at the C&CF.

2. Determine and document your personal convictions and/or reasons for homeschooling.
By writing out your convictions for homeschooling, you will be able to refer to them when you have rough days and you will be able to discuss them. Make your reasons “positive”, that is, why homeschooling is the “best” choice for you and your child rather than “negative”, e.g. there isn't the physical danger in attending government schools.
What God has called you to do, He will equip you to do (See Phil.4:13).

3. Develop “goals” and a “plan” for the school year.
Determine what subjects you must teach, i.e. to comply with the homeschool laws, and what subjects you want to teach. Do your plans include the spiritual, academic, physical and social development of your child? (See Luke 2:52). Remember — You don't have to do everything the veteran homeschooler is doing or have your child involved in all the activities. Determine what funds you have available for curriculum/materials. You can add or expand your resources as you gain experience.

4. Pray for godly wisdom in all your decisions.
Adjust your curriculum, etc. to the learning style(s) of your child(ren). If your child has been in government schools, you may have to adjust the grade level of the curriculum and/or cover a subject matter that was not covered in the government school. You may want to use a lower grade level of curriculum until the child is at the grade level of the homeschool curriculum or review phonics, fractions, parts of speech, etc.

5. Join the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
HSLDA's annual membership fee is $115 unless you are a member of NCHEA. NCHEA members are eligible for a $20 discount, resulting in a HSLDA membership fee of $95. Families applying for HSLDA membership must indicate on HSLDA's membership application form that they are members of the NCHEA Group Discount Program (Code #293207). HSLDA provides experienced legal counsel and representation by qualified attorneys to every member family who is legally challenged in the area of homeschooling. All attorney's fees and costs are paid in full directly by HSLDA.The NCHEA strongly recommends homeschooling families join HSLDA. Peace of mind is worth the membership. Your membership helps HSLDA in defending parental rights in cases that could impact your parental and home education rights.

6. Join the Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association (NCHEA)
NCHEA membership is $24 annually. Membership benefits include:

• “NCHEA News”, the NCHEA's newsletter
• $20 discount on HSLDA's annual membership fee
• Legislative updates and emergency legislative action alerts on issues impacting parental rights and the right to homeschool
• Discounted admission to the NCHEA's C&CF.

7. Join a local homeschool support group.
The local support is important as a source of encouragement and fellowship. Contact the NCHEA to locate a group near you. Families with “special needs” children are encouraged to contact NATHHAN (Nationally Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network) and may want to obtain “Strategies for Struggling Learners” by Joe P. Sutton, Ph.D. and Connie J. Sutton, M.A. Ed., and “Home Schooling Children with Special Needs” by Sharon Hensley.

8. Know the Law.
Obtain a Synopsis of Nebraska Education Statutes Applicable to Home Education (Sections 79-201, 79-211, 79-217, 79-1601) from the NCHEA C&CF's workshop on starting homeschooling. Nebraska law recognizes homeschooling for two reasons, when attendance at an approved and accredited school would:

1. Violate sincerely held religious beliefs of parents or legal guardians or
2. Interfere with the decisions of the parents or legal guardians in directing their child's education.

Request/print a copy of Rule 13 (homeschooling for religious reasons) or Rule 12 (homeschooling for other than religious reasons), the regulations that implement the statutes described above, from the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE). The NDE will send you forms that can facilitate your notification to the NDE of your intent to homeschool or you can obtain them by following the link to the NDE web site at the Forms page on this web site. Please note the information about testing and home visits set forth in the Synopsis, on the Laws page on this web site. The reference to health, fire, and safety standards is generally applicable to “multi-family schools” and not to single-family homeschools.

9. Notify the Nebraska Department of Education of your intent to homeschool by completing and submitting the Rule 13 or Rule 12 forms 30 days prior to when the exempt school begins (for first year filers) or by no later than July 15, 2010 for families seeking to renew their exemption for the 2010/11 school year (refer to Rule 12 or Rule 13, Section 003.02A). You are not requesting permission to homeschool. It is recommended that you keep a copy of the completed forms for your records and that you send them by certified mail with a return receipt. The NDE will respond by letter acknowledging receipt of your notification not to meet the accreditation regulations for your homeschooled student.

10. Annual testing is at the discretion of the parents; however, it often provides a means of determining your child's strengths and weaknesses, progress and curriculum.


©2008 Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association (NCHEA) PO Box 57041, Lincoln, NE 68505-7041 nchea [at] alltel [dot] net www.nchea.org, 10/04