Part-Time School and Other Options That Don't Exist

A few years ago, both kids attended the school where I worked. We spent Monday through Friday in the same building, 7:30 to 5:00, throughout the school year. That’s 2/3 of a young child’s waking hours. We would come home and have our respective meltdowns, too tired and cranky for quality family time in the evenings.

Many of us are stuck on an exhausting treadmill driven by school and/or work. What is the balance of activity and rest that your family actually needs? What would it take to make that happen?

The options can feel very extreme: commit to full-time school with its rigid 180-day schedule or start from scratch by homeschooling on your own. Many people assume that homeschooling requires giving up a full-time income as well.

Think of homeschooling as the legal status that allows you to opt out of full-time school and reimagine a schedule for your family. Don’t think that it means going it alone. Part-time options have been quietly growing around the country:

• A number of public school districts never went back to a 5-day week after COVID. This gives me hope that even large institutions can rethink some basic assumptions about how they operate.

• New schools are opening that offer part-time and hybrid options (including ours!)

• There are schools that support full-time students doing something out of school 1 day a week. It is possible for classroom teachers, administrators, and families to work together. I’ve also heard of 504 plans being used to officially support a more flexible schedule for a child.

• Some full-time schools allow homeschool students to take classes a la carte or enroll for certain days of the week.

• Libraries, museums, and nonprofit organizations may offer weekly programs for homeschoolers

• Part-time is not just for children. A number of companies have been moving to 4-day work weeks and flexible/remote schedules, and we have new tools for freelancing and the gig economy. Our school and work schedules have to evolve together.

If your area doesn’t have options that support the schedule you’re trying to create, you can start something!

• Talk to your local librarian or museum about starting a weekly homeschool program. These institutions usually have full-time staff who would be thrilled to have more visitors on weekdays. Families in our area have also worked with the local gymnastics center, woodshop, etc. Many are willing to try something new if you can guarantee that a few people will show up.

• Connect with other homeschool families to start a coop where families take turns offering something. Or begin with weekly playdates at the park and grow from there. Most homeschoolers are looking for community.

• Think about how your extended village can be a part of this schedule. Do grandparents want to Zoom in for one hour a week? Friends with weekday availability?

• Build a relationship with a farm, food pantry, animal shelter, preschool, etc. that needs volunteers on a regular basis.

• If your child responds to online learning, Outschool and other companies offer a huge number of activities at all times of day.

• If you want to create something more formal and school-ish, and you want a framework to start with, organizations like Acton Academy, Prenda, Wildflower Montessori, and Agile Learning Centers can get you started in variety of different educational philosophies.

Homeschooling has given us the flexibility to try different schedules and really figure out what we need, individually and collectively. May we all find what we need and create what we don’t have.