Here we will attempt to address initial steps needed in order for you to start your homeschool.

1. Get plugged into a support group. First Agape holds monthly meetings every 2nd Tuesday of the month from September to May. The meetings are held at First Assembly of God in Auburn, NH. For directions go to www.manchesterassembly.org . First Assembly of God is also where we meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for co-op classes. Click on the "Class Schedule" link to view the class schedule and on the  "Class Discriptions" link for upcoming classes for the school year. There is no formal membership process and you do not need to be a member of First Assembly to be a part of First Agape. Just a homeschool family looking for some great resources and opportunities.

2. You'll want to begin choosing your curriculum. There are a couple different avenues to take. Some homeschool parents prefer the "package deal". For example, Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They offer different curriculum packages for one price. The packages include all subjects and take the "guess work" out of choosing subjects. You can check them out at http://www.homeschools.org/index.html. Some homeschool parents prefer the Math course from Abeka and the Science course from Bob Jones. It's best to talk with as many people as you can who have been homeschooling and glean from their experience.

3. You will need to send a "Letter of Intent" to a participatory agency informing them that you will be homeschooling for the coming school year. In this letter you will need to include [a] the name, birth date, and complete address of each child participating in a home education program (from age 6 to 16, as of September 30); [b] the name(s), telephone number(s), and complete address of parent(s)/guardian(s). To protect your privacy, you may also want to add "All information provided herein is considered privileged and confidential. Any further disclosure of this information requires written parental consent prior to such disclosure." It is encouraged to send in the letter of notification to arrive on or before the start date of your local school district to be within compulsory attendance regulations. The law says that participatory agency can be your local superintendents office, the state dept. of Ed., or a private school that acts as a participatory agency. Milford Christian Academy in Milford, NH, Tri-City Christian Academy in Somersworth, NH, and Mount Zion in Bedford, NH are a few examples of a participatory agency.

4. You will want to view the latest laws on what your state requires for homeschooled children. If you live in New Hampshire you can go to http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/curriculum/HomeEducation.htm click on "Technical Advisories", click on "Subject: HB 406 Home Education: notification of change in the procedure for establishing a Home Education Program (information provided by Chris Hamilton, Beaver Lodge Homeschool).
 
5.  For more information and helpful links check out our Welcome Packet by clicking on this link:  http://www.firstagape.org/node/178 .