Iowa Homeschooling

More and more parents in Iowa are joining the millions of homeschooling families in the United States who have chosen to provide a home education for their children. Here you'll find everything you need to successfully home educate your children at home, including information on homeschooling methods, support groups, local and state events, online resources, and much, much more.

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Privacy Form for Non-Enrolled Student
These option forms are recommended to protect your family's privacy. They inform school officials that you want protections afforded by federal and state laws. The form for non-enrolled students notifies school officials of that information about your child -- including directory information -- is confidential information protected by Iowa Code. Failure to have one of these forms on file with the district and the AEA (where your CPI forms are filed) can leave your child's information ope...
Private Instruction (Home Schooling)
Private Instruction is instruction using a plan and a course of study in a setting other than a public or organized accredited nonpublic school. It includes competent private instruction (CPI) by a licensed practitioner or a nonlicensed person, independent private instruction (IPI), home school assistance programs (HSAP), and non-accredited nonpublic schools.
Private Instruction Handbook: Home Schooling or Enrollment in a Non-Accredited "School"
This Department of Education publication is published annually to provide information for parents and school district officials on private instruction, including Competent Private Instruction (CPI) and Independent Private Instruction (IPI).
LEARN Home Education Network
An all-inclusive, secular, home education support network based in the metro Kansas City area, L.E.A.R.N., was born in 1994 when a handful of families gathered to share friendship, activities and homeschooling resources. Currently L.E.A.R.N. supports 200 families with a wide variety of ideologies regarding home education. These families reside in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, and belong to L.E.A.R.N. as part of their home education support network.
Contract for Home School Portfolio Evaluation
This optional contract is provided to help define and delineate the rights and responsibilities of both parties in a homeschool portfolio evaluation arrangement: the parents and the teacher. Produce with assistance by HSLDA.
The Iowa Civics Project
Public Interest Institute believes that Iowa youth need a course in the rights and duties of citizens, and hopes that the Iowa Civics Project will contribute to the development of civic pride and responsibility in our youth. In 1996, Public Interest Institute developed and started distributing free copies of their THE IOWA CIVICS PROJECT, a twelve-unit curriculum on Iowa state and local government, to government teachers across the state -- including homeschooling parents. Goals: The students w...
Homeschooling in Iowa: Know the Law and Rules
Homeschooling laws vary widely from state to state. The Iowa law and rules may seem quite complicated at first, but NICHE has created a number of resources and forms to help home educators find their way through the maze of regulations. Here, you will find a brief overview of the legal requirements and options in Iowa.
Blank Park Zoo Home School Programs
The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines offers a number of home school programs, including Home School Safari, Zookeeper for a Day, and Home School Day. You can also schedule your own home school class.
Des Moines Art Center
Recognized by international art critics as a world-class museum in the heart of the Midwest, the Des Moines Art Center has amassed an important collection with a major emphasis on contemporary art. The collection’s overriding principle is a representation of artists of the 19th and 20th century, each through a seminal work. The collection is housed in three major buildings; each designed by a world-renowned architect – Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. Admission is free.
Establish Your Goals
Take the time to think and pray about what you want to accomplish as you begin to homeschool your children. What type of goals should you set? What are the goal-writing basics? Setting goals now will help you as you select curriculum and chart your homeschooling success.
299A.3 Private instruction by nonlicensed person.
A parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age providing competent private instruction to the child shall meet all of the following requirements: 1. Complete and send, in a timely manner, the report required under section 299.4 to the school district of residence of the child. 2. Ensure that the child under the parent's, guardian's, or legal custodian's instruction is evaluated annually to determine whether the child is making adequate progress, as defin...
281—31.2 Reports as to competent private instruction.
31.2(1) Reporting. The parent, guardian, or legal or actual custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age who does not enroll the child in a public school or Iowa accredited nonpublic school shall complete a report in duplicate on forms created by the department of education and provided by the resident public school district, indicating the parent, guardian, or custodian’s intent to provide or arrange for competent private instruction for the child for each school year. The report shall be...
Iowa City Homeschoolers
Support and information to get started and connect with other Iowa City area homeschoolers.
Study Your Child
As you contemplate homeschooling, you will need to consider your child as a learner. This includes determining what grade level your child is in, what your child's learning style is and how to best combine this understanding with selecting curriculum and a method of home education.
Iowahomeschool
This is a mailing list for people who home school or are thinking of homeschooling in Iowa, kids and parents alike. Here you can exchange ideas, support each other, and share resources and information.
Featured Resources

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Children at Play : Using Waldorf Principles to Foster Childhood Development
Children at Play is an insightful exploration into the world of children's play and its tremendous significance in the shaping of each child's humanity. A mother and proponent of Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf system of education, author Heidi Britz-Crecel...
Christian Unschooling : Growing Your Children in the Freedom of Christ
Is unschooling incompatible with Christianity? Elissa Wahl and Teri Brown argue that they are not incompatible, but complementary. Unschooling offers a different path to learning. This book explains what unschooling is (and isn't) and offers support ...
Sing, Spell, Read & Write
Sing, Spell, Read & Write is a phonics-based program that uses a 36-step program of carefully sequenced steps to teach reading, writing, and spelling. More product information can be found
Waldorf Education: A Family Guide
Waldorf Education finds itself catapulted from its humble beginnings 80 years ago into the midst of the central educational and social issues of this decade.What draws parents and educators toward Waldorf Education today? "Waldorf Education - A Famil...
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner
Dr. Linda Silverman coined the term "visual-spatial learner" to describe the special and unique gifts of people who learn best through seeing and with images. This guide is a great resource as you support your homeschooling visual learner in discover...