Develop an assessment tool to use when you first meet with a family who is considering homeschooling their children. It should be a form like the information form that you fill out at a doctor's office. Provide space to write the names and ages of all of the children as well as their grades. Put an area in which you can make notes about any special needs, educational problems or concerns, and the reasons that the family wants to homeschool. Include space to write notes about the family's values, schedule and available budget for homeschooling. Leave room on your form for information about the house and where the family plans to deliver the homeschool instruction. Whenever you consult with a new client family, this form can guide the initial conversation. It should be placed into a file that you keep in your office.
Use the information you collect to prepare a report that provides options for how the family can move forward toward the goal of homeschooling. In the report you should detail the services that you can be expected to provide. Your initial interview and report are like a professional assessment and you should set a regular charge for the service based on the amount of detail that your report will include.
Create a referral network of other professionals in your area who work with homeschoolers. The network should include developmental optometrists who do vision therapy to address learning-related visual problems, occupational therapists, educational psychologists in private practice and tutors. It should also include homeschool support groups, online resources for homeschoolers, and lawyers who specialize in the legal issues related to homeschooling. Finally, you should know which museums and nonprofit organizations in your area have special programs for homeschoolers.
Buy curricula from the major publishers who serve the homeschooling community like Saxon, New Horizons, A Beka Books and Bob Jones University Press. Get on the mailing list of as many text book publishers as possible. When you consult with a family who is thinking about homeschooling, but does not know where to begin, it is very helpful to produce an assortment of options. Show the family how to access distance learning programs, such as the one offered for high school students by the University of Missouri. Show them samples of programs like Calvert that provide transcripts and provide educational oversight for homeschooled students. Let them see the full spectrum of approaches to homeschooling, from unschooling to enrolling in a satellite school. Then be prepared to advise the individual family about which option may fit their needs the best.
Prepare a list of your state's homeschool legal requirements. Create or direct your client families to resources for keeping attendance, lesson plans and samples of student work. The online homeschool community at Home School, Inc., has links to information about each state's homeschooling laws. It also provides a free, password-protected online homeschool record keeping format for homeschoolers, as well as a large selection of curricula for sale at discount prices.