New York State Loving Education at Home
New York Home School

LEAH & Homeschooling

Frequently Asked Questions

 1. What is the purpose of LEAH?
A: LEAH is a network of homeschool support groups that have Christian leadership (required per our by-laws) and exist to support and advance homeschoolers. Find out more under the About LEAH menu tab.

 2. I am not a Christian. May I join LEAH?
A . LEAH is a Christian Homeschool organization, and as such adheres to Christian principles and precepts. We ask all our group (chapter) leaders to sign the Statement of Faith. Some chapters also require each member to sign the Statement of Faith indicating agreement with it.  Other chapters do not have this requirement, or may simply ask that you understand and respect the Christian basis of LEAH.

3. What is your statement of faith?
A. Click to read the LEAH Statement of Faith

4. I do not attend a local church but I am a Christian. May I join LEAH?
A. As long as you can meet and adhere to a particular chapter's requirements, you may join a LEAH chapter. Keep in mind that leadership roles may be limited by additional requirements. All leaders are expected to be part of a local fellowship.

5. What advice would you give to a new homeschooler?
A. Information about Getting Started

6. What is in the LEAH Regulatory Manual?
A. Click on the link to get information about the LEAH Regulatory and Informational Manual.

7. How do I join LEAH?
A. Membership in LEAH is through a local chapter. These support groups typically provide opportunities to meet with experienced home educators, field trips, athletic activities, and various other events. LEAH support groups are organized in seven geographic regions covering the state.

8. How can I locate a group near me?
A. There are many groups available. Click on our Find A Chapter page to locate a chapter groups near you.  An e-mail to the Regional Representative for your area will help you get started with contact. If, for some reason, you are unable to connect through with the Regional Representative for your area, then you may also try an email to info@leah.org

9. Why is so much of your work done by email and website?
A. We are largely an organization of volunteer families that support homeschool groups and homeschool leaders. Most of us are still actively homeschooling our own children, and some have young children and/or newborns at home. All of these aspects mean that we are interested in giving support and encouragement, but phone calls often interrupt at key learning moments or family attention times. Email is a handy way to time shift the answering for you and yet be fairly timely. Thank you for understanding!

10. Do I have to join LEAH to go on trips, etc. with other LEAH members?
A. LEAH trips are generally planned for LEAH members. However, it is always at the discretion of the LEAH Chapter Leader. Insurance matters may weigh in to the decision of the chapters’ leaders – please be sensitive to this in the world in which we live.

11. Can LEAH make a donation to my church?
A . LEAH as an organization only gives to charitable organizations that encourage and endorse home education. Decisions on specific donations are made by the LEAH Board of Directors.

12. How do I start my own LEAH support group?
A. Contact your Regional Representative. It is a fairly simple process. You have to fill out a straightforward application and give your Christian testimony and homeschool experience and have an interview with the Regional Representative for your area. They are eager to help you – not create roadblocks for you.

13. What are the advantages of LEAH membership?
A . LEAH offers fellowship with other Christian homeschoolers, educational trips, learning cooperatives and general activities with other homeschoolers.  Much of the support comes in the local support group. LEAH does publish a quarterly newsletter, The Messenger, with practical and inspirational information. LEAH learning cooperatives are covered under their insurance umbrella which is an amazing benefit to offer. LEAH also is able to extend 501(c)3 benefits to chapters which opt for this (which requires a one-time fee) which enables chapters to participate in programs like “Boxtops for Education”, and receiving donations while crediting the donor with tax exemption.

14. I am home-schooling a special needs student. Can you direct me to some resources?
A. You are encouraged to join the satewide special-needs LEAH Chapter - PICC-LEAH (Parents Instructing Challenged Children).   There is a List of Special Needs Resources on this website, or you can go to PICC'S own website.  In addition, there are several national resources. First, NATHHAN is the National Challenged Homeschool Association.  In addition, the National Association of Child Development has much to offer parents as well.  HSLDA provides wide-ranging special-needs resources for the Struggling Learner.  A nationally-known homeschool convention speaker, Joyce Herzog, has a wealth of special-needs resources

15. The truancy officer, Children Abuse Services, or legal services is involved because we have not sent our child to school and now we want to home-school. Can you help us?
A . Homeschool is not a decision to be made lightly. In fact, successful homeschoolers are those who have prayerfully considered and PREPARED for their decision to homeschool. Preparation includes reading up on how to homeschool, visiting support groups and speaking with other homeschoolers. This takes time. Also please be advised LEAH will not testify for you nor represent you in any legal proceeding.

16. My husband or wife does not agree with my decision to Homeschool. Will you speak to him or her?
A. LEAH is a support group for home educating parents. We cannot convince your mate that you should or should not homeschool. You may find support for your decision to home educate in your local LEAH support group. We suggest that you carefully consider the pros and cons of this decision much as you would any major decision in life, prayerfully considering your attitudes and motivations.

17. Can you help me with my paperwork?
A. Speak with your support group leaders or read the LEAH Regulatory Manual first. Most Chapter leaders offer help with new homeschoolers or have mentor new homeschoolers. You will be best prepared if you read the Regulatory Manual first before speaking with your Chapter leader.

18. I want to speak with an experienced homeschooler. Can you help me get in touch with someone.
A . The majority of personal contacts can be made within the LEAH Chapter. Veteran home-educating parents are available, but please keep in mind LEAH is a volunteer organization run by volunteer parents. Please respect their time and do not telephone during traditional school hours or obvious family times or late night. Please email Chapter leaders. They will direct you to services and support within the group.

19. Can you home educate my child for me?
A. LEAH is a support group which assists parents who are home schooling their own children. To find someone to homeschool your children, ask at local private schools, your church, or research at-home-learning schools. It is possible to delegate part of your academic teaching load to another party, but you would still be responsible for submitting the paperwork of updates to your local school district.

20. Can you recommend a curriculum?
A . Your curriculum choices are based on your educational philosophy and personality. As such, it is a personal decision based on your preferences and teaching styles. LEAH does not particularly endorse one product over the other. Many new homeschoolers find security in a well established curriculum. Other new homeschoolers find that they prefer their own customized approach. A good discussion on how to approach this decsion can be found at Getting Started with Homeschooling.  You will also find help by speaking with other homeschoolers, your support group leader, online research, and attending our conventions. An advantage of homeschooling, unlike school settings, is that you can decide “on a dime” to scrap a curriculum that isn’t working and begin with another.

21. Can you tell me about your Conventions?
A. LEAH holds two conventions. The Upstate Conference is our major convention. It includes many vendors, speakers, and workshop leaders. It is generally the first week in June. Be sure to check on our graduates’ commencement ceremony at the convention.  This has grown to feature more than 100 homeschool graduates each year.

LEAH also holds a somewhat smaller Long Island Convention targeted at New York City & Long Island, usually scheduled for the first part of May.  LEAH desires to reach the city and the island with the benefits of homeschooling with a more accessible convention for our downstate brethren.

22. Can you test my child before I start homeschooling so I know what curriculum to choose?
A. Advice on where to obtain testing services and support can generally be found in your local support group. BJU Testing is also a good source of information. There are tests available so that you can administer tests to your own children. Some Christian schools offer testing services to homeschoolers, particularly during their holiday or seasonal breaks. You do not need a standardized test to begin homeschooling your child. You may desire something not quite as comprehensive, like a screening or a checklist. Such screening is found on many curriculum websites.  See our Getting Started page

23. Can you give me information on testing?
A . Testing and most NYS information is found in the LEAH Regulatory Manual. You can order through this site, or purchase one from your local chapter.

24. My child is very advanced. Should I report them their accelerated grade to the district or their chronological grade?
A. No matter how accelerated your child is, once you begin reporting your school district is going to go by your records. If you advance them several grades you are often giving yourself more paperwork.  Please keep in mind that many parents with accelerated children do academic work far beyond their grade yet keep their paperwork simple by keeping them in their chronological grade. 

25. My three year old is reading. Should I begin reporting his progress to my school district? When should I stop reporting?
A. You begin reporting when the child is compulsory school age which is
"a minor who becomes six years of age on or before the first of December in any school year...until the last day of session in the school year in which the minor becomes sixteen years of age" or completes high school. It does not matter how advanced your child is when he or she first turns the age of six.

Effective July 2005 every school district may require students to report until age seventeen. This will be a matter for each local board of education to decide.

26. I want to advertise my product or service to the Homeschool community. What can I do?
A. Currently the main channels are to advertise in the LEAH Messenger or at our Conventions (both Upstate and Long Island) through advertsing in the programs or in the give-away bags that are provided to attendees.

27. I am a member of the media, student or company and would like to interview homeschoolers for an article, news piece or promotional segment?
A. Contact the LEAH President or the LEAH Vice-President.  Due to the nature of our organization – volunteer parents who generally have full-time outside jobs and moms who use answering machines to keep school time going – we encourage you to allow several days of lead-time and avoid calling right at your deadline. Thank you.

28. I want to homeschool my child in science but they attend the local high school. What can I do to get the science work she does at home documented so the school district accepts it?
A. Currently, NYS does not have dual enrollment. If your child is enrolled in high school they fall under the auspices of your local school district. LEAH is a support group for parents who are educating their children at home fulltime.

29. I recently moved to New York State and do not know what my school district is or even to whom I should report?
A . If you are in New York City dial “311”. It is an information line for all NYC Services. They will give you the name and address and telephone number of the Regional Office. The NYC Department of Education is governed by Regions.

If you are in Long Island or the rest of NYS ask your neighbor or realtor. Most school districts are generally reflected on your school tax statement. You can also ask a neighbor or the realtor.

30. I’m moving to the area and want to move into a homeschool-friendly school district. Can you advise me?
A. This is a very subjective question. Contact the Regional Representative for your area and they may be able to put you in contact with a Chapter that has members in that local area.  Those chapter members may be able to share what their experience is and/or that of their members. Remember, the question is relative and you are bound to get many different responses. As time goes by and the school district personnel changes, the answer to this question will change also. LEAH strives to maintain a positive educating relationship with the State Education Department and the local districts so that we can keep them apprised of the homeschool requirements. It is true that we generally find our membership is much more aware of the homeschool requirements than the districts – especially in areas that do not have a lot of homeschoolers.

31. Do homeschoolers get diplomas? or Can homeschool graduates have a normal life?
A. Homeschool students do not get public/government high school diplomas because they are not public high school students.  The NY State Education Department has information regarding the specific options that homeschoolers have to validate their homeschool equivalency in order to attend college in New York.  Know that homeschoolers have been graduating for decades and they do well in their adult life – in college, in business, at home. Check research done by Dr. Brian Ray at the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI).  HSLDA has a collection of many articles and research that document the success of our students in life.

32. My son just dropped out of school can I Homeschool him or is it too late?
A . It is never too late to homeschool, however, please see the above.

33. Can you Homeschool me. I hate my high school?
A. Only parents, their designees or legal guardians may home educate you. If you are a motivated learner, perhaps you may visit some teen websites on the web and research home education and make your case to your parents. See if you might know others in your church or community. Sometimes retired Christian teachers might be willing to assist you. LEAH primarily supports homeschooling parents.

34. Can you tell me the basics of homeschooling in New York   State ?
A. The Home School Legal Defense Association has this summary.

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