Having recently spent a weekend at a large homeschool convention, and trying to discern if attendance was up, down or stable, I decided to do a bit of surfing to see what the Web had to say about the effect of the economy on homeschooling today.
I came across an interesting article titled "Number of homeschoolers continues to rise despite the economy". According to the author's research, homeschooling continues to grow at the rate of about 8% per year. Yet another article discusses how the high price of private schooling is forcing some to turn to homeschooling when they can no longer afford tuition.
While I am not an expert on economic or social trends, I am certain that the change in our economy will affect homeschooling as much as it does anything else. Creeping closer and closer to the half-century mark, my experience has been that folks spend their money on their priorities. While homeschooling may require more of a sacrifice this year than it has in the past, I do believe that parents will find creative ways to make this type of education possible if it is a priority. That is certainly *not* to say that those who choose not to homeschool do not see their childrens' education as being important.
Feel free to share your comments about how the economy will affect your homeschooling this year. Perhaps you've come up with some creative ways to make it more affordable ... or perhaps the quality and value of your curriculum materials far outweighs cost and you've chosen to cut back in other areas. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
~Judy
