You may be wondering, “What is the next step?”
The very first step after your enrollment is complete is to activate your ideafamilies email account. We send important information to this account on a regular basis, so be sure to check it often! (Note: Some of the links below are in the password-protected section of our website. You will be able to access these pages using the same username and password that you use for your ideafamilies email.)
Important Steps
Plan to attend a General Orientation meeting after you enroll. (These are usually scheduled in the summer.) Parents of high school students get two Orientations – one for general IDEA information and another that is specific to high school. Watch your ideafamilies email account and check upcoming events for Orientation dates or email your field rep if you need help getting that information. If you live far from an office, your field rep is available to conference with you.
If you are near an IDEA Office, you may want to explore the Resource Room and Library, where you will find curriculum to examine, books, kits, DVDs and more to borrow, and catalogs to peruse. You may also want to check out our Online Library and Online Subscriptions!
Here are a few of the other things that you may experience in your early days with IDEA.
- Listservs – These are group emails sent to IDEA families. Each region has two: one for “IDEA News” and one for general information regarding available opportunities and/or for communication between IDEA parents. You will start receiving these emails soon after your email address is set up.
- Workshops, activities, clubs – Opportunities for your children to gather with other IDEA students (sponsored by IDEA staff or parent volunteers) vary by office/region. Each office provides workshops for parents and/or children. Activities that may be available for IDEA students include Battle of the Books, Academic Decathlon, Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, Art in the Capitol, and Poetry Out Loud. Clubs are usually led by parent volunteers, and may include Chess Club, FFA, 4-H, Geocaching, Book Clubs, and more.
- Technology – You will want to consider your equipment options so that you can make the best decision for your family’s needs. Some of the options include desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and printers.
- Contact Teacher – You will be assigned a contact teacher at some point during the summer. Your contact teacher is your cheerleader and your advocate. Most of our contact teachers have homeschooled themselves, and all have experience working with homeschooling families. Our staff work together as a team, so when your contact teacher is not available, there is always someone else who can step in to help!
Thank you for choosing IDEA!
IDEA offers a community of homeschoolers and supporters of homeschoolers. The journey of homeschooling is an adventure of learning and growing for both parents and children. It is extremely rewarding but you may experience some challenges along the way. As you peruse more of our website (especially the “family” section), we expect that you will find more answers to many of your questions. We welcome your feedback and questions and are eager to hear if there is any way that we can help to improve your homeschooling experience! Call or email if you have questions. At IDEA, we’re pleased and proud to be a part of your homeschooling journey!
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