Homeschool group/microschool
Hello BPN families,
I am getting disillusioned with my son's school and am looking into other options for him. I love the idea of homeschooling but the logistics of me being the main person educating my son is more than I can bite off right now.
Are there any homeschool groups in the area that have a teacher/guide who works with a group of kids regularly or a micro-school of sorts? Looking for something in the El Cerrito, Berkeley area or close by.
If not I'd love to connect with other families that might be interested in starting something like this.
Thanks!
Feb 26, 2024
Parent Replies
Hi there. Trackers in Berkeley has a microschool/homeschooler programs. Also, there's a sweet little microschool on San Pablo Av in Albany called In Addition Center. Lot's of people homeschool now, so I'm sure you'll get more recommendations. Good luck!
If you are in BUSD, they have an assisted homeschool program (Berkeley Independent Study - BIS) that is open to anyone in the district who would like to go that route. My son did BIS for a year in 6th grade, and he learned and grew so much during that year. Kamala Asher is the K-8 coordinator as well as one of the lead teachers, and she's amazing. You can do as much - or as little - lesson planning as you like. There are many pre-made resources and lesson plans to draw on, or you can design your own plan - it's very flexible. Students meet with their teacher once a week along with their "home teacher" (that's you!) and there are other opportunities to interact with BIS families as well (art, book clubs, garden class, etc.) The garden program in particular is incredible. Overall, if you are in the district and thinking about homeschooling, I'd definitely check out BIS. Links are:
Kamala Asher: kamalaasher [at] berkeley.net
https://www.berkeleyschools.net/schools/independent-study/
https://www.berkeleyindependentstudy.com/garden
There are facebook groups with homeschool groups in the area such as SF bay area homeschool network and east bay area homeschoolers.
If your son enjoys music/singing, I would highly recommend looking into the Pacific Boychoir Academy in Oakland, right off Piedmont Ave. They are a micro-school in terms of size with individualized learning for 3rd-8th graders. They also have a program for homeschoolers who participate in the music portion only and attend for half the day. There are also former homeschoolers who are now in the day school and my impression from speaking with other parents is that the transition went very well for their boys. We actually pulled my son from his school mid-year due to bullying and he's excelled in the small environment at PBA. We've been very pleased with how the school is able to cultivate a culture of kindness among the boys. I think much of this has to do with the small size and teacher/student ratio, in addition to the top notch instruction which includes a lot of social/emotional support. They are relatively affordable as private school options go and have pretty generous scholarship opportunities. Happy to answer any questions if you are interested in hearing more about the school.