Homeschooling is on the Rise: Georgia Conference Equips Families as School Choice Champions

Two-day parent-focused event to foster home education, community, and advocacy

DECATUR, Ga., Jan. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Homeschooling is exploding in popularity across the country, and one event during National School Choice Week aims to help more families find, and thrive, in this education option.

The 3rd annual Flourish Family Homeschool Conference held on January 29 -31, 2025, at the New Life Community Center in Decatur, Georgia aims to launch families into the Parent as Educator movement.  The conference equips families with the tools and resources they need to succeed in home education. The conference features three tailored audience tracks (Parent-as-Educator, Educational Entrepreneurs, and Teen Programming) that strengthen the community of school choice advocates. Sponsored by School Choice Week, VELA Education Fund, and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), this event prioritizes fixed-budget, Black, Brown, neurodiverse, single-parent, grandparents as guardians, and rural families, providing them with a critical on-ramp to homeschooling.

Supporting Homeschool Growth Through Policy and Innovation

The newly established Georgia Promise Scholarship, an education savings account (ESA) program, offers a $6,500 voucher for tuition, homeschool expenses, tutoring services, physician/ therapy services, curriculum, and more. Additionally, ESAs have spurred educational innovation by fostering models like homeschool cooperatives— parent sharing resources and teaching responsibilities in the community, and micro-schools—a hybrid approach of homeschooling and traditional schools with small class sizes and personalized instruction. Homeschool cooperatives and micro-schools, similar to the Rosenwald School Project, uniquely benefit Black children by offering individualized curricula that cater to diverse learning styles, create culturally responsive environments, and promote holistic development.

Throughout this homeschool conference, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in sessions such as Cultural Restoration: Integrating Heritage and Healing in Homeschooling", a panel discussion with Amber O'Neal Johnston (The Heritage Mom), Anita Gibson (National Homeschool Advocacy), and Dr. Cheryl Fields-Smith (UGA professor and homeschool researcher). The session explores how parents can blend education with heritage and healing. Exclusive features include a Black Homeschooling Fathers panel, Homeschooling Through High School even to the IVY League, and a panel discussion of successful homeschool graduates, including an author, a chef, and a Marine. This session provides inspiration and practical insights into life after homeschooling. Additional sessions include practical guidance on crafting a Student Education Plan from an Individualized Education Plan (IEPs) for children with special needs and discussions on mental health and emotional well-being for homeschooling parents.

A Mission to Empower and Equip Families

"This conference is more than an event—it's a space where families can come together to exchange ideas, gain practical tools, and find inspiration for their homeschooling journey," said Nicole Doyle, sponsor chair of Georgia Black Home Educators.

Nicole P. Doyle, co-founder of GBHEN, added: "The disparities in education are too great for families to ignore. We're excited to empower, equip, encourage, and energize parents to discover the beauty of home education. A family-centric educational approach lowers illiteracy rates, reduces cycles of poverty, decreases crime, and improves mental health."

A Celebration of School Choice

The Flourish Family Homeschool Conference is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week, an annual celebration of K-12 learning options which will include over 800 events and activities in Georgia. This event offers complimentary meals, giveaways, and abundant networking opportunities. Families will also gain access to a wealth of resources including 150 -200 FREE laptops to be distributed in partnership with Compudopt, a nonprofit focused on bridging the technology equity gap for underserved and under-resourced communities. The Flourish Conference is positioned to empower homeschool parents as school choice advocates.

The New Life Community Center is located at 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur, Georgia. Tickets and more information are available at flourishhomeschoolevents.org.

The National School Choice Awareness Foundation (NSCAF) raises broad and positive awareness of school choice through two charitable programs: organizing National School Choice Week each January and the research, development, and promotion of comprehensive and unbiased school navigation resources for parents via School Choice Week, Navigate School Choice, and Conoce tus Opciones Escolares. NSCAF does not advocate for or oppose legislation at any level of government and is steadfastly nonpartisan and nonpolitical.

SOURCE National School Choice Week