The History of HomeschoolNYC
by Laurie Block Spigel, January 2025
When I started homeschooling in the mid 1990s, there was no Google search, most people didn’t have a home computer, and no one I knew had a cell phone. It was hard to find homeschool support! Even the massive NYC public library system failed to help me, since there was nothing listed under H for homeschooling in any local directory. At that time there was only one homeschool support group in NYC, NYCHEA (New York City Home Educators Alliance). I had no clue that homeschool support would be listed under N!
Back then, NYCHEA members had one weekly activity for kids, soccer in Central Park, and one monthly gathering for families. By the time I started homeschooling my second child, five years later, the number of activities for homeschoolers had multiplied. Soon there were over a dozen weekly sports activities happening in four of the five boroughs, as well as a growing number of classes taught by parents, local artists and professors. Homeschooling parents founded Different Directions, a Manhattan homeschool learning center offering arts and academics for preK-high school. Other homeschool learning centers would open in the next decade. It was a thrill to watch the homeschooling community grow so fast! But in the beginning, I struggled.
At first, I felt completely alone. I was broke, with no money to spare, and no friends or family that offered support. I wondered, was NYC the wrong place to homeschool? In the big city everything is costly and there’s so little space. Why wasn’t I in a rural environment with a big backyard? Within days I realized how foolish I was, as I discovered the astounding variety of free and cheap educational activities in NYC. I realized there was probably no better place to be for a homeschooler than NYC! I made a list of a few hundred free activities, along with some free resources, to share with fellow homeschoolers. When I finally created the HomeschoolNYC website in 2005, I had vast amounts of information ready to go online.
Homeschoolers know that no one does this alone. When I finally connected with NYCHEA, a mom took time out of her hectic day to help me, and many more helped me on the homeschooling journey. Here, I do the same, lending a helping hand, passing forward the help I once received. I hope that you find information here that will improve your homeschooling life!
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