Why I changed my mind about Homeschooling....

Hey ya'll!  Soooooo, remember HERE when I said I was gonna homeschool??

Just Kidding!

Actually, I still feel strongly about my original reasons for wanting to homeschool HERE.  The hours in school are just plain ridiculous and I know there is a better way to obtain an education!
No, they are not going to Public School.  No, they are not going to a charter school. 
So, what are we doing???

You may remember HERE how I mentioned a private school called The Glenn J. Kimber Academy.
I loved the vision of The Kimber Academy because it was created by homeschoolers!  At first, it was hard to seriously consider because it was expensive, but recently it was approved by the State to recieve tax credit donations for tuition! Basically I could get the $3,200 yearly tuition completely paid for! (I'll explain how below)  I went to a couple meetings, then I got REALLY excited.  Here's what I liked the most!

• Low Hours - Only 12 hours a week in school.  Yes, it covers ALL their curriculum.  In fact, most of their students graduate early and obtain top SAT scores.   This is the MOST important thing to me.  The hours they attended public school were ridiculous and left little time for creative play, family time, service, chores & extra curricular activities. I am so amazed at how it has become "normal" to send our kids to school so long.  
• School doesn't start until Sept. 4th - We actually get 3 months of summer!  YAY!
• No Homework -  (Taken from the Kimber Academy website) -- "At Kimber Academy, teachers do not assign homework.  Although there is work done at home which is mainly driven by the students inspiration and desire to learn more about the subjects discussed that day in school.  We believe that homework permits teachers to invade the sacred space of home, where all activities should be under the specific direction and inspiration of the parents."
• Sibling Unity - (Taken from the Kimber Academy website) -- "Because students are not separated into grades, siblings are often in the same class.  It's amazing how and what they learn at school frequently becomes the subject of conversation at home-if they were in completely different classes, this common ground would not be there to strengthen sibling bonds."
• Parents are the Employers-  This was extremely important to me because I felt like MY CONCERNS were overlooked in our public school because I wasn't the expert on education.  At the Kimber Academy, the teachers and staff are seen as "employees" of the parents, and therefore carry out the desires and expectations by meeting once a month to discuss goals and progress.
• Children have a voice - In public school, I felt that my children were taught that "they couldn't be trusted" and their ideas and input don't matter.   At Kimber Academy, children are encouraged to think, to share their ideas and input on how they want to learn!  This is extremely important because it empowers our children to become leaders.
• Learning about God in school (& the reason it is a Private School) - I love that each day starts out with a devotional.  What a great way to set the tone & Spirit of the day.  Some parents believe we need to put our children in "regular" school so they can be a "light unto the world" and an example to friends not of our faith.  I understand that, but I don't see how our children can "be a light unto the world"  if they haven't been given time to build their personal testimonies FIRST.  It's very hard to NOT be a follower and I believe training my children to become leaders NOW, will help them throughout the rest of their lives.
• Emphasis on Country -  (Taken from the Kimber Academy Website)  "At Kimber Academy, several hours of study are spent on American history. We believe that today’s youth have a special role in fulfilling America’s destiny. Through these studies, students will develop an appreciation and love for America’s heritage and its Constitutional foundation. As a result, they will be better equipped to lead our country, helping to promote and restore God’s principles of freedom."
• Extra-Curricular Activities Galore! - The Kimber Academy has a huge variety of extra-curricular activites like All forms of Dancing, Gymnastics, Spanish, Art, Band, Music, Symphony, Drama/Theater, Vocal Coaching, Sign Language, Creative Writing, Martial Arts, Sewing, Journalism, Quilting, Cooking, Science, Comedy/Improv and more!  This is great, it makes it easier to add an elective at the end of the short school day so as parents, we don't have to drive our kids around to various activities!  

Sound great, huh?  Now, how to pay for it??

The Glenn J. Kimber Academy is now approved for the Private School Tax Tuition Credit.

What does that mean?

The Education Tax Credit allows taxpayers to decide where their money is spent.

Well, you've probably heard of the Public School Education Tax Credit.  It's where donations can me made directly to the school and then it will be refunded when filing taxes.  The Private Credit is similar.
The Private School Tax Credit is where friends & family can donate either $503 SINGLE or $1006 JOINT to your child's tuition and when they file their STATE taxes, that amount is subtracted from their tax liability and refunded back to them.

It's a little confusing because although it IS REFUNDABLE, it is applied BEFORE your withholding's are applied, so you basically get all your withholding's back dollar for dollar in what you paid for the TUITION CREDIT.

Still confused??  Here's a sample tax form courtesy of The Kimber Academy.  It will show you how the Private School Education Tax Credit is applied to your tax liability and your withholding's refunded.

See?  Easy Peasy!

I know it's sometimes hard to ask for friends and family to upfront money for your child's tuition.

BUT, there's a great benefit only available to Private School donors.

• They can donate when they file their taxes and BACKFILE it for the PREVIOUS year.  This way, they can see it applied, right then and there!  Awesome, huh?  This way, it becomes SUPER easy for friends and family to donate.  
• For the year 2012, those filing as SINGLE can donate an additional $503 and MARRIED can donate an additional $1006 if they want.
• Businesses can donate as MUCH AS THEY WANT.  There's no limit.  

The State of Arizona allows 20 million every year to go towards the Education Tax Credit refunds and only about 12 million gets used every year, so man, people!  We need to use this opportunity to decide where our tax money is spent!  

You can tell I'm pretty excited about all of this.  I feel like this is EXACTLY what I was looking for.  What a great opportunity for my children to get a great leadership education, develop a true love of learning and spend more time at home!  If your interested in The Kimber Academy, visit their website HERE.  They have many locations across the US.