Who do I need to contact for California?

[Amybass]

My son just turned 6 on May 1st of this year. We live in California and I am not sure where or when I need to register as a homeschooler. I don't want to run into any issues with the state. Any direction you can give me would be great.

[Theodore]

Some pages listing the California legal requirements. Links go to the legal info areas on each site:

Homeschool Association of California (HSC)
California Homeschool Network
Christian Home Educators Association of California

You may also find our California Homeschool Groups page useful.

[elliemaejune]

My son just turned 6 on May 1st of this year. We live in California and I am not sure where or when I need to register as a homeschooler. I don't want to run into any issues with the state. Any direction you can give me would be great.

Well, you don't register as a homeschooler.

This fall, between October 1 and 15, you will file a private school affidavit (form R-4) on-line with the California State Department of Education.

That's it.

There are some forms and whatnot you're supposed to keep on file, but they really don't amount to anything. You don't have to show anything to anyone, ever.

Even though you file your affidavit, you might still have some issues with your local school or county, because California doesn't have an actual homeschool law, only a vague private school law. I can't recommend highly enough being a member of the Home School Legal Defense Association: http://www.hslda.org.

Some things you will want to have on hand in case you decide at some point to send him to school: a photocopy of his birth certificate, current immunization records, and a health exam for school entry. No one needs to see those as long as you're homeschooling, but it's good to have them just in case.