About
About this site
I'm an Illinois homeschooling parent. I've helped run several co-ops on leadership teams and I organize a moms group that puts on casual events most months, which means I've watched a lot of families start this and a fair number stop.
Why this exists
When I started, the Illinois information online was either a national organization's state summary, written by someone who has never been in an Illinois co-op, or a content site with affiliate links and no author. Both technically correct. Neither useful at 11pm when you're trying to figure out whether you're allowed to pull your kid out on Monday.
So I built the version I wanted. The law, written plainly enough to read at 11pm. A co-op directory I actually keep current, with the date I last checked on every entry. Reviews that tell you who a thing fits instead of handing it a score. And the practical parts, the ones nobody warns you about until you are already in them.
What I know and what I don't
I know Illinois homeschool law well and I've helped a lot of families through withdrawal and first years. I'm not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. When something is outside what I've done myself, I say so rather than writing around it.
Every factual claim that isn't my own experience gets a source, linked where the claim is made. If you see something wrong, tell me and I'll fix it and note that I did.
How this site makes money
Two ways, and I'd rather be direct about both.
- Affiliate links. Some links to books and curriculum earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. I disclose before the first link on any page that has them, never only in a footer.
- A course.Your First Year Homeschooling, $27. Everything legally necessary is free on this site and always will be.
My rules for affiliate content: I name a real drawback of everything I link, I include the free or borrowable alternative in the same section even when it costs me the commission, and I say when I'm going on someone else's word rather than my own. If something isn't worth buying, I write that.
Submit a co-op or a correction
The directory is being built in public and I'd rather have a short honest list than a long stale one. If you run or belong to an Illinois co-op or support group, send me:
- Group name and the region it serves
- Whether it's a co-op with classes, a support group, or both
- Faith orientation, and whether a statement of faith is required
- Rough annual cost, or free
- A link, and who to contact
Same form for corrections, and please send them. A directory that's wrong is worse than no directory.
Contact
The form below reaches me directly. I read every message myself.
The disclaimer
This site is educational information written by a homeschooling parent, not an attorney. Law changes and individual situations differ. For a decision with legal consequences, talk to an Illinois education attorney or a homeschool legal organization.