Hybrid homeschool is increasingly looking like a wise choice for families attending public schools. The caveat is that not every school system can or will accommodate such a model, but parents can still make it work with some ingenuity. As a workaround, using supplemental curriculum at home is the next best alternative
The New York City DOE calendar for 2022-2023 came out recently and there are a whopping 35 days of school off, plus an additional four (potentially up to seven) half days in the picture. For a working parent, this has made our decision to move over from a private daycare much more bittersweet since we value having a reliable place for our son to go to when there is no school. It’s astounding to see such a disruptive school calendar in this non-agricultural, post-capitalist world we live in. While every family will juggle these school closures in their own deft way, I want to show how hybrid homeschool or using supplemental curriculum can help families in the long run.
The true cost of attending public schools
While public school is taxpayer funded, there are additional fixed costs that parents have to budget for:
- Afterschool care – at our local school, the cost will be $513/month for families with one child needing five days of care. For each fewer day, there is a $50/month discount (i.e. $500 for 4 days of care).
- Summer camp – these typically run from the end of June or early July through the end of August. In NYC, school doesn’t start until the Thursday after Labor Day so there are 1-2 weeks in the year where there is simply nowhere to send your kids and you have to wing it at work or take vacation. For eight weeks of summer camp, we’re talking at least $5000-$6000 in NYC.
- Day camps – these are for when it is not a federal holiday and you have to send your kid somewhere to work. These typically range from $90-175/day depending on how many hours the day camp is.
- Babysitters – for the half days when there isn’t anywhere to send your kid for more than 45 minutes to an hour.
- Ancillary costs – supplies, activities/field trips, etc.
Totaling these costs up, attending a public school in NYC for the 2022-2023 school year will start at approximately $15,000-$16000 if a family were to pay out of pocket for the maximum number of days off in the school year. This is before factoring in the cost of going on vacation which I’m not counting since it’s likely families would have taken a trip somewhere regardless of the calendar.
What is hybrid homeschool
There is no formal definition of hybrid homeschool, but roughly speaking, it is when kids split their time between homeschool and a more traditional schooling environment (yes, including daycare). There can be anywhere between 2-4 days in a traditional school with the other 1-3 days spent learning at home either with parents or online.
In our family’s case, hybrid homeschool for us has meant creating and using a supplemental curriculum to complement what our daycare provides. This means doing things like playing games, conducting science experiments, going on nature walks, and offering hands-on learning activities after 530 PM when our son is away from the group program. Because we live in NYC which is a behemoth of a school district, we will continue to move along with the personalized at-home learning program that is tailored to Mr. 4’s current learning needs. It is unlikely that we’ll be able to win an exemption to school from home 1-2 days a week which would certainly be my preference.
Unlike homeschooling where the curricula and learning plan is managed by parents, hybrid homeschool is a setup where children adhere to the learning plans of their teachers while nurturing their unique skills and interests at home under the guidance of their parents/caregivers. We have loved using supplemental curriculum at home because it gives us a meaningful way to use our after school time together. Whether we like it or not, we will spend time with our kids. It helps to have a plan for how to use that time together. And how awesome is it when the kids get to dive into exactly what interests them?
Leverage hybrid homeschool to save money
So how does hybrid homeschool or using supplemental curriculum save families who attend public school money?
- Flexibility – the top benefit of hybrid homeschool really boils down to not having to pay for every single day of aftercare or enrolling in additional afterschool classes. School gets out by 3 pm in most places around the country. For those with flexibility in their schedules (and the appetite to complete two hours of work after the kids go to bed or before they wake up in the morning), hybrid homeschool means that you and your child can go on amazing learning journeys together. Even if it’s “just” the playground run, it means you have the time to watch your child, see their friends, and really be part of their life when they still want you to be in it.
- No stress regarding summer camp – especially in the early years when sleep away camp is not yet an option, hybrid homeschool means that you have some portion of the summer open for local adventures with your child. Going on vacation is awesome of course and highly recommended, but sometimes you just want to be locals and take advantage of uncrowded activities. Hybrid homeschool gives you the gift of this experience.
- Freedom to splurge – by saving on after school care or summer camp, you can do things like get better seats at the Nutcracker for optimal viewing, try all the pastries at a French patisserie, or opt for the more expensive swim classes where the instructor to student ratio is lower. You also save more for college and you can involve your child more in home ec activities (cooking, gardening, etc.)
I love hybrid homeschool during the early childhood years. Sometimes there are days when it feels like it’s too much quality time. But I mostly am grateful for the opportunity to watch our son unfold and become his own self. I love knowing that he’s learning with me. And more importantly, I love that he wants to show me what he can do! My job is to prepare him to stand on his own feet. Helping him gain the confidence to tackle new challenges is the best part about our hybrid homeschool journey.
