About Peaceful Worldschoolers

Peaceful Worldschoolers is a registered homeschool umbrella in Maryland. To learn more about our unschool-friendly umbrella, please check out our FAQs below.

FAQs

How can I start homeschooling in Maryland?

Homeschooling in Maryland is as easy as 1-2-3!

  1. Submit the notice of Intent To Homeschool Form (select Option B – Peaceful Worldschoolers Homeschool Umbrella, 3701 Spruell Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20902) to your county Superintendent at least 15 days before beginning your homeschool program.
  2. Complete the  Peaceful Worldschoolers Homeschool Umbrella Registration Form and pay the $100 annual fee per family.
  3. Schedule your pre-conference at the beginning of the year and your annual review at the end of the year.

*=I was unable to find a county-specific homeschool notification form, so this is the generic Maryland Intent to Homeschool Form.

What is your homeschool philosophy?

While we welcome families of different homeschooling philosophies. Personally, we are unschoolers, which means that we promote self-directed, child-led education. We believe that the child is the curriculum, so while we can recommend various resources to support you and your child’s education, we do not promote any particular curriculum.

We also believe that part of being a homeschooling family is that we focus on the “home” before the “school.” For this reason, we provide online and in-person courses/events for children AND parents. We ALL have so much to learn and grow – and it is a blessing that we can do so together!

To learn more about unschooling, check out the Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast or Angela’s  TikTok where she discusses concerns about the current education system, answers questions about alternatives like unschooling, and shares inspiration for families to live and learn with freedom!

What does it cost to register?

To join our umbrella as a Maryland homeschooler is just $100 per family per year.

We recommend that high schoolers consider joining PAX Academy, which costs $350 per child per year or $600 per family per year, so that they are able to receive transcripts and diplomas from our registered Private School as private school students rather than a parent-issued transcript and diploma as a homeschool student. However, you are welcome to use our umbrella from K-12 if you desire and get additional support as needed for parent-issued diplomas.

What do I need to include in my portfolio?

We do not require you to keep or maintain a portfolio. This will allow you to focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you and your family. Yay!

Of course, if you want to keep a portfolio for your own records, you are more than welcome to, but it is not required.

What is an annual review?

As homeschoolers in Maryland, we are required to conduct an annual review each year. This is a great opportunity to reflect on your year, to share informally about the things you have done, and to ask any questions that you may have. You can choose to do your annual review in one of three ways:

To learn more about the homeschooling in Maryland, click here.

What additional support do you provide?

We support homeschoolers in Maryland in a variety of ways:

  1. Peaceful Worldschoolers of the DMV Facebook Group – We post daily field trips and events in our Facebook Group, and we invite our members to also share your own meet-ups and events so we can build a strong homeschooling community in the DMV!
  2. Educational Consultations – If you would like additional one-on-one support for your homeschooling or unschooling journey, book an educational consultation with certified special education teacher, Angela Harders. Together, we will talk through any issues or concerns that you may have and make a plan so that you can create the ideal educational experience for your child and for you!
  3. Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast – Listen in as we have conversations with other unschooling and worldschooling families from around the world! If you are an unschooler and would like to be guest on the Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast, sign up here. 
  4. Online Courses for Children and Adults – We provide a wide variety of online courses to support you and your children as you learn and grow. Our course list continues to grow, but here is a taste of what we are planning to offer:
    • How To Determine My Child’s Reading Level
    • Unschooling 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Directed Education
    • Unschooling and Math
    • Unschooling and Reading
    • Reading and Typing Program
    • Gospel-Based Parenting
    • Biblical Cosmology
  5. Monthly Unschooling Q&A – Every month, Angela hosts a live Unschooling Q&A where you can come and ask all your questions about unschooling.

Can you accept children and families in other states/countries?

Only children in Maryland can be supervised by our homeschool umbrella, but if you are in another state/country and would like to have the freedom to unschool, I encourage you to register in PAX Academy which is our registered private school and will meet the mandatory compulsory attendance requirement for most states.

By registering in PAX Academy, you will have the legal protection of a private school which means that you will be able to receive a diploma and transcript from a private school rather than as a homeschooler.

In fact, we recommend that highs schoolers in Maryland register for PAX Academy as well so that you can avoid the tedious process of applying to college as a homeschooler.

What should I do if I have additional questions?

If you have additional questions that have not yet been answered here, you can book a FREE 15-minute phone consultation with Angela. If you believe that your questions will take longer than 15 minutes, I encourage you to register for a full Educational Consultation.