This post is an EXTRA post — a ‘bonus’ one, you could say — and is part of the series of posts that I’ll be writing this week, as my response to Jen @ Conversion Diary’s 2nd Epic Blogging Challenge. To God be all the glory! 
Before you proceed, please take note that this is not meant to be a ‘full-blown’ post about independent homeschooling in the Philippines (sorry, I don’t have time for that now, but I’ll try to write a follow-up to this post soon!). Hopefully though, after reading this, you will have a clearer idea of what it means to be an ‘independent homeschooler.’
Independent vs DepEd-accredited homeschooling
Here in the Philippines, we can loosely classify homeschoolers in two groups: the independent ones and the ones enrolled with DepEd-accredited providers (like Bo Sanchez’s Catholic Filipino Academy, CCF’s The Master’s Academy, Peniel Academy and so on). Generally, if you are NOT enrolled with a local homeschool provider (meaning one based in the Philippines, affiliated with a local school and accredited or acknowledged by DepEd) then you are an independent homeschooler.
Different kinds of independent homeschoolers
To further classify independent homeschoolers, here are a few descriptions:
- The independent homeschoolers who are enrolled with foreign homeschool providers, usually based in the U.S. Examples of such providers are Kolbe Academy Home School (where our eldest is enrolled) and Seton, which are both Catholic and provide curricula and lesson plans to enrolled families. Kolbe, however, does not require you to use the books that they suggest in their curriculum. I think Seton does though, meaning if you enroll with Seton, you would also need to purchase books from them. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, dear Seton homeschoolers!) If you have some questions about Kolbe, you may want to take a look at Blessie Adlaon’s post here, where she answers some FAQs. 🙂
Screen shot of Kolbe’s website — you can enroll online using your credit card even if you’re based in the Philippines. 🙂
- Some independent homeschoolers I know are enrolled with Home Life Academy (HLA), which is an official private school in the U.S. that has, according to their website, this goal in mind: “to provide support, record keeping, and counseling, coming along side of you — the parent — in order to help Light the Fires of education in your children.” As far as I know, the local homeschoolers enrolled with HLA have the freedom to choose what books/curricula to use. Fellow homeschooling work-at-home mom Daisy enrolled her kids with LHA and you can take a peek at their homeschool adventures here.
Photo from Daisy’s blog http://thehomeschoolingwahm.wordpress.com
- There are also independent homeschoolers who are more into unschooling/child-led/interest-led learning. They are generally not enrolled anywhere. One such family is Alex’s — check out her blog posts about homeschooling here. Whenever I read her blog, I feel (1) envious {in a good way} of their ‘laid-back’ life in Davao, and (2) encouraged to keep on homeschooling even if I think that we are too `relaxed’ most days! Another family that bases their ‘lessons’ more on the children’s interests is Teresa’s, and you can read about her adventures homeschooling her two little boys (one of whom has been called ‘potentially gifted’) here.
- Some homeschoolers just purchase curricula from different providers and then use these to homeschool their children, which is what I believe most homeschoolers in the U.S. do. I think Winnie’s family does this and she writes about their homeschool days here.
Can independent homeschoolers get into local schools?
Before we answer this question, let’s answer another question related to it: Is homeschooling legal in the Philippines in the first place? According to the TMA website:
“Homeschooling is legal in the Philippines. The Philippines Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1(2) states that the country will “Establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels. Without limiting the natural right of parents to rear their children…” Under the last phrase, “Without limiting the natural right of parents to rear their children,” religious groups, mission boards, and families can branch off from public education to create their own private education. But, the Constitution also provides under Section 4 (1) that “the State recognizes the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the education system and shall exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all education institutions.”
Therefore, the Department of Education (DepEd) Memo no. 216 s. 1997 entitled “Home Education Program” states that if a homeschooled student wants to transfer into a conventional school, he or she must first be accredited by the DepEd.”
So, if you are an independent homeschooler — even if you have records from a U.S.-based provider — it is my understanding that your child(ren) would need to take the Philippine Validating Test or PVT before he/she can be enrolled in a local brick-and-mortar school.
Thanks to Google, I found a very useful bit of information about the PVT as it concerns homeschoolers . (Please take note that the post was published in 2012). — in 2013 — says it may be easier to go the ALS (Alternative Learning System) route.
Having said that, I do know homeschoolers whose kids were able to get into local, private brick-and-mortar schools without taking the PVT. These families had records from U.S.-based homeschool providers though.
It makes sense then that one of the best things to do would be to inquire at the school where you plan to enroll your homeschooled kids — ask them what their requirements are, etc. — because requirements for application and admission may differ from school to school. For example, according to their website, Assumption College San Lorenzo requires home study and homeschooled applicants to take the DepEd validating test or PVT.
How do I know if I should go the independent or DepEd-accredited route?
I can’t answer this outright because I believe this decision is entirely up to you. Perhaps you can try answering these questions though: What works best for your family? What’s keeping you from going the DepEd route? What are your future education plans for your kids and what are your future plans for the family in general (e.g. are you going to migrate to another country, are the kids going to go to local universities, etc.)?
Just as our family had our own reasons for enrolling our son with Kolbe, each homeschooling family has their own reasons for the homeschooling path/route that they chose/choose to take. Each year may also find a particular family going a different way, depending on their circumstances. (Which is the case for our own family — we’re currently discerning whether to take a different route next school year.)
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At the end of the day, whether you’re independently homeschooling or not, please do know that you are not alone. Homeschooling is tough as it is, and we all know just how challenging it can be. This may be even more evidently felt when you feel that you and your family are alone on this wacky, wild journey. Trust me — you’re not. We’re in this together. And God? Well, He’s got your back! (Thank God, He’s got mine too!) 🙂 Let’s let Him help us deal with our fears!
**Coming up next: A special Word-Filled Wednesdays post featuring encouraging Bible verses for homeschool moms (and dads!)
**Don’t miss the first two posts in my 7 in 7 series:
Homeschooling in the Philippines — Answers to some FAQs
The Week and Day That Was: A Peek at Our Homeschool Days
Nice post, Mama Tina. That part about unschooling seemed especially filled with emotion ha, LOL. Now I wish I had the courage to unschool as well!
I knoooooow, right?! Me tooooo! We shall see! Hehe! 🙂 God bless us!
Thanks for this Tina. We’re still praying about what direction to take. I think it’s really a matter of seeking the LORD for what His plans are for our family before we make any decision. After all, he will provide for what we need and will put things into order for the things he’s called us.
Looking forward to more posts from you on independent homeschooling. 🙂
Hi May! 🙂 Kami din, we’re praying! We’ll be attending TMA’s orientation on Friday din, just to explore our options. 🙂 You were with TMA before too, right? (Sorry, forgetful mode ako forever! Haha!) Yes to seeking the LORD’s plans for our families! Pray for us as we pray for you!
haha, no…we’re with Peniel. 😀 Series pala to. I wonder why I missed the previous ones. I follow you naman on FB.
Oh… Peniel nga pala! I thought you were with Peniel before TMA. 🙂 Hehe! Yup, it’s a series! Labor of love! Pray for me, na macomplete ko siya! Haha!
Very informative post Mama Tina! Thanks for linking it to my blog (although it’s not so active lately). 🙂
Love this series by the way!
Thanks for ‘visiting,’ Daise! And for your kinds words! To God be all the glory! 🙂
Hi Tina! Enjoyed reading this. We started as independent homeschoolers but my boys are currently enrolled with a school. Wish we could simply unschool with no worries… Learned a lot from your post. Thanks!
Hi Lea! Thanks for your kind words. 🙂 Where are your boys enrolled now? I wish we could unschool without worries too, actually! 🙂 For how many years were you independent homeschoolers? Why did you choose to enroll with a school? I’d love to hear from you!
Hi Tina! My boys are enrolled with Peniel. We feel kasi that despite being enrolled, we still have the freedom to be independent and eclectic (as we always have been). We’ve been homeschooling for 10 years (!) and my son did blended learning for 2. 😀
Oh I see. How long have you been with Peniel? How does it work with them, like do you have to report to them every quarter? Do tests? Make portfolios? Sounds very interesting! 🙂
Dear Mommy Tina,
Thank you for this post and again thank you for taking time to write articles for our consumption! You truly are a blessing and I thank The Lord for using you! More blessings to you and your family!
Thank YOU for “pushing” me (in a good way ha) to write these posts! Hehe! To God be all the glory! 🙂
All your homeschooling posts are so helpful! Thank you so much for your time!
Mommy Tina, what if I enroll Hannah to Kolbe this year then decide afterwards to transfer to a local homeschool provider after, does she need to take the PVT too?
Thanks again and God bless you always!
Hi Mommy Joan! 🙂 As far as I know, it depends on the homeschool provider’s regulations and rules, as per DepEd. It would be best to ask with the providers directly. 🙂 Hope this helps! God bless!
Thanks a lot for the info. The partner and I are leaning towards unschooling our now 1-year-old daughter. But, we just wanted to make sure that there are alternative routes that we can take just in case we find out later that it is not for us. We are open to homeschooling our even sending her to a private school if she wishes to. Then again, just in case we need to shift from no curriculum to following one, at least we know there is a legal and “problem-free, paperwise” way with it through ALS and PVT.
I’m so happy that you found this post useful. 🙂 Your daughter is still young, so feel free to explore homeschooling and choose what’s best for her. I have a 1 year old now too! 🙂 God bless you and your family!
It’s good to know we are not alone in this journey. I felt at peace upon reading your blog, Tina. I have been searching for this kind of information. I really appreciate it. I hope you continue to be a blessing to all independent homeschoolers out there. God bless you!
Hi! 🙂 Praise God for using my blog to help you. You’re most welcome and thanks, too, for dropping by! 🙂 To God be all the glory! God bless you!
Hi Tina. Donna here. I started a new series on Dear First Time Homeschooler on HomesCool blog and hope it is ok to link to this post in discussing independent homeschooling. Thanks dear.
Hi Ate! 🙂 Sure, no problem at all! Thanks for including my post. God bless always!
Hi Tina! Thanks for sharing your knowledge on homeschooling. Would you know if the DepEd’s ALS test is given in English? My kids cannot speak or understand Tagalog. 🙂
Hi Marlette! Thanks for dropping by. The ALS test is in Filipino, as far as I know. My kids also have a hard time with Tagalog, so I totally feel you!
hello? I’m just wondering how can I become an independent homeschooler? From the very beginning i’ve taught my daughter how to read and she reads pretty well until I sent her to school. I and my wife want to homeschool her since we thought it would be best for her and offers us the opportunity to spend more time together.
I’m not sure, but from what I’ve heard , we can’t afford to enrol to an deped accredited school that offers homeschooling program so I really wanted to become an independent homeschooler myself. I’m a college graduate so I think I can qualify.
Do you have bits of information? Please share. Thanks.
Hi, Eleazar! Sorry for the late reply. How old is your daughter? You have actually already begun as an independent homeschooler because you have already taught her to read! 🙂 If you want more info and tips, you can also try joining the FB group here:
Thank you for this blog and the information you give. It is inspiring. Indeed, homeschooling is truly possible in the Philippines and I believe in it. I shall get in touch with you.
Praise God for your kind words! 🙂 Yes, please feel free to e-mail me at . God bless!