Here are some general information that should answer most of your questions and get you connected with other homeschoolers.
Home education is defined as education at the child’s own home. A child who is schooled at a place other than his own home can therefore not lawfully be registered as a home learner. Cottage Schools / Learning Centres are often mistakenly refered to as homeschools. See further down this page for more information regarding Cottage schools and small learning centres.
Please contact Karin van Oostrum at the Pestalozzi Trust for more information on the legal aspects of home education.
MEMBERSHIP
If you would like to join CHE, membership is free. You will be informed of all our activities via our email list, which you have been added to, if you completed the Join information. Please do check your e-mail after joining as you need to confirm your subscription.
MY SCHOOL CARD
CHE has decided not to ask membership fees since 2016 (Membership use to be R180 per family per year).
We hope that those who support homeschooling will join MY SCHOOL CARD and appoint CHE as your beneficiary.
When nominating CAPE HOME EDUCATORS as your My School Card Beneficiary, you enable us to:
Not ask membership fees.
Fight for Home Education Freedom when representatives engage with the Department of Basic Education.
Use funds to cover travel costs: flights, accommodation, car rental, etc.
To cover running costs: (website domain hosting, educational expos, sports days)
Investigate and research Home Schooling developments both nationally and internationally.
To help promote Home Education by sponsoring expos (eg. the African Home Education Indaba) & sponsoring the filming of the Home Education Documentary.
Encourage VOLUNTEER homeschool participants to run this Association. No volunteers receive payment for our efforts, but we need FUNDS to enable our role to serve the Home Education Community.
By appointing Cape Home Educators as your My School Card Beneficiary:
you enable us to serve Home Educators, without any costs to yourself. Every swipe helps.
WHAT CHE DOES NOT DO
CHE is not a school. We do not take in children to educate them. We have no uniform, physical address or fee structure. We are a group of parents who volunteer our time and resources. We all homeschool our own children in our own homes, we love what we do, and we do what we can to support and connect homeschoolers.
WHAT CHE DOES
CHE maintains a legal environment in which parents are able to educate their own children at home.
We provide information on home education via our homeschool workshops and expos.
We connect home educators. We facilitate the annual SACSSA Athletics sports day.
Please follow us on facebook.
SUPPORT GROUPS and RESOURCES
Here is a list of some great facebook and other groups that are very helpful in finding friends/resources near you:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EducateAtHomeSA/ – S.A Educate At Home Group
https://www.facebook.com/group
https://www.facebook.com/group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
https://www.facebook.com/group
https://www.facebook.com/group
http://www.tuisskolers.org/ – Fantastic website with all your homeschool questions answered.
http://pestalozzi.org/ – Pestalozzi Trust the legal defence fund for home education
http://www.dynamislearning.co.za/ – Dynamis offers seminars and personal consultations with families to determine what approach and curricula will work best for your child and your family.
Yada families – Francois & Suzanne Hattingh focuses on Empowering families: Their hearts are to bring families together and especially draw in NEW home educating families who need support, love and care!
Shirley Erwee has written two fantastic books on homeschooling in SA and has great wisdom and personal experience to offer. Her books are: Homeschooling the primary years and Homeschooling High School.
http://www.south-african-homeschool-curriculum.com/first-aid-new-homeschoolers-sa.html
COTTAGE SCHOOLS/LEARNING CENTRES
We realize that everyone can not homeschool. Homeschooling is defined when a child receives education in his/her own home from a parent. Tutors sometimes come in to help, but it all happens in the child’s own home.
If you are looking to connect to a cottage school/ small learning centre you can use this Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternCapeLearningCentresAndTutors/
We give this information for those who are not able to homeschool their children, but advise you to contact the Pestalozzi Trust as this is not legally defined as homeschooling and the Education Department is not kind towards this. The Pestalozzi Trust can be contacted on 012 3301337.
For more information see: http://www.tuisskolers.org/centres/learning-centre-information.html
SACSSA ATHLETICS
We have a CHE athletics team that take part in the SACSSA Regional, Provincial and National athletic meet. The Regional meeting usually takes place in February, followed by the Provincial meeting (for those that qualify) shortly after and the National meet around September in Sasolburg.
You can join the Athletics telegram channel to receive sports related information: https://t.me/joinchat/AAAAAFJRxGezkwSCkP-4OA
EDUCATIONAL EXPO
More information available at Homeschool Expo. The Expo usually takes place around September/October each year.
PERSONAL SUPPORT CONTACT
If you would like to talk to someone, please contact Suzanne Hatting on suzannehat@gmail.com
DVD
CHE filmed our 2016 homeschool winter workshop. If you would like to order this very informative dvd, please visit product page.