Answer:

Hello,

By reading your question, I can tell that education choice is a priority for you.  I applaud your effort to gather information about this topic before making a decision. General considerations include the individual characteristics of your child as well as the learning environment you may be able to provide in your home. Additional considerations include the cost of schooling, time involvement required of parents, social opportunities and the needs of your child. I will share some pros and cons to consider for both public schools and home education programs as you are weighing your options.  

Also, by providing a home educational program with the right resources you might offer your child a great learning opportunity.

Preschool or Public School

You might find a public school that is a good match for you and your child by doing a little bit of research and talking with directors, teachers and families that currently attend to that specific school.  Preschool and Public schools have a range of resources to offer. Schools vary so I recommend investigating the options that are accessible to you.

If you are seeking a Voluntary Pre-K (VPK), you may want to check the Kindergarten readiness scores of the program you are considering at vpk.fldoe.org. These scores are reflective of how prepared for Kindergarten students tend to be after attending a given VPK program. If you are considering a preschool in a private setting, you may want to visit the Department of Children and Families website to conduct a childcare provider search.
Benefits to placing your child in a preschool or public school setting may include:  your child will be able to learn within a group setting and have diverse social opportunities while having the availability of extracurricular and academic activities.  On the other hand, some schools have high student-teacher ratios, scheduled learning which may allow for less independence, and pre-determined curriculums.

Home Education Program

More than 60,000 students in approximately 42,000 families are in Home Education Programs throughout Florida. In the state of Florida, a parent willing to start a Home Education Program does not need to have a teacher certification, but needs to submit a portfolio that summarizes the child’s learning opportunities. More information about Florida requirements can be found at Florida Home Education Website.
Benefits of choosing to home school your child may include:  the freedom to choose a curriculum and schedule, a smaller teacher-student ratio, and increased ability to pursue the individual interests of your child.  Potential drawbacks of home schooling may include relatively limited social interactions, parent teachers may not always be qualified to teach all subjects, it is usually more expensive compared to public schools and colleges sometimes have stricter admission policies concerning homeschooled students.

For more information in regards to this topic you can visit:

Florida School Choice
http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/
The Florida Department of Education has created a website in which you can find information about different types of schools  in the state of Florida. 

Home School
http://www.homeschool.com/
This website provides practical information in regards to home school; curriculum and resources for parents that either are planning to start or already started their own home education program.

Home School Legal Defense Association
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Florida.pdf (English)
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/FloridaSP.pdf (Spanish)
This document summarizes and analyzes the Florida Homeschooling Law

I hope this information may assist you in making the best decision for you and your child.  If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate contact Ask the Expert.

Dual Language /
Bilingualism Expert:
Ryan Pontier

Answer:

Thank you for your question. It appears that you already have some knowledge of language development theories. There is a well-known linguist named Stephen Krashen who says that there is indeed a difference between learning and acquisition. He says that acquisition is like picking up a language–you just figure out how to say different things without taking classes. On the other hand, learning is what typically happens in school when we teach the rules (grammar) of language. That said, it would be developmentally inappropriate to teach the rules of English to an infant (less than 1 year old). It is, however, very appropriate to expose children to the many ways we use language (to tell stories, to ask questions, to recite poetry, to express feelings) and how language sounds (sometimes we speak softly, sometimes we speak quickly, and other times we speak slowly). Children need to be provided with quality opportunities to interact with language, no matter which language(s) they are
acquiring.

Please let me know if you have more questions!
Ryan W Pontier

Grants Expert:
Meagan Heller

Answer | Respuesta

*This answer is also provided in English

Gracias por su pregunta,

Si bien es cierto que los programas que son parte de Quality Counts reciben ciertos
beneficios también existen otros porogramas o recursos en la comunidad que ayudan a centros que no son Quality Counts. Por ejemplo, el programa de compensación de TEACH (por sus siglas en ingles) provee a los educadores y directores con estipendos como incentivo a que continuen acumulando credenciales en educación temprana. Este programa también ofrece becas para que los maestros de educación temprana puedan tener la oportunidad de una educación desde un CDA hasta un
bachillerato sin tener que pagar. Cada maestro recibe una beca por semester que ayuda a cubrir los gastos de la registración y los libros. Para más información puede ver un video u obtener más información en el siguiente website http://www.teach-fl.com/ Continue reading »

Social Emotional
Development
Expert:
Miriam Altman

Answer:

Hello and thank you for writing. I understand and appreciate that you are looking out for your child’s best interest. Because you have not provided specific details regarding your child’s situation, I have provided below some general suggestions based on the presumption that your child’s father is a fit parent.  If you have evidence that your child’s father is not a fit parent, please contact a mental health professional to discuss your particular situation in detail. Continue reading »

Technology
Expert:
Luisa Cotto

Answer:

Hello,
I am very proud of you for wanting to introduce technology at an early age. One of the first things you should do is to make a list of the different technology tools you have available in your classroom. Once you do that, start thinking on how you can maximize the use of those tools. For example, most of the classrooms nowadays have digital cameras. Most teachers use digital cameras for documentation purposes and that is perfectly fine, but how can you maximize the use of the camera in your classrooms? Below are some examples by subject area: Continue reading »