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Giving Options

My friends who live in Florida are either retired or have pre-school kids, so I had not heard about the situation with public schools there. Vouchers for home schooling sounds would be a good option for parents who have the time, inclination and ability to teach their kids at home. Specially if that is supplemented with activities with other kids homeschooled and otherwise. Not an easy option to pull off from I have observed over the years with homeschool parents. A couple I know were able to achieve great outcomes for their daughter academically - she went to one of the top computer science programs in the country before she turned 16. Things were a bit choppy and uneven for the kid apart from her academic success despite the parents being diligent about giving her every opportunity to socialize with peers. 

The mother quit her job to home-school full time and the father worked a job he was significantly over-qualified for to spare enough time for the family. In balance, a story with positive outcomes but it certainly did not come easy. Both parents had advanced degrees and this was their only child born to them when they were in their mid-40s. So they had a good run with career before becoming parents and were able to take the necessary steps to successfully homeschool. Not every family will be so uniquely privileged so things will not work out quite as well for those kids. Makes you wonder, if people will find another state to call home when comes time to send their kids to school. Even in states that are supposed to have good public schools, funding and enrollment is declining due to aging demographics and economic mobility.

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