FAQ

1. Is Cedar Life Academy run by a homeschooler?

Karen and her daughter Kristen have years of experience helping homeschoolers! Karen's youngest child was homeschooled from birth until he graduated from high school and enrolled in college. He is currently a neuroscience graduate student.

2. Do you require vaccines?

We follow California law regarding vaccines. Currently, children who are learning at home are exempt from the required vaccines that children enrolled in classrooms must have. We are required to annually submit student vaccine data, and we are also required to have vaccine information on file for each enrolled student. While vaccination is not required, most of our students are partially or fully vaccinated. More information about vaccines is at Shots for Schools and as with any medical decision, we recommend consulting your child’s medical care provider.

3. Does Cedar Life Academy have a CDS code?

Yes, our school code is #36750447092208.

4. Do you accept out of state students?

No, we only accept California students.

5. Do I have to get my child's school records?

No, we request and maintain records as long as your child is enrolled in CLA. If your child goes to another school, we will forward the records to the new school.

6. Will you give me books?

No, you will decide what you'll need to best help your child learn. This is an important part of the homeschool process. We recommend ordering the catalogs from our resources page, reading the information and links on CLA's website, and reading past CLA blog articles because many of your questions have already been asked by others and have been answered online. This research will help you personalize for each child so that you can teach your children in ways that they couldn't have learned in a classroom.

7. Will you issue a diploma?

Yes, we provide every Cedar Life Academy high school graduate with a diploma and three high school transcripts (two are sealed) at no charge. If an additional transcript is needed later, the fee is $10, and it will be sent directly to the university that is requesting it. For special needs students, we also offer a certificate of completion when that is appropriate.

8. Do you enroll students mid-year?

Yes. We share your concern for a child in crisis due to a health issue or more commonly, a bad public school experience. Sometimes a child simply can't "stick it out" for the rest of the school year. Wonderful things happen when those children start homeschooling! It is not uncommon for those who enroll mid-year to do so because a teacher or principal recommended homeschooling as a better choice for their child.

9. Is this a religious school?

No, however you are welcome to include your faith in your teaching.

10. Do I have to teach a certain way?

No. Homeschooling is a much more flexible way to learn than you may have experienced in public school. That's possible because of the one-on-one teaching that private homeschooling offers. We want homeschooling to be a great experience and encourage the use of multiple and varying resources as you continually seek new ways to help your child learn. We also encourage you to use all that is available to you through the very supportive homeschooling community, both online and in person. That includes participating in local homeschool group activities like weekly park days and regular field trips. There are homeschool campouts and conferences sponsored by the state homeschooling groups where you'll meet other homeschoolers. All are great ways to meet new friends, share ideas and learn new ways to help your children learn.

11. Should I enroll my kindergartner?

Kindergarten is not required in California, so there is usually no need to enroll in Cedar Life Academy or any other school until first grade. Compulsory education in California starts the year a child is 6 by September 1st, which is typically first grade. If you have a kindergartner, we encourage you to teach your child at the level that is appropriate, read aloud to your child daily, and provide an enriched environment with art supplies, games and puzzles. You may have started attending park days and other homeschool events in the preschool years, but if you haven't, this is the time to start.

12. Are the fees prorated if I register mid-year?

No, the enrollment fee is the same regardless of what time of year you enroll. Your family registration fee covers one academic year (or less if you enroll mid-year), from September 1 to August 31. We start enrolling in summer for the next school year and recommend that parents complete enrollment before their local school starts.

13. What do you recommend for homeschool success?

We recommend being involved! Go to park days so that you can meet other homeschoolers and stay connected in the homeschool community. Attend one of the homeschool conferences to continue to learn about teaching your child, and perhaps go to a homeschool campout just for the fun of it! Read to your child every day. That exposure to literature will help your child in many ways, and as a homeschooler, you will have more opportunities than most children in school have. And finally, help your child find answers to the questions that are important to them! Children are very curious and eager learners, and we can encourage that by respecting and encouraging their interests even if it’s not something a school would teach yet. Take advantage of those learning opportunities!