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Joe:
Welcome to our interview here with Judith Waite Allee. She is the co-author of "Homeschooling on a Shoestring," and began homeschooling to give her foster son relief from special education in public school. She is active in homeschooling and adoption circles, as a writer and speaker, and has contributed to two national publications Growing Without Schooling and The Mentor.

Welcome to our interview, Judith. I guess the first question that most of our members ask is that most families have two working parents these days. How can they homeschool effectively and still keep a roof over their heads?

Judith:
Thanks Joe for inviting me to  appear here.  One neat thing about homeschooling is that it teaches us parents to be more creative and open-minded. Melissa and I talked with hundreds of families about the livelihood issue. Here are some of their solutions:

• Find creative ways to cut expenses so that you can live on one income, or 1 1/2 incomes. Your second income may be a lot less than you think after you subtract work-related expenses. Also, you can make time for economies (yard sales, large scale cooking, mending before the kids outgrow the item) if you're home. One helpful book is "Your Money or Your Life" by Dominguez and Robin.
• Juggle your work schedule with your spouse.
• Minimize child care by working three 12-hour days.
• Take your child to work.
• Become a professional caretaker, which includes free living quarters and, depending on the position, perhaps a salary. Check out the Caretaker Gazette
  at http://www.angelfire.com/wa/caretaker .
• Leave your kids at home while you work, if appropriate for their maturity level. Some kids can complete schoolwork independently, then go over it with you after work. If they are involved in volunteer work and other activities, their at-home-alone time is minimized. Is there a grandparent or other support person who can assist with supervision?
• Start a homeschool co-op to share homeschooling duties with one or more other families.
• Homeschool other people's children for money, or provide daycare for preschoolers.
• Work as a governess or tutor for a family that welcomes your child.
• Work at a seasonal job or business to earn enough to hold you over for the rest of the year.
• Telecommute for a company that lets you work at home.
• Provide a boarding home or foster home for special needs kids or adults.
• Start a business, or work on commission.
• Concoct a combination of any of the above!

Small Business
Almost any homeschool family would benefit from a small business. A business is an invaluable, integral, hands-on way for kids to learn, even if it's just a pumpkin patch.

Some families start a full-scale business with a storefront--when you're the boss you can arrange a suitable environment for your kids. It can be home-based, such as my family's photography business. (My photographer husband is the full-time homeschool parent. I supplement our income with an outside part-time job, and by writing and speaking.) Some families have a short-term project to earn money for a specific purpose--one family sells worms and firewood to campers every summer, with the proceeds used for special trips. Another family buys educational items at yard sales and then sells them to other homeschoolers to earn money for curriculum.

Joe:
In your book, you mention that you started homeschooling "underground" in the 1980's and had to keep a "low profile" from the authorities in Ohio. How do you see the homeschooling movement these days and how it has changed from those dark ages?

See the answer on the next page

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