You can homeschool thru the school district/school board for free. Or you can join an association–and their fees range depending on the services they provide. Some are very nominal fees–and minimal services. If the membership fees are ever an issue, many directors will waive the fees upon request.

The association speaks “office to office” in a way that makes sense to the public and other officials. It’s very handy to have that layer of accountability that helps the school and government officials verify that homeschoolers aren’t just sitting at home power-watching netflix all day.

It’s fascinating that parents who take on the entire responsibility of their child’s education are somehow considered slackers. Associations directors are chipping away at that public perception…so they’re worth the membership fees.