Christian Home Educators of KY Blog

CHEK shares a special message from Israel Wayne of Family Renewal Ministries Brothers and Sisters, I wanted to let you know, I will be giving a Keynote address at the Gen 2 Conference at the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, OH on January 30-31, 2015: https://gen2conference.com This will be the unveiling of the largest study on Millennials over released (over 10,000 completed participants). There will be a lot of data unveiled about what factors are shaping the faith and worldview on these young adults. Homeschooling, Christian schools, government schooling, worldview training, church involvement, family devotion, involvement of fathers and much more will be discussed and explores as this information is revealed. I wanted to personally encourage you, if you can, to attend this important conference. Speakers will include: Kevin Swanson, Dr. Brian Ray (the co-sponsors of this event), Albert Mohler, Dr. Jeff Myers (of Summit Ministries), Camden Spiller of Home...

Did you know ... that CHEK is run completely by volunteers? Board members, social media, blogging, yahoogroup liaisons, Conference Team, legal counsel and more are all homeschooling parents just like you, giving their time and energy to keep you informed!  If you're waiting on updates, email responses, or other information from CHEK keep in mind no one is ignoring you... we're doing our very best! Additional job descriptions and volunteers are being added, so be patient with us. Over the course of the last year, CHEK volunteers have donated well over 2100 hours !  What CHEK is working on right now:   A response to the Senat e Bill re: Compulsory Educatio n CHEK Conference, 2013 Common Core Standar d s and their impact on homeschooling Relig ious Freedom Restoration Act response and sharing of information Ongoing updates to our social media ministry pages: Facebook, Twitter, Googleplus to keep you informed. a growing number...

Three Things Every Child Needs From His Dad The Apostle Paul was a great one to use illustrations in explaining the Christian life to his children in Christ.   One of the most fascinating examples of this gives us insight not only into spiritual parenthood but also speaks volumes about the role of us earthly fathers.   It is from Paul’s words in I Thessalonians 2:11 that I draw the following article, which I call Three Things Every Child Needs From His Dad The text says, “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.”   There are three fatherly functions in a nutshell.   To exhort, to comfort, and to charge.   Paul reminds his spiritual children how he has ministered to them and uses a natural father as an illustration. So what can we dads learn from that will help us in the trenches?   Let’s look at each point in the job description: First, Paul says that...

A successful ministry has many hands to make light work.  CHEK needs YOU! Do you have gifts and talents that you would like to put to good use? Would you like to partner with a homeschool ministry that is making a difference?  CHEK needs YOU! Did you know that a successful homeschool conference depends upon hundreds of volunteer hours? CHEK needs YOU! Do you enjoy people? Do you love Social Media? Do you like organizing? CHEK needs YOU! Are Parental Rights important to you? CHEK needs YOU! Now is the time. CHEK needs YOU! If you would like to volunteer your time and talent to the ministry of CHEK, please send an email to info@chek.org   Be on the "look out" for specific volunteer needs CHEK will make known in the next couple of weeks.  But don't wait for us...if you have a leading to volunteer, CHEK needs YOU! About CHEK: Christian Home Educators of Kentucky (CHEK) is a statewide homeschooling educational and informational organization established...

from @tj schmidt, at HSLDA "We at HSLDA have received many calls from homeschool families across Kentucky who have begun receiving the "Declaration of Intent" forms that usually come out around this time of year. As always, you could fill them out and return them declining the services offered. However, you are not legally required to fill these forms out. The schools are only required to send th em to you as you are considered a private school under Kentucky law. Since they must document that they have sent the information to every school, they like to receive information back from a homeschool program that you will not be participating. Again, you are not legally required to respond to the forms. What is new this year is that the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has provided some incorrect information to all of the school districts. The KDE has also included this information in the forms they have revised for this year. The incorrect information...

Legal Brief [12]Tj Schmidt, HSLDA Staff Attorney Over the next couple of months many homeschool families in Kentucky will receive a letter and several forms from their local school district that they will be requested to fill out. These forms are commonly referred to as the “Declaration of Participation” forms. They are named this because of the Declaration of Participation Report that each district must submit to the Commonwealth in order to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The reason homeschool families receive these forms, as many of you know, is that under Kentucky law homeschoolers are classified as private schools.. Federal law requires that each district notify local private schools of certain programs that they may be eligible for. Homeschool families typically will receive two sets of forms. One form is for Title III programs which cover limited English proficiency and immigrant student population. The other form is for Title IIA and IID, Title IV and IDEA-B. ...

God and Country Ministry is a regular at the CHEK Family & Homeschool Conference each year in Louisville.  Brother Lee Watts, Chaplain to the Kentucky State Government would like to encourage all Christians to participate in this event. *This is not a homeschool event, per se but homeschooling is one of the topics to be discussed.

Concerned CHEK Member asks , "I'm catching a lot of flack from friends for saying I'm against the UNCRPD and one said that it is non-binding and does not affect US law. Can anyone  clarify this a bit?

Has your decision to homeschool your children ever left you feeling tired, overwhelmed or stressed out? As a student who was homeschooled (my family began homeschooling in 1978), I have learned a few things and over the years about how to avoid burnout in your homeschool. One of the most common reasons for weariness and frustration among homeschooling parents is the weight of self-inflicted deadlines and standards. It is good, of course, to have goals in mind, but we must always ask ourselves: "Am I seeking to do the Lord's will, or am I merely pursuing my own agenda?" As Christian families, we need to view homeschooling not as a glorious end, in and of itself, but rather as a means to an end. The main goal is to raise children who love the Lord, and are committed to following Christ. It is not to produce robots that can recite random facts and data at the drop of a hat. What a child knows is really insignificant compared to what he or she believes. ...

Thank you to all who called, emailed, and prayed! We can celebrate today that the CRPD has failed. But, the fight has just begun! These types of attacks on our liberties have just gotten started. In Kentucky, it is easy to believe we are secure in our freedom to homeschool. We cannot afford to be that complacent. Mark your calendars now for the Leadership Summit, February 2, 2013.  Get involved. Join CHEK today!

Around the Nation: This week has been all about the United Nations Disability Treaty.  If you've not been a part of this conversation and aren't sure what all the "fuss" is about, be sure and read the article from Homeschool Legal Defense HERE .  Also, you can print out this Fact Sheet to educate your family HERE . Around the Commonwealth: Kentucky is a great place to homeschool, no doubt about it.  But much of the ease at which we homeschool in the Commonwealth is due to the behind-the-scenes work done at the local level by the many support group leaders throughout the state.  Working with CHEK, these support group leaders are the first line of defense against unwarranted intrusion into the home and homeschool.  Find a support group leader where you live HERE .   If you're not already a member of CHEK, please consider joining CHEK today and partner with us in keeping homeschooling free in Kentucky!  Join HERE . Your membership with CHEK...

From Michael Farris- TODAY, Monday, November 26, at 4:30 p.m., Senator Mike Lee, Rick Santorum, and I will hold a press conference concerning our efforts to stop US ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Obama Administration is going to make a concerted effort to get this treaty ratified during the lame duck session of Congress—probably before December 4. The Obama Administration’s claim is that this treaty will not change the law of the United States but will only ensure that when disabled Americans travel abroad that they will enjoy the same handicapped access they have here. This is double nonsense. First, ratified treaties are a part of the highest law of the land. (Read Article VI of the Constitution). Treaties override all state laws—and give Congress new and expanded jurisdiction when the treaties touch on matters that used to be within the control of the states. Education laws—including homeschooli...

2013 CHEK Leadership Summit     Choose you this day whom ye will serve.... Joshua 24:15   SAVE THE DATE!     Who : Support group or Co-Op leaders, Pastors, & people interested in starting a co-op or group When: Saturday, February 02, 2013 Time:  8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Where: Elizabethtown, KY Location:  Nolin RECC Conference Center   Cost:  There is no charge for the event   Breakfast and lunch will be provided   Speakers and schedule to be announced soon....     Click to register online