From the HSLDA President:

Action is needed now to stop a harmful early education bill, H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. Despite the bill’s seemingly homeschool-friendly title, the legislation is actually yet another “big government” encroachment into the sphere of education.

H.R. 2343 seeks to expand the Head Start Early Home Visitation program to supposedly “educate” parents of children from infants to 5-year-olds on parenting strategies. If passed, this bill would literally open the door for government employees to enter private homes to impose unelected officials’ educational agendas, which may prove offensive and contrary to many families’ moral and religious beliefs. Although at this point enrollment in the home visitation program is voluntary, government programs almost always grow beyond their original scope when bills are amended.

This intrusive and unnecessary legislation comes at a whopping starting cost of more than $190 million—a burden that will be incurred by already struggling American taxpayers.

Action Requested

Please call your U.S. representative today and urge him or her to oppose H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can say something as simple as the following:

“I am a constituent and I strongly oppose H.R. 2343. The government should not be involved in funding questionable early education programs, especially at a time of financial uncertainty when our hard-earned tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere.”

You can reach your U.S. representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or by using our Legislative Toolbox.

This bill has been placed on the House calendar and could come up for a vote anytime this week, or even during the weekend as Congress rushes to finish legislative priorities before they adjourn.

Background

For more information on H.R. 2343 and the dangers of early education, please visit our online bill page.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

California law requires all children who are not attending a public school to either be enrolled in a private school or to be taught by a certified teacher. In California, homeschoolers generally operate as private schools, and private schools are required to register annually between October 1 and 15 with the California Department of Education

Individual family homeschool students who are not enrolled in a private school satellite program or “umbrella school” desiring to homeschool do so establishing a private school exemption in their home. The filing time is just around the corner, so write yourself a reminder and don’t let the deadline get past your busy schedule.

The online affidavit can be found at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/rq/affidavit.asp between October 1 and October 15, 2008