GHEA Parent Letter

Dear Georgia Home Educator,

Welcome to the most challenging and exciting adventure of your and your children’s lives. The Georgia Home Education

Association (GHEA) is dedicated to helping you have the most successful and fulfilling home education experience possible.

GHEA is a non-profit corporation that provides information and resources to all families involved in home-based, parent directed,

privately-funded education in Georgia. GHEA was founded in 1992 by a group of home schooling parents who had

a vision for uniting and strengthening Georgia’s home educators through effective communication tools, high quality

resources and services, and relevant teaching and encouragement. We are committed to the advancement of home

education and to the protection of every family’s right to home educate their children and consider it part of our mission to

help families across Georgia involved in this alternative education choice. Part of that commitment is making sure that home

schooling families in Georgia receive accurate, up-to-date information about homeschooling. Home education is a serious

commitment for any family. Those who have chosen this path consider it a “way of life.” We strongly recommend that you

research and study this undertaking before deciding that home education is the right educational choice for your family. If

and when you decide to homeschool, we are there to help you, no matter what your circumstances.

Georgia has an excellent home study statute. This law is easy to fulfill, but compliance is essential. Non-compliance with our

law can result in truancy charges being brought against you. Please contact our office or visit our website for a summary of the

Georgia law, changes to the reporting requirements recently adopted by the Georgia General Assembly through HB 39 and your

Responsibilities associated with a home study program.

GHEA offers many valuable and practical resources for homeschooling families. We offer parent education seminars, an

annual convention (usually the first weekend in May), and in-service training in choosing curriculum, getting started, home

schooling children with special needs, and how to homeschool through high school. We also offer an up-to-date website

(www.ghea.org), e-mail counseling at info@ghea.org, and phone counseling at 770-461-3657. During the annual state

legislative season from January through March, we are actively monitoring political activity in our state legislature. Part of

our mission is to provide relevant information regarding homeschooling. Any pertinent legislative information is updated

and available on our website during this time. We actively participate in Home Education Day at the Capitol activities in

February as a partner with Home Education Information Resource (www.heir.org). Please check our website for those dates

and activities.

Georgia is the fifth-largest homeschooling state in the United States with approximately 50,000 home schoolers state-wide.

Consequently, there are numerous support groups throughout the state that are able to provide local help and support for

families and children. Contact information for these groups is available on www.ghea.org.