As interest in homeschooling continues to grow across Central Texas, McLennan Community College is working to connect families with educational resources and community support.
Families gathered at MCC this week for the college’s homeschool resource fair, where organizations and community programs shared information about extracurricular activities, camps, arts education and other opportunities available to homeschool students.
Jasmine Kirk, program director for MCC community programs, said the college has seen increasing interest from homeschool families in recent years.
“We've seen an increase in families reaching out and asking and seeking opportunities for their children, things that are of quality,” Kirk said.
Kirk said many families are searching not only for curriculum support, but also for opportunities that provide social interaction and hands-on learning experiences.
“There’s so much networking that goes into homeschool,” she said. “We’ll have a child come into the program and they already know three of the other students that are in the class because their mothers were talking about it.”
Organizations at the fair included youth programs, arts education groups and recreational activities aimed at helping homeschool students connect with peers outside the home.
Brody Begasee with Scouting America said many homeschool families are looking for opportunities that help children build friendships and teamwork skills.
“A lot of them aren’t exposed to programs that give them the opportunity to make those friendships,” Begasee said. “We’re wanting to teach them how to learn in a safe environment.”
For some parents, the fair served as an introduction to homeschooling itself.
Erica Sotelo attended the event while exploring options for her toddler, who is nearing school age.
“I just kind of wanted to get some ideas or information on where to start,” Sotelo said.
She said speaking with experienced homeschool parents helped make the idea feel more approachable.
Sotelo also said she appreciated seeing extracurricular activities available for homeschool students.
“Homeschooling gets a bad rap that they don’t get to do extracurricular activities,” she said. “But it was nice to see they could sign up for that stuff.”
Kirk said MCC hopes the event helps families continue building connections long after the fair ends.
“I hope that they leave with resources and opportunities and connections made,” she said.
