Education Resources

Anyone that lives, works, or goes to school in Broward County may apply for a free Alvin Sherman Library card!  This card is not the same as a Broward County Library card, so you will need to get an Alvin Sherman Library card in order to check out materials from this library. 

Applications are available online or at the Circulation Desk, located on the first floor of the library.  You may return materials to any Broward County Library branch.

1. Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA): Includes: Events, Blog, Resources, Groups, Store, Membership information and more! The FPEA , “serves thousands of homeschooling families in Florida, delivering a wealth of support, guidance and information to both new and longtime home educators. The "FPEA Experience" involves a banding together of homeschoolers to accomplish the task of developing academic and personal excellence by sharing resources, creating connections, enhancing relationships and breaking down barriers. Acknowledging there is no one "right" way to educate, the FPEA acts as an ambassador and champion, serving and protecting the rights and choices of all homeschoolers” (website)
2. Home Education, Florida Department of Education: Facts, groups of interest, FAQs about Home Education and more are provided by this Florida Department of Education website.  A link to Florida state statute about home education is also provided.
3. Florida Homeschooling – Legal tips, support group information, evaluators and tutors all can  be found on this nice easy to use website. Also includes information on testing and curriculum for home educators. Lots of great links and ideas for field trips.
4. Broward Student Services Home Education- Includes a home education brochure, testing links and dates, information about the parent/guardian portfolio review committee, annual evaluation and links to the Broward Virtual School.
5. Florida Virtual School (FLVS)- An online only accredited school with over 150 courses on offer from the k-12 grade range. FLVS is accredited by AdvancEd and the NCAA and the courses are available 24/7 and its free!
6. E3 Kids Club, Encouraging Educational Experiences for Homeschooled Kids- For home educators in Palm Beach County, this organization is designed specifically for kids in middle school and early high school (grades 6-9).  Their mission statement, “E3 Kids Club is an inclusive and diverse cooperative of homeschoolers whose mission is to provide educational opportunities, socialization, and support for the homeschooled family in a safe and loving environment. All members are asked to participate in and contribute to the group.”
7. Time 4 Learning Home Schooling Forum Florida – Connect with other home educators across the state of Florida and respond to a wide variety of topics on forum. Find answers to questions and learn from the experience of other home educators in the state.
8. Home Education Foundation (HEF)- Founded in 1991 in order to increase awareness and lobby the Florida state government on behalf of home educators, HEF represents the interests of home educators at the state government level.
9. LIFE of Florida- Florida Homeschooling Support- A member of the International Inclusive Homeschool Director this support group states on their website that they are, “ecular and inclusive Florida-wide Informal Education support group acts as a resource center and clearinghouse for homeschoolers, informal learners and alternative educators interested in enriching their learning environments and maximizing their learning opportunities, as well as an advocacy center for Curiosity Driven Learning.” Their resources are also free!
10. Brandon Learning Co-Op of Hillsborough County (Homeschool) – Offering a wide variety of classes from Art, Math and “Dinosaur Exploration,” this group describes themselves as, “an inclusive educational co-op open to all families seeking affordable quality classes for kids K-12. They meet in Brandon, Florida but members consist of both residents and non-residents of the city.
11. ARCH Angles of South Florida- A home educator membership group for Catholic families. More about them from their website, “association of Catholic families throughout South Florida that are committed to their faith as a way of life and home school their children.” They have representation in Dade and Broward counties.
12. Gardiner Scholarship Program- Offered by the Florida Department of Education the Gardiner Scholarship Program, “provides eligible students a scholarship that can be used to purchase approved services or products in order to design a customized educational program for the student. Scholarships can be used for specialized services such as speech or occupational therapy, instructional materials, tuition at an eligible private school, contributions to a college prepaid account and more. The program is directly administered by state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organizations.” This scholarship is for children with disabilities more details including eligibility requirements may  be found on Florida Department of Education’s website.
13. SHINE (Sharing Homeschooling in Nuturing Environments)- SHINE is a Christian home educator support group and co-operative that meets in Tampa. More information provided by their website states that, “SHINE offers a variety of activities like our co-op program, field trips, park days, support group meetings, SHINE Showcase with Kindergarten graduation, service projects, family activities and much more.”