About
Helping homeschool parents learn, connect, and meet up.
Vanguard Parents helps mothers, fathers, and caregivers find practical information, talk with other homeschool parents, and build local friendships. We welcome families who are exploring home education as well as those who have been doing it for years.
We are “vanguard” because the parents who choose this path are out in front — working it out as they go, usually without much of a map. The site exists so you do not have to do it alone.
Learn through the guides and resources. Connect in the parent forum. Meet up by introducing your area and proposing a playdate, park day, or family outing. The community is growing, and each parent can help make it more useful by sharing a question or experience.
Editorial standards
How we decide what goes on this site
Make experience clear
Our editorial standard is to distinguish a contributor’s firsthand experience from general guidance. A useful parent story explains the family’s context, what they tried, and what they learned.
No affiliate links. Anywhere.
Not on any page, not in the newsletter, not hidden in a redirect. We take no payment from publishers for reviews and never have. When we recommend a curriculum it is because it worked, and when we criticise one there is nothing riding on it.
Dated and re-checked
Anything that can go out of date — laws, prices, curriculum editions — carries a visible date and gets reviewed. Check the linked primary source before relying on information that may have changed.
Corrections are welcome and credited
Laws change, links rot, and we get things wrong. Tell us and we will fix it and credit you. We would much rather be corrected than confident.
Global by default, not US-first
Most homeschooling material online assumes you live in the United States. Most home-educating families do not. We cover 43 countries and say plainly where the answer differs.
Honest about the hard parts
Burnout, curriculum we abandoned, the year that nearly ended it. Sites that only publish success stories are not useful to a parent at 9pm on a bad Tuesday.
What you will find here
The parent forum
A place for homeschool moms and dads to ask questions, share resources, and introduce themselves.
Local meetups
Regional forum links and an invitation builder for playdates, park days, and family outings.
Find homeschool groups
Where to look for nearby families and how to choose a group that fits.
Start Here
A calm five-step orientation for families who have just decided, including the legal step and a realistic first month.
Guides
Long-form, evergreen pieces on methods, reading, math, writing, science, teens, law and record keeping.
Articles
Research examined rather than quoted, parent stories with the unflattering parts left in, and news that changes what you do.
Resources
Printables, curriculum reviews, tools and book lists — all free, none affiliate-linked.
Free tools
A method quiz, a cost calculator, a law lookup for 50 states and 43 countries, and a 53-term glossary.
Get in touch
Corrections, contributions, moderating a regional space, sponsoring a guide, or a question you cannot find the answer to — all to the same address, and we read all of it.
About this site
Who writes Vanguard Parents?
Can I explore the site before joining?
Do you accept payment for reviews?
Is Vanguard Parents religious or secular?
Is the legal information on this site advice?
How do I get in touch?
The Sunday email
One practical idea you can use this week, the best new posts, and a thread from the forum worth reading. Free.
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