Leaves of Learning: A school for home schoolers

CINCINNATI - District budget cuts and safety concerns are just a few of the many reasons Tri-State parents are considering home schooling.

But for many parents the idea of putting their child's education solely in their hands can be intimidating. A local program is helping with that intimidation factor by offering some much-needed guidance.

" Leaves of Learning is a concept that started the first year I homeschooled. I found that home schooling and being at home all day just wasn't quite what my kids wanted," said Leaves of Learning Founder and Director, Diana Osborn. "The learning was great and they had lots of good experiences but they didn't meet with other kids on a regular basis and build those friendships. So we decided to start this one day a week program. We hired some teachers. We had a public meeting at one of the libraries, and Leaves of Learning was born. We started with 33 kids, and we started with treating the kids respectfully and hired teachers that were really passionate about what they're doing. We found that the concept really took off."

Leaves of Learning is actually a school for home schoolers. Parents may want their children homeschooled, but not feel completely prepared to do it; or they may still want their child to have interaction with other kids.

Students ranging from pre-school to high school can go either one day a week or four days at the Deer Park school, where they have teachers who focus on their specific needs in what the director calls a comfortable and respectful environment.

Even though it is now mid-July, Osborn said it is not too late to enroll a child in the Leaves of Learning program. Parents should write a letter to their superintendent informing the district that their child will be homeschooled.

An informational meeting for parents takes place Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the school, which is located at 7131 Plainfield Road.

"Typically we sit down with the parents and the kids and match their needs as far as academics, socially, teachers, and the biggest thing I think is we don't expect all fourth graders for example to be at this level. We understand just like adults they're all over the place. There's no stigma of 'I'm working below grade level.' It's 'I'm working the best of my ability and my ability varies all over the page'" said Osborn.

She added that students at the school come from all over the Tri-State with tuition ranging from $300 to $5,600 depending on the number of classes.

The school is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Everything is funded through tuition, foundations and grants. There is no state funding for Leaves of Learning.

Students graduate with home school diploma. Go to http://www.leavesoflearning.org/ for more information.