Dear Parent, 

This guide will provide you an overview of what differentiates independent homeschooling from formal schooling, including homeschooling with a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider. 

What is the difference between homeschooling with a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider and independent homeschooling? 

DepEd-accredited homeschool providers are normally private schools (or connected with private schools) with physical operations that have applied for a homeschool program and are compliant with DepEd's Homeschool Requirements. Accredited homeschool providers align their curriculum and program offerings with DepEd's required learning competencies based on the K-12 curriculum. 

Independent homeschoolers do not need to enroll with a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider. Instead, in independent homeschooling, parents and learners have the flexibility to adapt and personalize their own curriculum. Parents who choose independent homeschooling will chose the learning resources and providers for their child. They may opt to completely homeschool their child on their own or retain a third-party education service provider to school their child, depending on their inclination.  

What is the difference between enrolling with an accredited homeschool provider and formal schooling? 

If you enroll with an accredited homeschool provider, you will in effect be part of the formal education system. You will be responsible for teaching your child in a homeschool environment; the curriculum, learning materials, and assessments will come from the homeschool provider. Homeschool providers will also issue transcripts of records for homeschooled children. 

A key difference between enrolling in a school and enrolling with an accredited homeschool provider is that a school's licensed teachers will conduct teaching for officially enrolled students while parents will be in charge of teaching their children in a homeschool environment. An accredited homeschool provider does not normally provide teaching services for enrolled homeschoolers but may provide dedicated advisory and support services, depending on the program that they offer. 

Additionally, accredited homeschool providers credential homeschool students in the same way that they credential formally enrolled students. In independent homeschooling, parents are responsible for producing grade books, report cards, and transcripts of records for their child. They are also responsible for processing the requirements for their child to take the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT), should they wish for their child to re-enter the formal education system aligned with their child's grade level. 

What are the advantages of independent homeschooling? 

Parents of independent homeschoolers have more flexibility in customizing their child's curriculum and learning journey. They don't need to follow a formal school's curriculum or learning modality, especially at this time. They can hire learning service or tutorial service providers like Vibal as needed to supplement homeschool teaching and learning. 

What are the disadvantages of independent homeschooling? 

Independent homeschoolers will lose the the guidance and structure of formal schooling, along with a support system of teachers and peers outside the home. Especially for first-time homeschoolers and their parents, homeschool may be extremely daunting, given the time and resources needed for parents to put together a good curriculum for their child, find the right educational resources, design assessments, and--most importantly--teach in the right way. Finally, parents of independent homeschoolers will need to put together the documentation (transcript of records, report card) needed for their child to take and pass the PEPT. 

How can Vibal help independent homeschoolers? 

Vibal is not a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider since we don't run our own private school. We are a learning service and educational provider with deep curricular and pedagogical expertise. Happy Homeschool is designed to provide independent homeschoolers and their parents with the support system and infrastructure of a school while retaining the flexibility for parents and learners to customize their learning journey through interest-led activities. 

Happy Homeschool support learners and parents through the following: 

1. Providing subject matter expertise in teaching and guiding the learner in alignment with the DepEd curriculum based on the learner's grade level to ensure that should the learner wish to re-enter the formal school system (for example, when the pandemic has abated or in SY 2022), they will be at the same baseline level of competency as their school-enrolled peers

2. Providing the learner with a complete set of learning materials, including textbooks, workbooks, modules, online courseware and interactive content, to ensure curriculum-aligned learning

3. Providing learners and parents with a rich daily program for interest-led and non-academic activities, including study groups, to enrich the learning experience

4. Supporting parents with regular parent webinars and support conferences to guide them on facilitating home-based learning, including providing intervention and remediation support for learners 

5. Supporting parents in putting together the required documentation for PEPT and other national standards exams as needed 

If you have more questions about independent homeschooling, please send an email to happyhomeschool@vibalgroup.com. 

To find out more about how to enroll your child and how Happy Homeschool works, please visit this page.