Yakima’s HomeLink Program Announces Strategic Alliance with Maine High School
The HomeLink Program in the Yakima Valley has become an official outreach of the North Atlantic Regional High School of Lewiston, Maine. The agreement became effective January 1, 2005 and will increase the staffing, opportunities, and reach of the local homeschool program.
Yakima, WA (PRWEB) January 13, 2005 -- April Thome of Selah, WA, established
the HomeLink Program in Yakima 8 years ago. It has grown to include almost 100
families registered in courses and studies each year. This formal alliance with
the North Atlantic Regional High School will make it much easier for high school
students in Yakima to earn high school credits through the HomeLink
Program.
Thome, a Washington certified teacher, homeschool advocate, and
instructor of a Parent-Qualifying Course at Yakima Valley Community College,
notes, “Homeschool students have always been restricted from earning high school
credits and their diploma from the public schools. But with this new
arrangement, homeschooled high schoolers can earn credit from a
state-authorized, fully accredited high school. These credits can be accumulated
to earn the accredited high school diploma, or, in some cases, these credits can
be transferred into a public or private school should the homeschooler decide to
return to the traditional classroom.”
The HomeLink Program is not a
school itself, so this alliance is an important one for high schoolers. The
local program is not supported, funded, or run by any public school district. It
is a pay-as-you-go service for families to use as they wish.
Thome says
the alliance with North Atlantic Regional High School allows the program to
expand to other locations, “We are working with our partners in both Maine and
Florida to launch our program there. The appeal and success of the Yakima
program has proven a real asset in supporting and promoting homeschooling for
older students.” There are also plans to expand the program here in
Washington.
The HomeLink Program operates from the Yakima Alliance
Church, 902 S 36 Ave., Yakima. Classes are held every Thursday during the school
calendar and the office is open nearly each work day of the week, including the
summer. Additional families are welcome to register at any time.
For more
information, visit http://www.HomeLinkProgram.org
Or, call the HomeLink
Program office at 509-248-6388.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb196769.htm