With two kids in high school in the fall, I’m starting to think about college credits. We’re probably going to be in that middle area when it comes to loans and grants. Too poor to pay their tuition outright, too wealthy (ha!) to quality for financial aid. Of course I have hopes that there will be scholarships, but since I don’t really want my daughters leaving home to go away to college, the opportunities will be a little more limited.
Our state has a program for high schoolers to take community college classes in their junior and senior years. That’s certainly a possibility. But the campus life isn’t something I really want to expose my sheltered, homeschooled children to. Thank heaven for online resources!
We’re using our boys’ Scouting merit badges toward their (home)school requirements. One of those badges is Emergency Preparedness. It’s really something that requires the maturity of a young man rather than a boy, so for us it will get filed in the vault for a little while. It will get done, though. Through the Federal Emergency Management Institute, I know it will be thorough. I can’t beat the price – free! It’s a lot of reading, but the information is excellent and relevant. Each course is broken down into units, so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. I looked at a couple of them, and they seem to be written on about a 10th grade level, even though they are intended for adults. Each course has a final exam, which must be passed with 75% to qualify for credit.
I did say the classes were free. The credits, however, are not. There’s a nominal fee to convert them to credit through Frederick Community College (accredited by MSAC). It’s $60 per unit. I know state tuition varies, but there’s nothing here available for that price. And taking it as a junior lets it count toward both high school and college. It’s a good option as an elective, no matter what your (or your child’s) course of study.
Link to FEMA Self-Study Courses