Misc Resources

 

Chicago Homeschool Expo
http://www.chicagohomeschoolexpo.com/
The Home Educators Encouragement Alliance provides homeschool expos and other homeschool events in Atlanta, Chicago, and Alabama, so that parents can learn how to homeschool. The Chicago Homeschool Expo is both family-friendly and affordable. Families are encouraged to attend the activities provided for parents and children alike.
Expo is held yearly

Chicagoland Homeschool Network
http://chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com/
Erin Lasky <erin@chicagolandhomeschoolnetwork.com>

“I am a homeschooling mother of five and living in the Chicagoland area. My husband and I are coordinating a new website to help chicago area homeschoolers connect with one another and the many resources available in this area. Our main focus is Co-ops/classes, Support Groups, and Field Trip ideas.

My vision is for this website to offer as comprehensive as possible of a listing for new and veteran homeschoolers to plug into”

Christian Home School Hub
A homeschooling social network that places a greater value on providing resources to Christian homeschooling families.

Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE)
http://www.iche.org/
Illinois Christian Home Educators is a not-for-profit Christian organization composed of families dedicated to the success of home education in Illinois. ICHE was started in December of 1983 by four Christian families seeking the support and fellowship of like-minded home educators. They decided to form ICHE for the purpose of encouraging the formation of distinctly Christian support groups, compiling information to help form such groups, and making the information available to support group leaders.
A convention of workshops and speakers is held yearly.

Indiana Home Educators’ Network
http://www.ihen.org/directory/
If you want to know what support groups are available in any Indiana county, this is a link that has many listed. A short summary is included with each group, along with contact people.
If you see a group not listed and it’s okay with your leadership to list it, there is also a link to a form to do that, too.

Northern Illinois Homeschool Monthly
http://northernillinoishomeschoolmonthly.blogspot.com/
Northern Illinois Homeschool Monthly is your news resource for current events, field trips, co-op classes, private or instructor-led classes, used/new curriculum sales, groups, conferences, museum discount days, nature centers, and more.

Taxes–Homeschoolers Filing
Anything remaining of value in your possession cannot be claimed (e.g. musical instruments, textbooks, music books, calculators, maps, ect.). CLEP fees would not qualify because they are technically college expenses, and this form applies only to K-12. Pre-school expenses cannot be included either.

Link below for Publication 119, which gives all the details:
http://www.revenue.state.il.us/Publications/Pubs/Pub-119.pdf

Publication 119 has the details, but the form you need to file is form ED, and it also applies to private school tuition. It includes public school fees if you paid for summer school, registration fees, driver’s ed through high school, ect., but the first $250 doesn’t count, so most public school families don’t claim the credit.

You can only claim consumable expenses, e.g. workbooks, music lessons, PE classes that you might have paid to the YMCA or a park district, and so on. They must be classes that would count toward graduation. If you paid tuition to teachers at CHAMPS, Heritage, Homeschool University, ect., the teacher should issue a receipt upon request with your name on it, their name and address, and how much you paid them. The documentation required is quite rigorous. Filing this form doesn’t necessarily make you more likely to be audited, though. Just make sure you keep good backup documentation.

To someone who said they wish they had known about this a week ago, you can file an Amended Il 1040X and claim those expenses. It has to be mailed in though — you can’t file and amended return electronically. You can also file and amended return for 2007, 2008, and 2009 (April 15 is the deadline for filing and amended 2007).

Questions? Contact Karen Stevenson at ktm.stevenson@yahoo.com.

Volunteers Needed
More info here

Exception Equestrians Unlimited (EEU) Located in Hobart, IN. Provides educational therapeutic riding instruction to people of all ages living with disabilities or special needs.