Mission

Empowering individuals to discover paths of living and learning that support them in realizing their highest potential as human beings.

A Special Offer for E-Tap Users

The Learning Community International in conjunction with e-Tap is offering e-Tap users the opportunity to enroll with TLCI at a 22% discount. This special offer includes Discovery’s videos accessed through e-Tap lessons.

This special offer is for current e-Tap users only and does not extend to our general distance program.

DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

The commitment to reach for a different path of learning for their children brings parents to The Learning Community International to realize this goal. It is our mission to empower individuals to discover their optimal paths of living and learning in order to reach their highest potential as human beings.

TLCI’s K-8 Program offers a significant amount of support yearly, including four conferences through video and/or telephone calls, three support calls, email contact as needed and a K-12 unlimited on-line curriculum annually. Families also have the opportunity to purchase additional support and Virtual Classroom tutoring.

The first initial contact is designed to help you organize a program that meets all legal and program criteria, including goal setting, finding resources that meet your child’s needs and learning style, and proper record keeping. In addition to working closely with you to devise a customized program, your consultant will also assist your child to assume greater responsibility for the success of his or her Individual Learning Program.

Through consistent contact and support by your consultant throughout the year, TLCI’s K-8 Program has demonstrated a high level of success in guiding parents and their children to develop and maintain a successful educational program customized to the needs, interests and goals of the learner. Families, who may have experienced struggles in helping their children access, excel and enjoy their life of learning, now have a system of support to help them move forward with confidence and success.

Individualized Learning Program of Study

The TLCI consultant will work closely with the family to develop a customized Individual Learning Program (ILP) for each enrolled learner. The ILP may include a mixture of textbooks, trade books, internships, independent study projects, visual and other media, trips, correspondence courses, private tutors and classes, on-line study and other special programs.

Depending on the particular learner, the ILP may be driven solely by the learner’s interests and consist primarily of trips to local museums and other public sites, numerous hands-on activities such as kitchen sink experiments or building with Lego’s, with the bulk of the program’s academic resources coming from the shelves of the local library. The ILP of another learner may have a more academic focus with the learner working out of textbooks, workbooks, and even on-line courses.

The goal of a customized ILP is to facilitate the learner’s interests and motivation to learn at his or her pace. No pre-packaged curriculum or program is able to provide this degree of flexibility. Our program is about learning, not schooling.

Discovery Streaming Included

As part of enrollment, TLCI offers e-Tap users access to Discovery’s thousands of videos that are intergraded into the content of the curriculum at no additional cost to users.

Your TLCI Distance Consultant

Families who choose to enroll with TLCI receive superior guidance and support from the most professional home and community based educational consultants in the state. Your distance-learning consultant has years of consulting experience as well as many more years as a parent educator. Each consultant participates in training sessions quarterly, attends professional educational seminars, and also receives additional support and training electronically. Consultants routinely share information and experiences with each other throughout the year, adding to the cumulative knowledge of all. Many possess advanced degrees, teacher certificates and other educational experience in allied fields of study.

Integrity and Responsibility

The Learning Community International is very conscientious in abiding by the state law governing our program, including notifying local boards of education of our work with families in their jurisdiction and notifying them of any changes in enrollment. We interface with local jurisdictions for our out-of-state families and we take our responsibility to the law seriously. Our consultants conduct all required conference calls and scheduled contacts. Our families know that we will take care of all legal responsibilities so that they can educate their children with confidence and security. TLCI will disenroll any family who provides false information, fraudulent educational records, or fails to provide an educational program for their children.

Accreditation

The Learning Community International is a candidate for accreditation by the Commission for International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA), and includes accreditation by Middle States Elementary Schools. TLCI is looking forward to achieving full accreditation in October of 2008.

Accreditation will enhance the reputation and value of TLCI, and provide our families a significant measure of assurance and sense of security in a rapidly changing home-based educational and legal environment.

Program Goals

Strength-based learning is our focus and the keystone for implementing a successful learning program. The learner’s goals are developed to amplify their interests and strengths while accomplishing the tasks needed to complete their unique learning program.

The main goals of the K-8 Individualized Learning Program are to:

• Understand the academic/social/emotional profile of each learner in order to provide strategies that alleviate frustrations and ignite motivation and interest in learning.
  
• Provide direction in developing, documenting and evaluating the Individual Learning Program.
• Provide guidance in development of the learner’s ILP.
• Formulate short-term measurable goals and recognize completion as real progress towards long-term goals; give regular feedback on goal completion.
• Maximize each learner’s interest and motivation to achieve their highest potential.
• Broaden awareness and make supportive connections with other TLCI parents and learners.
• Help families to gain the confidence and expertise needed to move successfully forward.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

There are four conference contacts scheduled in a progressively wider span of time with support contact calls scheduled between conferences. All phone and/or videoconferences are designed to determine progress, review the learning plan, and provide appropriate guidance and support.

Conference 1 (August or Sept.) - PLANNING MEETING. — Consultant discussion with learner/family to assess learner needs and interests. Design the initial Individual Learning Plan (ILP), including resources and enrichment ideas. Support with the e-Tap curriculum. Schedule next conference.

Support Contact 1 - Two weeks later

Conference 2 (Oct) — Consultant discusses with learner/family to focus learner needs and interests and continue shaping and refining the Individual Learning Plan (ILP), including resources and enrichment ideas. Review and modify patterns of documentation as needed. Support with the e-Tap curriculum. Schedule next conference.

Support Contact 2 – Two-four weeks later. Provide guidance for completing Semester Review Form in preparation for the Mid-Year Review (Conference #3 in January/February).

Conference 3 (Jan/Feb) – MID-YEAR REVIEW — Portfolio Review is completed at this time via discussion and reception of supporting documentation through electronic means, for example: e-mail, electronic pictures, and/or materials received through postal service. Consultant communicates with learner/family to assess learner progress and to make any modification needed to the ILP, with a focus on the second semester learning goals. Schedule next conference.

Support Contact 3 —Begin planning process for the next year. Schedule final conference.

Conference 4 (June) – FINAL CONFERENCE — Review the year, including reviewing the spring semester and developing transcripts for the year. Help family/learner develop next year’s Individual Learning Plan. Make determination with parent/learner’s input of appropriate program support for the fall with the possibility of one or more additional Support Packages as needed or requested by the family.

K-8 Requirements

At a minimum, families are required to—

• establish, (with the consultant’s guidance) and execute an educational program for each enrolled child.
• maintain an educational record / portfolio of the child’s studies, to be used as one aspect of evaluating the program, creating transcripts and issuing progress reports to local authorities, if required.
• discuss the program with the consultant during scheduled conferences throughout the year, and other times as needed.
• provide samples of work completed by each enrolled learner 14 days prior to scheduled mid- year and end of year evaluations, and other times as needed.

K-8 ENROLLMENT FEES:

OPTIONAL

• Virtual Classroom—face-to-face tutoring Price TBD by hourly package purchased
• Support Package: $200 — Additional conferences/contact TBD by need

Basic Services, Support and Materials

Enrollment in an ACCREDITED private school.

Regular PHONE CONFERENCES – the educational consultant will call you a number of times throughout the year to review the program, offer support and guidance, answer all questions and address concerns.

Access to VIRTUAL CLASSROOM at a significant DISCOUNT.

TLCI handles all HOMESCHOOLING FORMS required for enrollment and registration with your local school district including contacting them if necessary.

K-8 electronic pdf. MANUAL providing guidance about executing an ILP, credits, and record keeping.

PROFESSIONAL TRANSCRIPTS reflecting each learner’s unique program.

TRANSCRIPT CREATION from your records prior to enrollment with TLCI, if needed.*

A DIPLOMA at graduation.*

DIRECT ASSISTANCE interfacing with colleges, public schools and workplaces.

STUDENT ID card*.

School code for SAT and ACT TESTING, and guidance for success on these tests.

Enrollment DOCUMENTATION for insurance companies.

COLLEGE CREDIT & HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT with dual enrollment.

Easy and flexible RECORD KEEPING accomplished with the materials we provide and further documented by your consultant during your conference calls.

TEACHER IDENTIFICATION card for parents. Get discounts from stores and museums.

Special e-PUBLICATIONS offering articles, interviews and other information supporting your homeschooling program.

Coming: virtual MATH & SCIENCE FAIR, PERFORMANCE & ARTS FAIR, and LEARNING FAIR.

Access to private e-GROUPS designed to provide a place where parents can find the latest information about events & resources, buy or sell materials and communicate with other TLCI families.

Years of EXPERIENCE with helping parents bring children OUT OF SCHOOL, guiding them through the adjustment period that accompanies this transition.

TLCI’s professional consultants and administrators have over TWO DECADES’ EXPERIENCE with homeschooling, including everything from “unschooling” to “traditional” curriculum studies.

(*Additional fee)