The Kitchen Table Classroom

If you are thinking about homeschooling, there are several things you'll need to resolve before getting started. "How organized are you?" asks Cheryl Lewis, a homeschooling mom of four and senior editor at Suite101.com, in her article Deciding to Homeschool Your Young Children. Choosing to homeschool your preschool or kindergarten child is not a decision to be taken lightly. "If you are going to homeschool you need to consider the degree to which you can truly commit to meet this need for your child," Lewis continues. "Keep in mind that preschool and kindergarten do not have to be all day, every day courses. Two, three, or four days per week for one to four hours per day, depending upon the age of your child is a pretty accurate timing period."

Homefires.com editor and publisher Diane Flynn Keith also states, "The time required to do this will vary among families—but in general, any structured learning takes a fraction of the time that it would in a school setting."

Another consideration you'll need to address is your state's educational codes and regulations. Even though homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, "each state has different rules and education codes that determine how a family can legally homeschool their children," says Flynn Keith. So, before getting started, you'll need to check with your state government to find out if you must register your child as a homeschooler. Some states also require that you adhere to a particular curriculum, or participate in the annual state-wide educational testing. Additionally, in many states preschool is not mandatory—and in some states neither is kindergarten.