Something is shifting.
Across the country, more parents are stepping back from the mainstream education system, not because they don’t value learning, but because they’re questioning how and where it’s happening. Homeschooling, once a fringe concept, is now a growing movement among families seeking something different: stronger values, deeper connection, and more meaningful learning in the early years.
This shift isn’t a knock on teachers. In fact, most of us know and deeply respect the incredible educators working within the system, many of whom are overwhelmed, under-supported, and expected to do far more than just teach. The truth is, teachers were never meant to wear all the hats. The responsibility of raising, guiding, and educating a child shouldn’t rest solely on their shoulders.
It starts at home.
As parents, we are the first and most consistent educators in our children’s lives. It is our job to lead, and when we work in partnership with teachers, therapists, and faith communities, children thrive. Just like in clinical settings where outcomes improve when multiple disciplines collaborate, education works best when families and educators walk together.
This blog is part reflection, part research, and part roadmap, a call to rethink what childhood could look like when we return to the roots of faith, family, and intentional living. Whether you’re already homeschooling or simply curious, I hope it offers clarity, encouragement, and the beginning of something new.
From Home to Classroom: The Evolution of American Schooling
The public school system as we know it today didn’t exist until the mid-to-late 1800s. Before that, most children were educated at home or in small community-based schools often rooted in religious instruction and practical skills needed for life and work. Reading, writing, and arithmetic were important, but so were chores, trade skills, scripture, and family values.
In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to pass a compulsory school attendance law. Over the next few decades, the idea of formalized education spread across the country, aiming to create a more literate, orderly, and “civilized” society. While the intentions may have been noble, the shift also centralized control and removed children from their family and community environments for the bulk of the day.
As the 20th century progressed, education became increasingly standardized, secularized, and industrialized. Children were grouped by age, expected to sit still for hours, and measured by test scores, not curiosity or creativity. By the early 2000s, we were deep into the era of state testing, academic pressure, and a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t account for individual development, temperament, or sensory needs.
Now, we’re seeing the fallout.
The Decline in Literacy and the Rise in Concern
Today, U.S. literacy rates are dropping, particularly among boys. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 32% of fourth graders in the U.S. read proficiently. The post-pandemic fallout has only deepened the gaps.
Meanwhile, more children are being diagnosed with attention difficulties, sensory challenges, and emotional regulation issues often exacerbated by the demands and overstimulation of traditional school environments.
It’s not that kids can’t learn. It’s that the environment isn’t always suited to how they learn best, especially in the early years.
What Homeschooling Really Looks Like
For years, homeschooling carried a reputation as rigid, unstructured, or reserved for fringe families. Now the landscape has changed, and so have the families choosing it.
Today’s homeschoolers are former public school teachers, dual-income parents using hybrid models, special needs families, military families, and moms and dads who simply want more time with their kids — not less.
It’s not about rejecting education. It’s about reclaiming it.
Let’s address a few of the most common misconceptions:
“Homeschooled kids lack socialization.”
Homeschooled children often engage with a wider variety of age groups and experiences. They socialize through co-ops, sports, church groups, community events, and real-world interactions that mirror adult life more than a classroom ever could.
“You need to be a trained teacher to homeschool.”
You don’t need a teaching degree to guide your child’s learning. You need curiosity, structure, access to good resources, and a willingness to adapt. Many homeschool parents outsource certain subjects or join cooperatives that allow them to share strengths.
“Homeschooling is only for religious families.”
While many families do homeschool for faith-based reasons, the movement is growing among secular families, military families, special needs families, and those seeking a more customized, child-led experience.
“Homeschooled kids fall behind academically.”
A 2021 study from the National Home Education Research Institute found that homeschooled students scored 15–30% higher on standardized tests compared to the national average, regardless of parental education level.
One of my favorite accounts modeling this well is @raisingwildsaints on Instagram. Sarah Ballard shares resources for all things homeschooling grounded in faith and play-based learning. If you simply want to know where to start click here!
Education Works Best When Families Lead First
Most teachers are doing the best they can with the resources they’ve been given, and many are truly remarkable. I’ve worked alongside educators, therapists, and support staff who pour their hearts into every child they serve.
Here’s the truth: teachers were never meant to do it all. They’re educators, not full-time behaviorists, emotional regulators, or primary caregivers. Yet, the current system increasingly expects them to fill those gaps.
That’s why the real foundation of a child’s development must begin at home.
Parents are not optional participants in education, they are the leaders of it. When we take ownership of our children’s learning, values, and emotional development, and partner with teachers instead of outsourcing everything to them, the outcomes improve for everyone.
It’s the same lesson I saw over and over again in the clinic: the families who engaged, followed through, and worked alongside the professionals? They saw real, lasting progress.
The best education is always a team effort, with parents leading the way.
The Fracturing of the Family Unit
If we want to understand what’s gone wrong in modern education, we have to look upstream — to the home.
Strong families used to be the bedrock of strong communities. Faith, commitment, and responsibility weren’t fringe ideals, they were assumed. Mothers and fathers raised their children with purpose, often with extended family and close-knit communities reinforcing shared values.
Something shifted.
Increased divorce rates, the normalization of single-parent homes, the decline of religious life, and the over-scheduling of both parents and children have all taken a toll. We now live in a culture that celebrates independence over interdependence, even when it’s clearly not working.
The result? Children are sent off to institutions younger than ever. Not necessarily because parents want to, but because the modern system demands it. With less time spent in the home and less formation of secure attachments early on, children are entering school with greater emotional needs and fewer foundational skills.
This isn’t a judgment on families doing their best. It’s a wake-up call: when the family unit weakens, every system that relies on it — including education — begins to crumble.
This is why the movement toward homeschooling and parent-led education isn’t just academic , it’s cultural. It’s about reclaiming what was always meant to be ours in the first place: the primary influence on our children’s minds, hearts, and souls.
The Power of Home in the Early Years (Ages 2–4)
Most homeschool curricula start around age 5, but the years before that are just as formative.
The toddler and preschool years are a critical window for brain development, attachment, sensory integration, and emotional growth. Yet many families feel lost without a guide or assume that “real learning” starts later.
Play is the work of early childhood. Parents are not only qualified, they’re uniquely equipped to lead it.
Children aged 2–4 don’t need desks, worksheets, or structured “school.” What they need is:
- Routines of connection: Morning cuddles, snack-time chats, and read-aloud rituals
- Purposeful play: Sensory bins, fine motor tasks, movement games, and pretend scenarios
- Opportunities for responsibility: Helping fold washcloths, feeding the dog, watering the plants
- Language-rich interaction: Conversations, storytelling, naming emotions, and singing songs
- Faith formation woven in: Simple prayers, grace before meals, and wonder at God’s creation
This age group thrives when we shift from performance to presence, from checking boxes to building bonds.
Faith, Family, and Foundation: The Cornerstones of a Meaningful Education
We often focus on academics when we think about school, but what truly shapes a child’s future isn’t just what they know, it’s who they become. And who forms that? The family.
In past generations, the family unit was the child’s primary environment for learning values, worldview, and self-worth. Community support, extended kinship networks, and shared faith traditions were woven into daily life. Children were raised in the presence of multiple generations, strong examples, and clear expectations.
As our modern culture moved toward busier schedules, fragmented households, and institutionalized systems, something fundamental got lost. The village became the system. And the system (no matter how well intended) can’t replace the heart of a family.
Faith-based education isn’t just about religion. It’s about forming the whole person (body, mind, and soul) through love, discipline, beauty, and truth.
A foundation in faith and family teaches children:
- That their life has meaning beyond performance or grades
- That they are part of something bigger than themselves
- That learning isn’t just academic, it’s moral, spiritual, and relational
When these values are built at home, they influence every other environment a child enters.
As someone who experienced the gift of Catholic education growing up, I know the impact of small class sizes, strong parental involvement, and an education rooted in virtue. But even more powerful than any school system is the domestic church, the formation that happens in our living rooms, kitchens, and bedtime routines.
That’s what homeschooling at its best can offer: not just academic instruction, but whole-person discipleship.
Returning Home
At the heart of homeschooling is something deeper than curriculum or test scores — it’s about reclaiming our role as the primary teachers in our children’s lives.
Whether or not you choose to homeschool long-term, the early years at home matter. They’re the foundation. Children learn best through connection, routine, and play.
If you have young children and are feeling overwhelmed not knowing what you should be doing with them, that’s okay. The truth is you just need to play with them. I bought all the activity kits off amazon and the work sheets with all well intentions, but it was all too much. They required so much supervision, they were at different levels of development, they weren’t ready to sit at the table to do activities.
Read to them. Sing with them. Let them help with dinner or sort the laundry. Play, snuggle, talk. Those simple moments build the strongest foundation.
It’s not about having it all together, it’s about building a family that’s forged by grace. Check out my blog on Why Having Three Kids is Easier Than One
Follow me on Instagram [@forged_by_grace] for free parenting tips, tools, and encouragement.
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