DHCH membership
is open to all current and prospective homeschooling* families who live in the
vicinity of the Far North Valley/Desert Foothills (
*Homeschooling as defined by Arizona Families for Home Education means
instruction provided primarily in the child’s home and conducted by the
parent or guardian in accordance with A.R.S. 15-802. (Families whose children
are enrolled in a charter school, including virtual academies, are actually in the public school system and
therefore are not considered to be homeschooling in accordance with A.R.S.
15-802.)
If you are beginning
homeschooling and your child is 6 years old as of September 1st or is less than
16 years of age then you will need to complete an “Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool,” have it notarized, make a photocopy for your records, and take
the original signed and notarized affidavit to your County School
Superintendent’s office along with your child’s certified birth certificate.
Homeschool
Resource Packet - FREE with membership!
Thinking about homeschooling and/or joining a support group but
still not sure? It's worth becoming a DHCH member just so you can get our
valuable resource packet! This exclusive booklet contains all of the
information you need to know in order to make your decision and get started homeschooling. Try us out and even if you don't renew your membership, the
informative 75-page e-book is yours to keep. View the complete
Table of Contents here.
Apply for
Membership - Includes a FREE Homeschool Resource Booklet!
Before registering with DHCH, we suggest that you first read our
Statement of Faith on the "About Us" page. However, only those in
leadership positions will need to sign the statement of faith. Print out and complete
a membership application.
Mail it to the address on the form.
Applications are accepted year-round.
Also, please take a few minutes to complete our new member survey. It's optional, but any answers that you provide will help us to understand your needs so we may better serve you.
To have a membership application/survey
mailed to you, please request it using the "Contact" page.
Member Survey - If
you are already a member, this Member Satisfaction Survey is
for you. Let us know what's on your mind!
NEW! Donate Online
Member
Benefits
Homeschool Advantages - Among these are the freedom to choose a child's curriculum, closer parent-child relationships, ability to learn along with one's children, control of the child's moral environment, more individualized instruction for the student, and it costs less than a private school. Interaction with people of all ages is the best way to socialize children and avoid peer dependency.
Parents - DHCH seeks to provide adult members with fellowship and emotional support. New homeschoolers can
meet other beginners and can also learn from homeschool veterans.
Children - DHCH seeks to provide children of members with an opportunity to develop close friendships and to participate in educationally enriching activities together.
Fellowship Meetings - There are two regularly scheduled meetings per year, in the Fall and Spring. The Fall
meeting is a casual picnic in the park where the whole family can get acquainted
with other DHCH families. The Spring meeting typically features a
special guest speaker.
E-mail Group - Promotes fellowship by communicating and sharing ideas and information with the ease of e-mail. This is how we notify each other about field trips, meeting dates and times, upcoming events, legislative news and alerts, etc. Visit our Yahoo e-group "dhcs" on the web.
Phone Tree - A cascading telephone communication system ensures that every member gets a call for important events.
Membership Booklet - 75 pages of useful resources, articles, worksheets, and much more. Includes information on the
Membership Card - May be used to obtain
educator discounts at local stores.
Members Directory - Keep everyone's names, phone
numbers, and e-mail addresses handy.
Event Calendar - Find out what's happening on upcoming dates. (You will need to log in with your Yahoo ID.)
Lending Library – Check out homeschool books and curriculum for as long as you need them.
Blessings Fund - DHCH offers assistance for members who are undergoing financial hardship due to unemployment, salary reduction, illness or some other crisis. A portion of everyone's membership dues are put into this fund. It may be used for purchasing curriculum, paying for convention registration, or other reasonable and necessary expenses directly related to homeschooling. We consider requests on a case-by-case basis. Please inquire privately regarding your circumstances and needs, and your name will be kept confidential.
Activities & Events
Field
Trips - All members are encouraged to schedule field trips to destinations of their choice. Simply make the arrangements and then invite the rest of the group. It's just like getting a bunch of friends together to go someplace. Past field trips have
included: the Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona Science Center, Legislative Days, Childsplay, Phoenix Symphony, Fire
Safety Day, Medieval Festival, Renaissance Faire, American Heritage Weekend, Civil War Reenactments, Crows Dairy, Youngs Farm, Laura Ingalls Wilder Day, Pioneer
Living History Village, Mesa Southwest Museum, Indian Ruin hike, River
Day, apple picking, camping, stargazing, and many more. For hundreds of
field trip ideas, see: www.ArizonaEdventures.com
Special
Events - DHCH hosts various special events such as: River Day, Recognition Night, Promotion Ceremony, Academic Fair, Talent Show, Used Curriculum Sales, etc. if there is enough interest in any given year.
Community Service - Our volunteer projects have included: Operation Christmas Child, serving breakfast at a homeless shelter, and cleaning up the Black Canyon City Memorial Cemetery. As an ongoing project, don't forget to clip and save those Campbell's UPC's and General Mills boxtops!
Physical Education - In 1999, DHCH brought the
first homeschool P.E. classes to our area. These were originally held at the New River Park with Coach Joe Oswald of Athletes in
Training
Mentor Moms - A time to share ideas, discuss
curriculum, and support one another in our homeschool journey. Bring a
chair, something to drink, paper/pencil, and your questions. It is held as
needed on the first Friday of each month, following P.E. at
Fundraisers
DHCH is run entirely by volunteers but we do incur nominal expenses for maintaining our website, paying guest speaker honorariums, renting the park, advertising in the local papers, purchasing materials and supplies, etc. You can help support DHCH by voluntarily paying the annual membership dues, purchasing DHCH t-shirts (optional), or saving UPCs and boxtops.
T-shirts ~ Matching t-shirts provide a
sense of group identity and make it easy to spot each other in a crowd. The "official" shirt for our homeschool group is the yellow cotton tee with DHCH logo on front. Online ordering makes it easy to get an assortment for the whole family. At least 10% of each sale is donated to DHCH. Click here for more details or go directly to the t-shirt gallery: http://www.zazzle.com/DesertHills*
Campbells Labels for Education™ ~ Collect and save UPC codes
and caps – no more labels! These can be
used to get free stuff for our homeschool group such as library and reference
materials, software, videos, science kits, microscopes, art supplies, sports equipment, even computers and musical instruments. To view all eligible
products, see: www.labelsforeducation.com
(There is a
collection can on the homeschool shelf at the BCC library, or bring them to our
meetings, or contact us for a mailing address to send them.)
General Mills Boxtops for
Education™
~ Helps earn cash for our homeschool group. Simply clip Box Tops coupons from
hundreds of General Mills products, and General Mills will pay 10¢ for each Box
Tops coupon redeemed, which we can use to buy supplies and pay for activities.
To view participating products, see: www.boxtops4education.com
(There is a
collection can on the homeschool shelf at the BCC library, or bring them to our
meetings, or contact us for a mailing address to send them.)
Please keep on clipping those UPCs and boxtops all year round! You can even get your kids involved and it’s an easy, fun, no-cost way for your family to help support Desert Hills Christian Homeschoolers!
Quick Links
Arizona Edventures
(Educational
adventures in
Arizona Families for Home Education (Since 1983, the oldest and largest homeschool organization in the state; download an "Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool.")
Arizona Homeschool Resources (A summary of the state's homeschool law, the history of home education in Arizona, famous Arizona home schoolers, local resources, etc.)
Arizona
Origin Science Association (Providing knowledge
and understanding of Creation issues in order to strengthen our faith in God. Monthly
meetings with expert guest speakers. Parents, teachers, and youth are encouraged
to attend their free presentations.)
Sports Kidz (The
Center for Arizona Policy
Home School Legal Defense Association (These advocates of family and freedom have been providing legal representation for homeschoolers nationwide since 1983.)
Homeschool Patriot (Resources for preserving and promoting our history and heritage.)
Knowledge House Learning Resource Center (A comprehensive homeschool resource site filled with information, ideas, and inspiration. Exclusive articles, reviews, mini unit studies, educational resources, and a library of links; plus fun stuff for kids!)
Knowledge House Newsletter (Receive a free monthly e-newsletter featuring original articles, unit studies, holiday ideas, teaching tips, quotations, book reviews, biographies of famous homeschoolers, science experiments, learning links, etc. Each issue contains a freebie or bargain, too!)
Little Brick Schoolhouse (LEGO products hold virtually unlimited potential for hands-on learning and fun. You can teach just about every subject from math and science to history and literature using LEGO bricks. Fun and educational for all ages!
Maricopa
County Superintendent of Schools (
Yavapai
County Superintendent of Schools (
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in the truth.”