Homeschool / Motherhood on a budget - 5 Programs you should know about

Transcript

I know I'm not the only one living on a budget these days times are hard but that doesn't mean we have to give up on the tools that will provide our children with an excellent education we just have to be kind of crafty and know how to find those good programs so today I want to talk about a few programs I have found that have been amazing so I'm going to tell you about each program and then I'll tell you what to Google to find the program in your area first up free Chromebooks many states have initiatives that are providing technology access to families that may not be able to afford them before you say we're not going to qualify for that we're medium income we're middle class we're upper middle class no remember what I always say don't ask if you qualify always ask how you can qualify and if you don't find a way to qualify you're going to apply anyway if you don't live in the Target County or if you don't meet the income requirements May maybe you know someone who does and maybe they'll be willing to go get the Chromebook and give it to you we all know that there are a lot of programs for low income people but not that many programs for Middle income people but luckily these programs that I am talking about today are accessible to you too and keep in mind income is only one way that you could possibly qualify for these programs there are always other ways but people don't bother to scroll down and read the fine print just because you've missed the deadline or you feel like you don't qualify send an email make a phone call go down there in person I guarantee you these programs are so underutilized there's a Chromebook there for you as a teacher I know firsthand how underutilized these programs are I have seen so much food in food programs just thrown away I've seen Electronics sit on the shelves for years before anyone figures out what to do with them and guess what happens when Electronics these days sit on shelves they become obsolete so if somebody doesn't get these Chromebooks within a year or two there are updates and they make those Chromebooks look like toys for babies so I actually found out about this free Chromebook program last year but I didn't qualify for my County I had missed it it's come up again in a different location however I missed the deadline I wasn't even sure if I qualified and when I tried to get on the waiting list I was number 52 but guess what I did I went up there anyway I saw that this was a one-day event and I figured if they don't give all the Chromebooks away what are they going to do with them they're going to have to give them to someone so I went up there and I said hey I know I may not qualify I know I missed the deadline I know I'm not registered but if there are any Chromebooks left at the end of the day can I get one and you know what they said yes put your name down here on our super secret list and if there are extra Chromebooks we will give you a call guess what the next day I got a call that means a lot of people who were signed up and a lot of people who were on the waiting list didn't even bother to show up to get their Chromebooks and if you really don't qualify check your local library these days most libraries have long-term lending programs on electronics and you can rent out a Chromebook in the spring I rented Chromebooks for the girls and it was a 12 week loan well when that 12 weeks came no one else was requesting those Chromebooks and so they renewed and they kept renewing we had those Chromebooks for 5 months to find these programs do a Google search for Chromebook distribution near me digital divide in my state or connectivity programs in my state connectivity programs near me number two I am so excited to share this one with you we all know that music lessons can be expensive but they're so important to develop your child's mind but it's also good to get scholarships to get into good high schools and good colleges I found this program by accident when I was searching for a way to get discount tickets to the B bore Symphony Orchestra it's called orc kids here in Baltimore and I did a quick Google search and it found some in New York and California as well so I'm certain we're going to find some in your area this program is run by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the goal of this program is to provide high quality classical music instruction to children who wouldn't normally be able to access this type of training this particular program is run in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools but nowhere on the website does it say you need to attend Baltimore City Public Schools or even live in Baltimore city now it is like an after school program so obviously if you don't live close to Baltimore City you really wouldn't be going and even if it did say that on the website what would I have done showed up anyway and asked if it were okay so I went to the orientation they had this really cute petting zoo I saw a couple of you homeschoolers there so hello if I saw you there I was truthful on my application we're homeschoolers we don't live in the city and that was fine the the instructors were really good one of them was actually in the program when he was young and now he is graduating from pebody which is a prestigious Music Conservatory here in Baltimore something on their application form kind of tipped me off to the fact that Peabody also might have a similar program so I looked it up and they do Peabody is not just a school for instrumental music they are also a school for visual art so ballet and dance and yes they have a similar program and provide scholarships so look into both of those programs and look to see if there's something like that near you okay so to find these type of programs look up your local Symphony Orchestra go on their website even email them and ask them if they have something like that or know of something like that and Google your local school of dance music theater once I saw that Peabody had a program I looked it up and juliard in New York also has the same program number three your area may have like mine a book bank and free bookstores yes a book bank it's like a food bank but for books we have the book thing here in Baltimore and we also have the Maryland book Bank the book bank and the book thing and another free bookstore that's not around anymore those places are the reason why my girls had tons and tons of books when they were toddlers the reason I found out about these bookstores is because I read reading in the Wild by donalan Miller and she proposes that we put cheap or free books in our children and our students libraries so that we don't inadvertently suck the joy out of reading and books by protecting those books from children so by allowing children to be able to tear up books to read them in the kitchen to read them while they're having breakfast to carrying them around to different places to maybe even losing them and knowing that hey that is okay I'm just glad that you are interested in books I feel like free bookstores and book Banks aren't as ubiquitous as something like the Chromebook program so could you please if you know of any in your area please write it down in the comments below let us know where your location is or what book Banks bookstores book programs you know of and also remember take a look at your surrounding states it is worth it to take a road trip I have driven hours to get a car full of books before it is totally worth it also be sure to check out used bookstores because they often have sales but they also give away books for free or basically free I got probably 30 40 books for free from a local bookstore in DC recently also check your address another program that you guys put me on to was the Dolly Parton books program that provides free books for children I think all the way up until they are 5 years old now if you have never heard of this next program I'm about to blow your mind this is called the buy nothing project a buy nothing group or Community operates under the idea that we need to reuse old or unwanted things if you need something there's a good chance that someone in your local neighborhood has that thing and they aren't using it you can find buy nothing groups on Facebook they also have an app but it's not as popular most of the time on Facebook they are organized by your specific Community some people are really strict like you have to live in between this street and this street to join our buy nothing group because they don't want you driving across town because part of the spirit of the movement is to reduce waste so if you're driving to go get something that's very a very far distance me but other people really don't care if you're not on Facebook you can try an app called free cycle otherwise just go to Facebook and search and you're going to search for buy nothing and then your town name or buy nothing near me and number five I'm going to end with two really quick programs that you can access from your local library did you know that your child can get free tutoring through your library all the libraries in our state offer this if you go through the library you can access free tutoring through a website called brain fuse now I'm going to be honest I have not used this yet so I still need to test it out but I did go onto the platform I logged in and I saw what it was like it feels like it's for students in third grade or above and if you have middle schoolers and high schoolers this is amazing because they get live homework help they can take a picture of their textbook or write the problem take a screenshot from whatever they're supposed to do in class chat with the tutor and the tutor will help them through the program the tutor can screen share and show them how to do the problem it looks really cool you know that private tutoring is very expensive so this is a really great one that I hope you guys look into students can log in beginning at 2:00 going all the way up to midnight for