What Every California Homeschool Family Needs to Know
New Resource For PERK Families
Dear PERK Families,
Recently, we shared the story of a California homeschool pod that was investigated by the Department of Social Services, not once but twice, for the same false accusation. Both times, DSS’s own investigators found the complaint unfounded. And both times, a family that had done everything right was put under a microscope.
Since then, we’ve heard from many of you. Some of you lead pods and co-ops. Some of you are thinking about starting one. Many of you asked the same question: could this happen to us?
The honest answer is yes. That’s why we’re following up with what you need to know.
The family was accused of running “an unlicensed child-care center.” The truth was simple: no more than 12 home-educated students learning together on the family’s property, every family with a Private School Affidavit on file, and real instruction from a parent or capable educator for each child’s grade.
That’s not daycare. That’s education.
Being cleared is good. Being investigated again and again for doing nothing wrong is not. Every complaint, even a baseless one, can mean home visits, questions, and weeks of worry. It interferes with a parent’s right to direct their child’s education, and it makes families wonder whether home education is truly protected in California.
That’s why PERK sent a formal letter to DSS, copied to PERK’s attorney. When a family reaches out, we answer.
Know the Law: Homeschooling Is Not Child Care
California treats child care and education as two different things, governed by two different sets of laws.
Child care falls under the Health and Safety Code and is licensed by DSS. It covers places that provide supervision and personal care for children.
Home education falls under the Education Code. When a family files a Private School Affidavit and teaches the required subjects, that family is operating a private school, not a daycare.
Parent co-ops have their own recognition. California’s licensing rules exempt cooperative arrangements between parents when certain conditions are met: no payment for care, parents taking turns watching the children, and no more than 12 children in the same place at the same time.
As learning pods and co-ops grow across California, so will complaints from people who don’t understand the difference. Knowing the law is your first line of defense.
Setting Up Your Pod to Stay Protected
The family in our story was cleared because they had their paperwork in order. Here’s how to make sure yours is too:
Every family files its own Private School Affidavit. Each household in the pod should have its own PSA on file, not just the host family.
Keep your records organized. Attendance records, a course of study for each child, and the qualifications of whoever is teaching should be easy to find.
Describe what you do accurately. You’re a class, a co-op, or a learning pod, not “child care” or “babysitting.” The words you use in flyers, group chats, and sign-up forms matter.
Know your structure. A parent co-op and a pod with a hired teacher are set up differently under the law. If you’re not sure which describes your group, talk to an attorney before a question comes up.
If DSS Contacts Your Family
Save this list and share it with every family in your pod:
Stay calm and courteous. Being investigated does not mean you did anything wrong.
Write it down. Get the investigator’s name, office, and complaint number.
Keep records handy. Your PSA, attendance records, and course of study.
Get it in writing. Ask for the outcome of the investigation in writing.
Reach out to PERK. You don’t have to face this alone.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Parents, not the state, direct their children’s education. A family’s choice to educate at home, alone or alongside other families, deserves respect, not suspicion. PERK will keep standing in the gap whenever families are targeted for exercising that right.
If your family has been contacted by DSS, your school district, or any agency over your decision to educate at home, email us at info@perk-group.com.
And if you believe parents should be free to educate their children without being treated like suspects, please consider supporting this work. Every letter we send and every family we stand beside is made possible by people like you.
Save and Share
Here’s everything from this series on one page. Save it, print it, and share it with your co-op, your pod, and every homeschool family you know. The more families know their rights, the harder it is for false complaints to take hold.
Sincerely,
Amy Bohn
Co-Founder and CEO, PERK
Investigated twice, cleared twice. In Part Two, PERK shares what every California homeschool family needs to know to protect their learning pod or co-op.