Some features of this Group Services section are available only to our Discount Groups and Affiliates. To register for log-in access, you will need your group’s name, the zip code of the organization you represent, and the access code provided in your Discount Group or Affiliate confirmation letter or email. If you do not have this information, please contact Group Services.

Meet the criteria of a homeschool group: A group, co-op, program, or other organization which exists expressly to provide information, support, activities, and/or encouragement to homeschooling families. (Remember that the average homeschooler browsing this list is looking for local support for day-to-day homeschooling, which could include regular meetings, sports activities, field trips, clubs or classes, etc. Lists of service providers can be found elsewhere on our site.)

• Enroll and maintain a minimum of 10 HSLDA member families. (We do not require all your support group members to join HSLDA.)
• Maintain an enrollment/membership list (online roster).
• Have regular communication (at least twice a year) with your families about HSLDA benefits, via newsletter, personal letters, or meetings, etc.
• Promote HSLDA membership to your families. (Materials are available at no charge for member packets, welcome table, etc. Links to service providers, blogs, or social networking pages can be found elsewhere on our site.)

• Gives your group members a 17% discount ($20 savings off HSLDA annual membership)
• Gives you the opportunity to earn rewards through our Roster Rewards program
• May qualify your group for our Home School Foundation grant
• Entitles you to publish more detailed information about your group on our site
• Provides access to the soon-to-be-launched leadership forum and other exclusive leadership resources.

Here's one example of what you might adapt for your newsletter or other publication:

We recommend that homeschooling families join HSLDA. Even if you never experience legal trouble yourself, your HSLDA membership will help enable other homeschooling families to get the legal help they need and will help defend our right to homeschool here in [your town]. Membership in HSLDA also gives you personal access to the legal staff; HSLDA's experienced high school, struggling learners, and early years consultants; selling privileges at the HSLDA Curriculum Market; and discounts through HSLDA's PerX program. (For more information about HSLDA's many benefits, see www.hslda.org.). [Your group] members SAVE $20 off the HSLDA membership price when you enter our Discount Group code xxxxxx on the HSLDA membership form!

HSLDA members who switch from another Discount Group to your Discount Group need to do one of the following:

For existing groups:

• The member may contact HSLDA directly via email or phone to make an immediate change, or
• The member may indicate the change on his annual HSLDA Membership Renewal Form (HSLDA sends renewal forms directly to members; group leaders do not need to process them.) or
• The leader may simply add the member to the group's online roster.

For new groups applying for group status:

Each current HSLDA member fills out an Enrollment Form to be included in the group's application packet. This form authorizes the use of the new Discount Group number.

HSLDA provides an online roster of the HSLDA group members using your Discount Group number. Once your Discount Group status has been approved, we will send you details on where and how to access this roster. You will need to register on the Group Services website in order to access your roster. From this secure site, you will be able to add new families and remove ones who are no longer a part of your group.

If you are already a Discount Group, please click on "Update Your Group Roster" on the Quick Links sidebar to your left to view your group's roster. We do ask that you update your online roster at least twice per year. It is most helpful to update once between August and December and once more between January and May. Groups who do update twice during the school year will qualify for the Roster Rewards Program.

If the number of HSLDA members in your group drops to fewer than seven families, you will be given a three-month grace period in which to regain the minimum level of ten member families. If your group fails to meet the ten-family membership minimum by the end of the grace period, your group may lose its Discount Group status.

NEW! In the past, only Discount Groups have been listed on our support group directory. However, to better serve our members, we recently added the capability to list other groups, not just those who who participate in the Discount Group program. Discount Groups now have the benefit of listing more complete information about their programs, while non-Discount Groups will be able to list their group name and contact information.

In recognition of the strategic role that state and local groups play in homeschooling, HSLDA and the Home School Foundation (HSF) developed a grant program for eligible groups (those with 25 or more HSLDA members on their Discount Group rosters). Last year, the Foundation was able to help more than 60 homeschool groups with grants for various projects—from lending libraries to assisting widows and single parents as they homeschool.

Information is sent to qualifying groups via email in the late spring of each year; please verify your group's contact information so your information and application go to the correct address. (All grants need to be used for tax-exempt purposes that further the mission of homeschooling and cannot be used for any direct lobbying.)

For more information regarding the Home School Foundation and those they serve, please visit the Foundation website. Additionally, if you know of families who would qualify for help from the Foundation, please encourage them to contact HSF at (540) 338-8688. You may also designate an Ambassador to serve as a point of contact for HSF. (See next question.)

The Home School Foundation's Ambassador program is a network of dedicated volunteers all over the country making a difference at the local homeschool level, aiding families so they can continue to homeschool through hard times. Ambassadors help organize and implement local service projects, such as repairing a homeschooling widow's roof, helping a single mom with yard maintenance, or putting together backpacks of school supplies for needy homeschool children.

So we can better serve your families—especially during these difficult economic times—we encourage you to identify a volunteer in your group to be a liaison between the Home School Foundation and homeschool families in need within your community, region, or state.