History of Homeschooling
homeschooling and family tree private school
Bob and Nancy Moral started Family Tree Ministries, a 501c3 organization in 1999 for the expressed purpose to Evangelize, Edify and Educate; and Family Tree Private School is part of this ministry. Many families are discovering the world of homeschooling and choosing a "parent directed" education model of schooling instead of a model exclusively with a teacher in a classroom. This term, "parent directed" was first introduced by Nancy Moral, the Director of Family Tree Ministries and Private School at a Florida senate education committee in the early 2000s and has since been adopted in many private and governmental bodies to describe homeschooling and education in our "type" of school.
"Homeschooling" was practiced in the state of Florida only in private schools until 1985, then the Florida legislature provided a means for those students to register publicly with the state. It is debatable if there are any benefits to registering with the state. Yet many private schools remained open for enrollment to continue this "parent directed" model with the added benefits of privacy, one-on-one support and official documentation which are the primary benefits to enrolling in Family Tree Private School.
Students enrolled in Family Tree Private School are not considered "homeschoolers" by law, as defined in the 1985 law though they are free to do the same things as all homeschoolers. Our students are considered 100% private school students for all intents and purposes of the law but can join the same homeschool support groups and activities and are strongly encouraged to do so! So, Family Tree students get the best of both worlds - unlimited activities in their local community of homeschoolers and registration with Family Tree Private School for the added benefits of privacy, one-on-one support and official documentation.
Why our School?
There are other schools like ours, but we are one of the oldest and most respected non-traditional schools in Florida. Nancy Moral, the Director is personally involved with each family and has exensive experience in home education with a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and Research and has been a leader in the homeschool movement since the mid 90s. Family Tree Private School maintains numerous professional affiliations for academic involvement, such as Florida Virtual School online, the College Board, dual enrollment programs, the Florida Parent Educators Association and more. Our students regularly go on to college, the military and the workforce well prepared. We work in concert with support groups and don't see ourselves in competetion with any other organizations serving students. We are all about doing whatever benefits our students!
Advantages to enroll with Family Tree Private School:
1. Complete privacy (instead of state enrollment) 2. Choice of excellent, reputable curricula and activities 3. Official documentation (transcripts, report cards and a high school diploma) 4. One-on-one support and guidance provided by Nancy Moral for testing, choice of curriculum, special education services, etc. 5. High school credits for dual enrollment, church activities, hobbies, job training, apprenticeships, etc. 6. Documentation for Community Service Hours, letters of reference, etc. 7. Access to free on-line classes, such as Florida Virtual School, dual enrollment and district testing services Nancy Moral interacts with all families directly to establish homeschool programs. Family Tree Private School has a long standing, excellent reputation statewide, and Director Moral has an extensive background in classroom and individual instruction, curriculum development, special education and school administration.
School Information: Department of Education School ID. # 3292National College Board ID. # 101-618Florida Teaching Certificate # 542928 for 30 years Florida Parent Educators Association #400Florida Non-profit Corp. # N00000005146 Florida Name Registration # G00236900044I.R.S. 501 c(3) Tax Exempt Organization E.I.N. # 65-1030629 Family Tree Private School Profile
