Do you want to homeschool in Maryland with fun, freedom and flexibility?
Become a Peaceful Worldschooler today! Peaceful Worldschoolers are committed to cultivating peace in the world beginning right in our own hearts and homes. We are a registered Maryland homeschooling umbrella, and we believe that families should have the freedom to pursue what they love with the people they love – without government oversight or overreach.
Choosing to start homeschooling can feel overwhelming… but it doesn’t have to be that way!
The truth is YOU have been homeschooling your child since the day they were born, and you will continue to do so until the day that you die. By the time your child is 5, you have probably already taught your child to:
- walk
- talk
- sit
- stand
- count
- identify shapes
- sing rhyming songs
- color
- name some (or all) of the letters and sounds
- recognize or write their name
- tell a story from beginning, middle, to end
- use scissors or a knife to cut something
- cook or bake their favorite food
- build something
- explore the world
- and more!
But even more important than each of those “school skills,” you have also probably taught your child “soft skills,” such as: teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, adaptability, communicating effectively, time management, cultivating
relationships/friendships, forgiveness, responsibility, and more!
Homeschooling is just continuing the work that you have already been doing by teaching and learning, loving and living with your child.
Are you ready?
Start homeschooling in Maryland today!
Meet Angela
Angela Harders is the founder of PAX Ministries and Peaceful Worldschoolers. She is a certified Spanish, ESOL, and Special Education teacher with a Master’s in Bilingual Education Curriculum and Instruction.
Angela is a best-selling author of the Christian Gentle Parenting book, Gospel-Based Parenting: A Biblical Study on Discipline and Discipling, as well as her latest book, Tales of a Toxic Teacher: Exposing the Cycles of Abuse Within Our Schools.
Angela is also a single mother of two who earnestly desired to find a way to empower and encourage ANYONE to homeschool who has the desire to do so!
She has now taught thousands of children, mentored hundreds of parents and families, and is excited to support you in your homeschooling/unschooling journey!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Peaceful Worldschoolers is the homeschooling ministry for PAX Ministries. We are a registered homeschooling umbrella in the state of Maryland which means that we will be responsible for supervising your homeschool instead of the county or state.
When completing the Notice of Intent to Homeschool Form, just select “Option B – Peaceful Worldschoolers Umbrella, 2832 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904.”
Homeschooling in Maryland is as easy as 1-2-3!
- Submit the notice of Intent To Homeschool Form (select Option B – Peaceful Worldschoolers Homeschool Umbrella, 2832 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904) to your county Superintendent at least 15 days before beginning your homeschool program.
- Allegany County*
- Anne Arundel County
- Baltimore City
- Baltimore County
- Calvert County
- Caroline County*
- Carroll County
- Cecil County
- Charles County
- Dorchester County
- Frederick County
- Garrett County
- Harford County
- Howard County
- Kent County*
- Montgomery County
- Prince George’s County
- Queen Anne’s County
- Saint Mary’s County
- Somerset County*
- Talbot County
- Washington County
- Wicomico County
- Worcester County
- Complete the Peaceful Worldschoolers Homeschool Umbrella Registration Form and pay the $100 annual registration fee.
- Complete the Annual Review via one of our 3 review options: Group Zoom, Peer Review, or Individual Review via phone.
*=I was unable to find a county-specific homeschool notification form, so this is the generic Maryland Intent to Homeschool Form.
While we welcome families of different homeschooling philosophies, personally, we are unschoolers, which means that we promote self-directed, child-led, passion-driven education.
We believe that your child is your curriculum, so while we can recommend various resources to support you and your child’s education, we do not promote any particular curriculum.
We also believe that part of being a homeschooling family means that we focus on the “home” before the “school.” For this reason, we provide online and in-person courses/events for children AND parents.
We invite you to join our Peaceful Worldschoolers of the DMV Facebook group where we host field trips and events every single week! Please feel free to invite your friends and family because our group is open to all – not just umbrella members. To get updates on our trips and connect with others in your area, be sure to join our WhatsApp group.
If you have questions about our educational philosophy, we invite you to join our FREE Unschooling Q&A held via Zoom on the last Wednesday of the month in English and on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in Spanish. Discover the joy of learning as you embrace educational freedom!
We ALL have so much to learn and grow – and it is a blessing that we can do so together!
To learn more about unschooling, check out the Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast or Angela’s TikTok or Instagram where she discusses concerns about the current education system, answers questions about alternatives like unschooling, and shares inspiration for families to live and learn with fun and freedom!
To join our umbrella as a Maryland homeschooler is just $100 per family per year.
We recommend that high schoolers consider joining PAX Academy, which costs $350 per child per year or $600 per family per year, so that they are able to receive transcripts and diplomas from our registered Private School rather than a parent-issued transcript or diploma. However, you are welcome to use our umbrella from K-12 if you desire and get additional support as needed for parent-issued diplomas.
You, as the parent, have the right to remove your child from school at ANY point in time. It does not matter if it is the 2nd day of school or the 2nd to last day of school.
As a result, we offer open enrollment ALL year. We will open enrollment for the following school year on June 1st.
We do not require you to keep or maintain a portfolio. This will allow you to focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you and your family. Yay!
Of course, if you want to keep a portfolio for your own records, you are more than welcome to, but it is not required.
As homeschoolers in Maryland, we are required to conduct an annual review each year. This is a great opportunity to reflect on your year, to share informally about the things you have done, and to ask any questions that you may have. You can choose to do your annual review in one of three ways:
- Group Zoom Review: We conduct our Group Review via Zoom on the 1st Wednesday of April at 8 PM EST. This is a great opportunity to connect with other homeschooling and unschooling families in your county.
- Peer Review: If you have a friend in our umbrella, you are welcome to conduct a peer review with one another and then submit the Annual Review Verification Form prior to June 1st.
- Individual Review: If you are unable to attend our Group Zoom Review and you do not have a friend in our umbrella (yet), you may conduct your annual review via a one-on-one phone call with certified bilingual special education teacher, Angela Harders.
To learn more about the homeschooling in Maryland, click here.
We support homeschoolers in Maryland in a variety of ways.
- Peaceful Worldschoolers of the DMV Facebook Group – We post weekly field trips and events in our Facebook Group, and we invite our members to also share your own meet-ups and events so we can build a strong homeschooling community in the DMV! Our field trips are a great way to get connected with other homeschoolers in your area while also learning some amazing things!
- Educational Consultations – If you would like additional one-on-one support for your homeschooling or unschooling journey, book an educational consultation with certified special education teacher, Angela Harders. Together, we will talk through any issues or concerns that you may have and make a plan so that you can create the ideal educational experience for your child and for you!
- Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast – Listen in as we have conversations with other unschooling and worldschooling families from around the world! If you are an unschooler and would like to be guest on the Peaceful Worldschooling Podcast, sign up here.
- Online Courses for Children and Adults – We provide a wide variety of online courses to support you and your children as you learn and grow. Our course list continues to grow, but here is a taste of what we are planning to offer:
- How To Determine My Child’s Reading Level
- Unschooling 101 – A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Directed Education
- Unschooling and Math
- Unschooling and Reading
- Reading and Typing Program
- Gospel-Based Parenting
If you are already homeschooling in Maryland under the supervision of the county or another umbrella, you are always welcome to change and join our umbrella! You would just need to re-submit the Notice of Intent to Homeschool Form (see How Can I Start Homeschooling in Maryland?) and indicate the change to Option B under the Peaceful Worldschoolers Umbrella.
Only children in Maryland can be supervised by our homeschool umbrella, but if you are in another state/country and would like to have the freedom to unschool, I encourage you to register in PAX Academy which is our registered private school and will meet the mandatory compulsory attendance requirement for most states.
By registering in PAX Academy, you will have the legal protection of a private school which means that you will be able to receive a diploma and transcript from a private school rather than as a homeschooler.
In fact, we recommend that high schoolers in Maryland register for PAX Academy as well so that you can avoid the tedious process of applying to college as a homeschooler.
Peaceful Worldschoolers (PW) is an unschool-friendly homeschool umbrella for families that live and learn in Maryland.
PAX Academy is a registered and accredited private K-12 school for families that live in all 50 states and almost every country in the world.
PW costs $100 per family per year.
PAX costs $350 per student per year with a family discount of $600 per year.
PW requires an annual review.
PAX does not require an annual review.
PW Students are homeschoolers and receive parent-issued transcripts and diplomas.
PAX Students are private school students and receive transcripts and diplomas from an accredited private school making the transition to college/career easier.
In addition, PAX Academy provides students and families with access to hundreds of resources and online courses, thousands of dollars worth of discounts, and a supportive community for embracing an unschooling lifestyle.
If you have additional questions that have not yet been answered here, you can book a FREE 15-minute phone consultation with Angela. If you believe that your questions will take longer than 15 minutes, I encourage you to register for a full Educational Consultation.