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We purchase the ASKhc website through Homeschool-Life.com. They're a great website host that was designed for local homeschool co-op groups but this means some of the questions that are standard and needed for local co-ops are required to request membership on the ASKhc website. As it's a preset we have the ability to either have it on or off, not in-between. So, here's what we've come up with.to bypass the information we don't need.
- Address
As I will not be mailing anyone Christmas or birthday cards (don't feel bad, I don't mail them to my family either), I don't need your full address. All programs are always placed under my home address and the only thing I need from that question is the correct state & country you live in. You're more than welcome to give your full address as only Heather & I will see it but also feel free to be creative. If you've ever wanted to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, here's the time to do so. As I said, I do need the correct state you live in to ensure I'm adding the correct PayPal fees to your cost-shares.
- Phone Number
Again, this is a feature that a local co-op would need so I understand why it's attached to the address but we're unable to turn that part off without a lot of extra work. As I will not be calling you and it's my phone number listed on the programs, feel free to put all zeros or if you'd like to be funny, you can now have Jenny's number! Sing it with me: 8675309. Wait, that was before area codes were necessary. I guess you could put 000-867-5309 and if you have no clue what I'm referring to, it's an oldie but goodie song from the 80's that you should look up on YouTube.
- Child's Name
This one is a bit tricky. ASKhc is not a government or state agency so I don't actually need your child's full name. If you do not feel comfortable sharing your child's name, you can use initials or a nickname for them. The tricky part is if you need to use these programs to satisfy your state homeschooling laws or you're using them for your child's high school transcript. Only Heather, myself & the company that owns the resource you're signing up for will see this information. If you feel uncomfortable sharing this information, I suggest the initials as that seems more fitting for high school transcripts.
- Child's Birthdate
Again, I will not be emailing any birthday cards so if you'd prefer to not give your child's actual birthdate, that's fine. What ASKhc needs is the year they were born. This is one of the details that is for ASKhc's organization. One of the first questions I'm asked when I contact a company on behalf of ASKhc is how many students & how many teachers. Many of our programs are for specific ages (early elementary, middle school or high school), by providing the year your child was born, it will help me answer that question & give a better estimate of if we can reach their goal of a discount.
- Child's Username/Email
This information is definitely needed by many of the programs that we purchase. If you'd prefer we choose a username for your child if the program requires it, please choose NONE for the username on the signup form. For the email address, it will need to be different than the teacher email address you signed up with. There are many programs that do require a different email address for each child.
- Child's Grade
This is something else that is needed and IXL is a great example. I didn't realize that the program needed a grade so I never asked that question on the IXL signup form. To push the program through so families could get started, I had to place all students in Kindergarten. If this happens again with a different program, I can just look that information up on the website. This does need to be updated each time your student finishes a grade to keep it up-to-date but apparently the website will remind you next year to do this.
- Adults Added as Children
After you have added yourself as the main adult, please add yourself also to the child section. Yes, I know this sounds odd but there are many programs that have a family cost-share. There are also many resources that can be used by adults (Minecraft EDU, Hearbuilder, etc...) so it would be very beneficial if you list yourself (and any other adults that might use any of the programs ASKhc would offer.
- Telephone/Cell Number
There is NO need to provide your phone number as ASKhc has chosen to NOT add this feature to our services for many reasons. I have contacted our web host but at this time, there isn't a way to turn off the cell phone number question. ASKhc will never call you or text you as it's just not a service we can provide. Please ensure you've set up a filter with your email provider so your ASKhc cost-share & welcome emails won't be blocked or sent to spam.
- Medical Notes/Allergies
As ASKhc is an online organization, we have no need for this information. Please don't worry about inputting anything in this space.
Lastly, when we signed up for the website through Homeschool-Life, I purchased the extra security certificate. My information is located here too & I wouldn't have signed up if I didn't think it was safe. Ultimately, I understand if the ASKhc website might not be a good fit for your family. The ASK Homeschool Community Facebook group will stay active for curriculum questions, program reviews, announcements, and of course, purchases that other groups/people are organizing. I will also continue posting when new opportunities are open but the signup forms will only be located on the website. Facebook continues to remove posts that have sign-up forms & discount codes, citing that they're "spam". Our hope is this website will keep everything in place & will eventually be easier to use for everyone.
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