As part of its mission and its recognition of the importance of education, PARI serves students in a variety of venues.  Programs that have been developed in support of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the South Carolina Curriculum Standards are key not only to students enrolled in public, private and religious schools in the area but also to students being taught at home.  With this in mind, PARI is working to support homeschool education in a variety of ways.

First, educators at PARI host homeschool groups on campus at PARI.  This venue affords the students not only an opportunity to receive an instructional program in PARI’s classroom or in the StarLab planetarium but also permits the students to participate in a tour of facilities.  Often, weather permitting, homeschool students visiting PARI have the opportunity to safely observe the Sun through one of PARI’s telescopes.

Second, PARI offers organized “Homeschool Days” on campus at PARI.   Offered twice per year, generally the first week in May and again the week before Thanksgiving, these programs offer students either a morning or an afternoon to participate in hands-on programs designed for specific grade levels.

Third, at the initiative of homeschool groups, PARI offers programs such as the StarLab planetarium programs at venues elsewhere.  In this case, it is up to the organizer(s) of the homeschool group involved to advertise the programs to other groups and individuals and to handle the registration and other logistics.

In addition to its local efforts, PARI is working with a network of statewide homeschoolers to determine additional ways to serve this important segment of K-12 students.  Suggestions and requests are always welcome.