Homeschool benefits and savings in El Paso County
A Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Educator Card lets you borrow 50 items at a time for six weeks, with no overdue fines, on an account separate from your personal card. Homeschool parents who live in El Paso County qualify with a notice of intent, an umbrella school ID, or a Colorado teaching license.
Who qualifies
Lives in El Paso County
Homeschool families must live in El Paso County to get the card, even when their umbrella school is somewhere else.
Shows homeschool proof
Bring a Notice or Letter of Intent to Home School that shows your child's name, address, and an El Paso County school district, an ID card or papers from an umbrella school, or a current Colorado teaching license.
Kindergarten needs no proof
Parents homeschooling a kindergartner are exempt from the homeschool documentation and still receive an Educator Card.
Brings ID and address
PPLD asks adult applicants for valid identification, proof of address, and date of birth. Without them, the library may issue only a limited access account.
What the card gives you
The limits come from PPLD's Educator Card page and its library card procedures.
- Items out at once
- 50
- Loan period
- 6 weeks
- Renewals per item
- 1, automatic when eligible
- Overdue fines
- None
- Interlibrary loan requests
- Not allowed
- Account length
- 1 year
PPLD bills the replacement cost when an item is not returned by its due date, and borrowing stops once account charges reach $10.
How to get the card
- Before you go
Gather your proof
Bring your notice of intent, umbrella school ID, or Colorado teaching license, plus photo ID and proof of your El Paso County address.
- When you apply
Ask for an Educator Card
PPLD sets it up as a second account, so you keep your personal card alongside it.
- Each checkout
Return within six weeks
Eligible items renew once on their own. Items that do not come back are billed at replacement cost.
- Every year
Renew with new proof
Educator privileges last one year. Show current proof of educator or homeschool status to keep the card.
What it includes
Included
- Items from PPLD's checkout collection
- Automatic renewal on eligible items
- A second account beside your personal card
Not included
- Interlibrary loans
Good to know
Your family must live in El Paso County
The umbrella school can be anywhere, as long as your family lives in El Paso County.
Who to contact about the card
PPLD's phone line answers general and reference questions Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Colorado
Give written notice to a Colorado school district 14 days before starting and each year the program continues. Notice is not required before age 6; instruction need not begin until age 7 or continue after age 16.
Colorado sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide at least 172 days of instruction averaging four instructional contact hours daily, covering reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, history, civics, literature, science, and regular instruction in the U.S. Constitution.
- Testing: Academic evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11: standardized test or evaluation by a qualified person.
- Records: Permanently keep attendance, test or evaluation results, and required immunization records; produce them on 14 days’ written notice when the superintendent has probable cause to believe the program is noncompliant.
- Teachers: Instruction is provided by a parent or legal guardian, or an adult relative designated by the parent; no teaching license is required.
Read the Colorado homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Colorado
Questions parents ask
- Do I give up my own PPLD card to get the Educator Card?
- No. The Educator Card is one of the few cases where PPLD lets one person hold two accounts, so your personal card keeps working.
- What if a book comes back late?
- There is no overdue fine on the Educator account. If an item is not returned, PPLD charges its replacement cost, and a $10 balance suspends borrowing.
- We live in the Widefield School District. Can we get one?
- Possibly; ask PPLD first. The Educator Card page asks only for El Paso County residence, but PPLD's card procedures exclude Widefield School District from its service area.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Books and library resources give your child something to explore. We turn their interests into coursework, so library discoveries can lead to deeper study at home.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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