Homeschool benefits: Mid-Prairie Community School District
Mid-Prairie Home School Assistance Program (MPHSAP) in Kalona pairs your family with one of more than 30 homeschool teachers and opens a resource center of more than 30,000 items, plus K-12 enrichment classes, monthly field trips, and free fall testing. Families in the Mid-Prairie district and families who open enroll can join.
Who qualifies
Lives in Mid-Prairie or open enrolls
The program serves Mid-Prairie district families and families who open enroll from other districts by submitting an open enrollment application.
Submits enrollment papers
Fill out the enrollment form and submit a current immunization or exemption form and a copy of your child's birth certificate.
Keeps 16 teacher contacts
Supervising teachers must have at least 16 contacts a year with you and your child, eight face to face, at home, at the center, or another agreed place.
What the program gives you
These terms come from the Mid-Prairie Home School Education Center page and the MPHSAP Family Handbook.
- Materials you can suggest
- $150 per student a year
- Iowa Assessments
- Free, each October
- Teacher contacts
- 16 a year, 8 in person
- Kirkwood Academy courses
- No cost to families
- Black-and-white copies
- 5 cents each
- Diploma option
- 28 units
Fee-based field trips are often prepaid by the program, and you may still be charged if you cancel.
From enrolling to keeping it
- Before you enroll
Send the interest form
Use the Interested in HSAP form on the program page, and open enroll if you live outside Mid-Prairie.
- To enroll
Submit enrollment papers
Turn in the enrollment form, immunization or exemption form, and a copy of your child's birth certificate.
- September
Register for testing
Sign up in advance for free Iowa Assessments given each October; results go only to you.
- Each quarter
Meet your teacher
Hold four contacts a quarter, half face to face; resource center visits and classes are logged too.
- By Feb. 28
High school academy sign-up
Kirkwood Academy registration is typically due February 28 of the previous year.
What it includes
Included
- Supervising homeschool teacher
- Resource center checkouts
- Free standardized testing
- High school support classes and diploma option
Not included
- Cash payments to families
- Copies and laminating, which cost a small fee
- Some field trip fees
Iowa law bars the program from paying families, and materials it buys stay program property.
Good to know
Testing is not required
Testing and portfolio evaluation are optional, and when you ask for testing the program provides it at no cost.
Your teen can earn an optional diploma
The optional MPHSAP diploma needs 28 units, Iowa Assessments at or above the 40th percentile in junior year or an agreed alternative, and two years in the program.
Who to contact about the program
The center at 1592 Angle Rd. SW in Kalona answers enrollment questions and gives out the resource catalog password.
hsap@mphawks.org 319-683-2280 Program page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Iowa
You do not have to file a homeschool notice for independent private instruction.
Iowa sets these rules:
- Subjects: IPI must cover mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies at all grade levels. CPI must provide at least 148 days of instruction annually, with attendance on at least 37 days each school quarter; its other rules depend on the option.
- Testing: No standardized testing required for independent option.
- Records: IPI must provide specified instructor, location, authority, and student information on written request; CPI reporting and record rules depend on the option.
- Teachers: Iowa does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Read the Iowa homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Iowa
Questions parents ask
- When is the resource center open?
- From August 10 to May 31 it is open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; it closes June 12 to August 7.
- Can high schoolers take college classes?
- Yes. Kirkwood Academy students earn high school and college credit at no cost to families, and concurrent and PSEO courses are also options.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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