Homeschool benefits and savings in Louisville and Jefferson County
If you homeschool in Louisville or Jefferson County, a Louisville Free Public Library Educator Card adds a separate teaching account that borrows up to 100 items at a time for 30 days. Apply online or at any branch with proof of residency and your intent-to-homeschool letter or homeschool association membership. Other options include college classes and scholarships.
Louisville Free Public Library educator card
Who qualifies
Homeschools your child
The library names homeschooling parents as eligible. Show educator status with your intent-to-homeschool letter to the school district or membership in the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) or another homeschool association.
Lives in Louisville or Jefferson County
Proof of residency is required. Nonresidents who work, attend school, or own property in Jefferson County may also qualify.
Keeps the account in good standing
Your balance has to stay at $10.00 or less, and you are personally responsible for everything checked out on the card.
What the card gives you
Louisville Free Public Library's services page sets these limits for the Educator Card.
- Items checked out at once
- 100
- Books and most other items
- 30 days
- CDs, DVDs, and other 7-day items
- 7 days
- Highest balance in good standing
- $10.00
- Card valid for
- 1 year
The services page does not say how many times Educator Card items can be renewed, so ask when you pick up the card.
How to get the card
- Before you apply
Get your proof together
Find proof of your Jefferson County address and a copy of your intent-to-homeschool letter or homeschool association membership.
- Online or in person
Ask for an Educator Card
Apply on the library's website or at any branch and say you are applying for an Educator Card.
- Through the year
Use teaching services
Request Teacher's Collections, classroom visits, or a library field trip for your homeschool group through the library's request forms.
- Each year
Renew the card
The card lasts one year from your application. Renew it at a branch with proof of residency and educator status.
What it includes
Included
- Borrowing up to 100 items
- Teacher's Collections
- Library field trips and classroom visits
- Children's Bookmobile service
Not included
- Personal items
- Replacement cost of lost or damaged items
Good to know
Lost books must be paid for
You pay for a lost book. Fees can be paid online or at a branch, and branches can set up payment plans.
Who to contact about the card
Library staff answer questions about the Educator Card and educator services by phone or through the Ask a Librarian form.
Evolve502 Impact Scholarship
Who qualifies
Lives in Jefferson County
Your student must live in Jefferson County, Kentucky, and may be asked to prove it.
Graduates from an accredited home school
Graduates of private, parochial, or accredited home school programs in Jefferson County qualify, as do students who earn a GED within 12 months of leaving one.
Files the FAFSA and gets Pell
Your student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and be awarded a Pell Grant.
Enrolls at a partner college
Any KCTCS college, including Jefferson Community and Technical College, or Simmons College of Kentucky.
What it is worth
KCTCS charges Kentucky residents $198 tuition plus an $8 mandatory fee per credit hour for 2026-27; the scholarship covers what aid leaves unpaid.
- One class (3 hours)
- $618
- Minimum term (9 hours)
- $1,854
- Full-time term (12 hours)
- $2,472
- One year at 12 hours a term
- $4,944
- 60 credit hours
- $12,360
- Opportunity Grant, fall and spring
- $2,200 a year
Because the scholarship is last-dollar, your Pell Grant pays tuition first; ask Evolve502 how much is left for the scholarship at your student's college.
From applying to keeping it
- Senior year
Apply to a partner college
Apply to a KCTCS college or Simmons College of Kentucky.
- Senior year
File the FAFSA
List your partner college on the FAFSA, then complete the five-minute Impact Scholarship application, which opens in mid-August.
- From April
Get a conditional award
Evolve502 reviews complete applications from April and emails conditional awards starting in late April, on a rolling basis.
- Each semester
Take 9 credit hours
Complete at least 9 credit hours in fall and spring, keep satisfactory academic progress, and meet monthly with your Student Support Coach.
- Each year
Renew
File the FAFSA again and keep receiving a Pell Grant.
What it pays for
Covered
- Tuition
- Mandatory fees
- Up to six developmental or ESL credit hours
Not covered
- Optional fees such as housing
- Aviation Fixed Wing and Helicopter Flight degrees
Who pays first
- Federal and state aid, including Pell
- Evolve502 Impact Scholarship
The Opportunity Grant is separate: it comes through your college account even when aid already covers tuition and can pay for books, transportation, healthcare, childcare, or food.
Good to know
A Pell Grant is required, not a GPA
Your student does not need a certain GPA, but must file the FAFSA and receive a Pell Grant.
Who to contact
Evolve502 answers questions about the Impact Scholarship and Opportunity Grants, including in Spanish.
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Kentucky
You must notify the local district superintendent annually. Current KDE guidance says within the first two weeks of the school year, or within two weeks of public-school withdrawal, for a child of compulsory attendance age.
Kentucky sets these rules:
- Subjects: Parents choose the curriculum for a noncertified homeschool. Certified private schools must teach in English, offer public-school subjects, and provide at least 1,062 hours over 170 days annually; KDE recommends those hours and days for other homeschools.
- Testing: Kentucky does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: Keep attendance records and scholarship reports showing completed courses and grades, available for inspection by pupil-personnel and KDE officials. Work-sample portfolios are recommended, not mandatory.
- Teachers: No state teacher certification requirement for parents teaching their own children in a noncertified homeschool.
Read the Kentucky homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Kentucky
Questions parents ask
- What can I show for a Louisville Educator Card if I do not have a school ID?
- Homeschool parents can show HSLDA or another homeschool association membership, or a copy of the letter telling the district you intend to homeschool.
- How does the Evolve502 Opportunity Grant work?
- Students from households at $47,000 or below get $1,100 each fall and spring, added to the student account by the college with no separate application.
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.
Find benefits for your ZIP code