Homeschool benefits and savings in Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill Public Library calls itself the school library for homeschoolers: a free card for Cherry Hill residents unlocks 17 museum passes, research databases, Wi-Fi hotspots, and nature kits, and Cherry Hill homeschool groups can book librarian-led visits. Families outside Cherry Hill pay $100 a year for a card unless they fit a free category.
Benefits in Cherry Hill
- Cherry Hill Public Library homeschool resources
- Camden County Library homeschool card
- County library homeschool resources and museum passes
Cherry Hill Public Library homeschool resources
Who qualifies
Lives in Cherry Hill
All Cherry Hill residents get a free card, good for two years. Bring current ID; a parent signs the application for a child under 14.
Or pays as a non-resident
Non-residents under 65 pay $25 for three months, $50 for six months, or $100 for a year. Non-resident Cherry Hill taxpayers get a free one-year card with proof of paying taxes.
What the card gives you
The limits come from Cherry Hill Public Library's museum pass, Library of Things, and group visit pages.
- Museum passes
- 17
- Same museum per calendar month
- Once
- Booking window for a pass
- Up to 45 days
- Wi-Fi hotspot loan
- 7 days
- Hotspot checkouts per card
- 1 every 60 days
- Group study room
- 2-6 people
Late physical museum passes cost $15 a day, up to $75, and late hotspots cost $5 a day. The library lists no loan period for nature kits, so ask the Reference Desk when you borrow one.
How to use it
- Before you start
Get a card
Apply online in English, Spanish, or Chinese, or at the Circulation Desk with current ID.
- Up to 45 days ahead
Reserve a museum pass
Reserve online with your card or call the Reference Desk. You can reserve up to five different museums a month and no more than three passes for the same date.
- Day of use
Print or pick up the pass
Print-on-demand passes come from home. Physical passes are ready from 3 p.m. the day before and must be back by 11 a.m. the day after.
- For group learning
Book a visit
Email outreach@chplnj.org four to six weeks ahead for a tour, story time, or assisted research session for your homeschool group.
What it includes
Included
- Museum passes for 17 museums
- Online research databases and eBooks
- Wi-Fi hotspots and nature and night sky kits
- Group study rooms
- Tours, story times, and research sessions for groups
Not included
- Group visits for groups based outside Cherry Hill
- Free cards for most non-residents
- Lost passes, billed at replacement cost
Who to contact about homeschool resources
The Reference Desk handles museum pass reservations, study rooms, and borrowing questions, and Youth Services helps with children's programs at 856-903-1229.
info@chplnj.org 856-667-0300 Homeschool resources
Camden County Library homeschool card
Who qualifies
Lives in Camden County
The free homeschool card is listed for homeschoolers who reside in Camden County. Families in the 26 member communities, such as Voorhees, Gloucester Township, and Camden City, already get a free three-year card as residents.
Shows homeschool documentation
The policy asks homeschoolers for "documentation confirming status" but does not name a document. Call the library before you go and ask which homeschool paperwork it accepts.
Shows ID with a street address
Bring a photo ID with your current street address, or two other items with that address. Mail used as ID must be postmarked within the last 90 days.
Signs for children 14 and under
A parent or legal guardian must show ID and sign the application for a child age 14 or younger, and that child can borrow three items on the day the card is issued.
What the card gives you
The limits come from Camden County Library's borrowing policy (CIR-3), and the card prices come from its paid-card policy (CIR-2).
- Items out on one card
- 100
- Holds at one time
- 100
- Loan period for books
- 3 weeks
- Renewals per item
- 2
- Learning kits at one time
- 2 for 2 weeks
- Paid card for a non-member household
- $100 a year
Museum passes and Tech Take Out items such as mobile hotspots go only to cardholders 18 and older, so borrow them on the parent's card.
How to get the card
- Before you go
Call about homeschool proof
Ask which document confirms your homeschool status, and gather a photo ID or two items showing your current street address.
- At the branch
Register for the card
Apply in person at any branch. Sign the application for each child age 14 or younger.
- Each checkout
Keep fees at $5 or less
An account that owes more than $5 cannot check out or renew items until the balance drops to $5 or less.
- Each year
Renew the card
The homeschool card lasts one year. Renew online, by phone, or in person; in-person renewals need the same ID.
What it includes
Included
- Books, audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs
- Online and digital resources
- Learning kits and board games
- Museum passes and mobile hotspots for adults 18 and older
Not included
- Printing and copies, at $0.15 a page in black and white
- Replacement of lost or damaged items
- Late fees on museum passes, hotspots, and interlibrary loans
The library charges extended use fees on high-demand items: $5 a day for a late museum pass, and $1 a day, up to $20, for interlibrary loans and Tech Take Out equipment.
Who to contact about the card
The library's main line at the Voorhees headquarters answers questions about card eligibility and the documents to bring.
County library homeschool resources and museum passes
Who qualifies
Has a Camden County Library card
Member-community residents get a free three-year card.
Borrower is 18 or older
Museum passes go to adult cardholders, so a parent checks out the pass for the family.
Owes less than $5
The card must be in good standing, with less than $5 in fees, to check out a pass.
What the passes get you
Each pass's admission comes from Camden County Library's museum pass page, which lists who the pass admits.
- Museum of the American Revolution
- 2 adults, 4 children
- National Constitution Center
- 2 adults, 4 children
- Please Touch Museum
- Up to 6 people
- Elmwood Park Zoo
- 2 adults, 4 children
- Battleship New Jersey
- 2 adults, 3 children 11 and under
- Penn Museum
- Up to 2 people
Some passes are held at only one branch, and Battleship New Jersey and the Please Touch Museum also require you to bring the membership card and your library card.
How to borrow a pass
- Before your visit
Call the branch
Holds are not allowed on passes, so call the branch that has the pass. If it is in, the branch holds it for you through the end of that day.
- At the branch
Check out the pass
Show your adult library card and check the museum's own hours and entry rules before you go.
- Within 4 days
Return it to the same branch
Hand the pass to a service desk at the branch you borrowed it from, not a book drop. A late pass costs $5 a day, up to the cost of the pass.
- Any time
Use the homeschool resources
Browse the Home School sections at the Voorhees and South County branches, and use Tutor.com and other online resources with your card.
What it includes
Included
- Admission at 21 attractions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York
- Home School sections at the Voorhees and South County branches
- Tutor.com live tutoring from 2 p.m. to midnight
- Learning Express Library and Rosetta Stone
- Shop discounts with some passes
Not included
- Holds or renewals on museum passes
- Lost or stolen passes, billed at full cost
- Passes for cardholders under 18
Who to contact about passes and homeschool resources
The Youth Services desk at the Voorhees branch answers questions about homeschool collections and children's programs.
ChildrenVT@camdencountylibrary.org 856-772-1636 x7360 Museum pass program
Homeschool rules and statewide help in New Jersey
No routine annual notice. NJDOE identifies notice obligations after an unappealed denial of district enrollment and a transfer form when withdrawing an enrolled high-school student. A district may request documentation when credible evidence suggests noncompliance.
New Jersey sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide instruction academically equivalent to the local public school for a child of similar grade and attainment. District curriculum approval is not required.
- Testing: New Jersey does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: No prescribed homeschool portfolio or routine reporting. Evidence of equivalent instruction is useful if a district requests documentation based on credible evidence of a compulsory-education violation.
- Teachers: No state teacher certification required for a parent or other person teaching at home.
Read the New Jersey homeschooling guide See statewide programs in New Jersey
Questions parents ask
- Does our homeschool group have to be based in Cherry Hill to book a visit?
- Yes. Organized tours, story times, and assisted research visits are for schools, homeschool groups, and other groups based in Cherry Hill.
- What group visits can we book at Cherry Hill Public Library?
- Story time with a craft for preschoolers, an introduction to the library for grades K-3, and an assisted research trip for grades 1-5 that supports a unit you are teaching. For grades 6-12, teen staff offer book talks, a Mini Maker Faire, and an online databases presentation.
- Can a homeschool family get a free Camden County Library card if our town is not a member community?
- Yes. Camden County Library's card policy lists homeschoolers who live in Camden County among the groups eligible for a free one-year card, even though other residents of non-member towns pay for a card.
- Our town is a member community. Do we need the Camden County homeschool card?
- No. Residents of the 26 member communities get a free three-year card with ID, which lasts longer than the one-year homeschool card.
- Can a homeschool family use Camden County Library museum passes?
- Yes. Passes are open to any adult with a Camden County Library card in good standing, and homeschoolers who live in Camden County can get a free one-year card.
- Can I reserve a Camden County Library pass for a field trip next week?
- No. The library does not take holds on museum passes. Call the branch on the day you want to pick one up, and it will hold an available pass until that day's closing.
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$149/month per child after the trial.
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