Homeschool benefits and savings in Cincinnati and Hamilton County
A Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library Educator Card lets you keep up to 200 items checked out at once, with no fines, and request a teacher collection of up to 50 books chosen for your topic. Home school instructors who live in Ohio qualify with the home school letter from their district superintendent and a photo ID. Other options include college classes and scholarships.
Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library homeschool educator card
Who qualifies
Teaches at home
The library's list of educators includes home school instructors, alongside classroom teachers and licensed child care providers.
Lives in Ohio
You must live in Ohio or work in an educational setting in Ohio. Prove your home address with a driver's license, state ID, or a utility bill or bank statement less than a month old.
Has a superintendent's letter
Bring the home school certification letter from the superintendent of your school district of residence, dated for the current school year, plus a current photo ID.
Keeps a clean personal card
If your personal library card has excessive overdue materials or fines, you will not qualify for an Educator Card.
What the card gives you
The limits come from the library's Educator Card and Teacher Collections pages.
- Items out on the Educator Card
- 200
- Books in one teacher collection
- Up to 50
- Notice to prepare a collection
- 2 weeks
- Fines on Educator Card items
- None
- DVDs and videos
- Not allowed
Items become overdue after their final renewal date, and if an item becomes nonrenewable your Educator Card privileges may be suspended.
How to get the card
- Before you apply
Gather three proofs
Bring a photo ID, your superintendent's home school letter for this school year, and proof of your home address.
- Online or at a branch
Apply for the card
Apply online, at any neighborhood branch, or at the Main Library at 800 Vine Street. Families who cannot visit because of a disability may apply by mail.
- Two weeks ahead
Request a teacher collection
Ask in person, by phone, fax, or online for books on a subject, author, or reading level, then pick the collection up at the branch you choose.
- By Sept. 15 each year
Renew the card
Verify your address and your new home school letter, and show that both your cards are free of excessive fines or overdue items.
What it includes
Included
- Up to 200 checked-out items
- Teacher collections of up to 50 books
- Downloadable classroom sets on request
- Audiobooks and magazines in teacher collections
Not included
- DVDs and videos
- Cards for volunteers
- Delivered school collections, which require six teachers at a school
Who to contact about the card
The library tells educators to ask their children's librarian about Educator Cards, or to call the Main Library.
Cincinnati State homeschool College Credit Plus
Who qualifies
Is homeschooled in Ohio
CCP is open to Ohio students in grades 7-12. Homeschooled students follow the state's separate homeschool website and forms, not the ones for public or private schools.
Is admitted to Cincinnati State
Complete the CCP application and receive an acceptance email. The state funding application asks for that acceptance.
Has a parent SAFE Account
A parent must open a SAFE Account with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, then apply there for CCP funding during the state's window.
What it is worth
Cincinnati State's homeschool CCP page sets the reduced rate, fee waiver, and free books; the state pays tuition for the hours it awards.
- Tuition for state-funded hours
- Paid by the state
- Tuition for unfunded hours
- Reduced CCP rate
- College fees
- Waived
- Textbooks
- Free
- Award letter not sent to the college
- Billed directly
Cincinnati State does not post the reduced CCP rate in dollars, so ask the CCP office for the per-credit amount before your student registers for unfunded hours.
From applying to keeping it
- Any time
Open a SAFE Account
A parent creates the state SAFE Account needed for the CCP funding application.
- A month before the term
Apply to Cincinnati State
Submit the online CCP application and all admission documents at least one month before the semester to be sure of admission in time to register.
- Feb. 1 to April 1
Apply for funding
Apply in your SAFE Account for a full-year award covering summer, fall, and spring. If you miss it, apply September 1 to November 1 for spring only.
- After the award
Send the award letter
Email your funding award letter to ccp@cincinnatistate.edu so the college bills correctly.
- Each year
Send a new transcript
Returning students submit an updated transcript and receive a Letter of Renewed Acceptance within a week of the state funding deadline.
What it pays for
Covered
- Tuition for state-funded credit hours
- College fees
- Textbooks
Not covered
- Tuition for unfunded hours, charged at the reduced CCP rate
- Transportation to campus
Good to know
Unfunded hours are billed at a reduced rate
You pay Cincinnati State's reduced CCP tuition rate for hours the state does not fund, the same rate every non-public and homeschooled student gets. Fees stay waived and books stay free.
Who to contact
The CCP office handles applications, award letters, and billing for College Credit Plus students.
ccp@cincinnatistate.edu 513-569-5700 CCP contacts
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Ohio
You must notify the resident district superintendent within five calendar days after beginning home education, moving into a district, or withdrawing from school, and notify annually by August 30.
Ohio sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies.
- Testing: Ohio's current home-education law does not require an annual standardized test or academic assessment filing.
- Records: Keep copies of each notice and the superintendent's acknowledgment; the state does not require a routine portfolio submission.
- Teachers: Ohio's current home-education statute does not impose the former diploma-or-supervision requirement.
Read the Ohio homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Ohio
Questions parents ask
- Do we have to live in Hamilton County?
- No. The library requires that you live in Ohio or work in an educational setting in Ohio.
- Can I borrow movies on the Cincinnati library Educator Card?
- No. Videos and DVDs may not be borrowed on an Educator Card. Use your personal card for those.
- We missed the April 1 deadline. Can my student still start at Cincinnati State?
- Yes, for spring. Applying between September 1 and November 1 gives an award that covers only the spring semester.
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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