Homeschool benefits and savings in Suffolk
Suffolk Public Library's Homeschool Hub runs sessions for homeschooled students in grades K-12 at its Downtown and North Suffolk branches, with this fall's series on youth safety and wellness. Regular sessions need no registration and no library card; only field trips require you to register.
Who qualifies
Homeschools in grades K-12
Homeschool Hub is a place for homeschoolers in grades K-12 to connect with other families and enrich your curriculum.
No card or sign-up needed
You do not need to be a library member, and regular sessions held in the library need no registration.
Registers for field trips
Field trips have limited seating, so every child and adult who will attend must be listed when you register.
This season's sessions
The dates come from the Homeschool Hub schedule for this season's Skill Building: Youth Safety and Wellness series.
- Internet Safety with Sheriff Miles
- Sept. 15, Downtown; Oct. 1, North
- Household Chemical Safety
- Oct. 13, Downtown
- Tobacco and Vaping Dangers, Western Tidewater Community Services Board
- Oct. 29, North
- Nutrition, Virginia Department of Health
- Nov. 10, Downtown
- Topic to be announced
- Dec. 3, North
The page does not list session times, and dates can change with presenter availability, so call the branch or email the program contact before you go.
How to join
- Before you go
Check the schedule
Confirm the date and branch on the Homeschool Hub page; changes are emailed to families who registered.
- At the branch
Drop in
Bring your children to the session at the Downtown Suffolk or North Suffolk Library; no sign-up is needed for in-library sessions.
- For field trips
Register everyone
Sign up ahead and count every child and adult who will attend, because seats are limited.
- Any time
Get a library card
A card is optional for the Hub but opens the library's free materials and resources. Apply in person for now, since online applications are temporarily unavailable.
What it includes
Included
- In-library Homeschool Hub sessions
- Field trips with registration
- Time to connect with other homeschool families
Not included
- Field trip seats without registration
Good to know
This season covers careers and community helpers
The current season focuses on careers and community helpers, with a youth safety and wellness series that includes internet safety, household chemical safety, vaping, and nutrition.
Who to contact about Homeschool Hub
Diamond Chavis-Waller is the library's contact for Homeschool Hub sessions and field trips.
dchavis-waller@suffolkva.us 757-514-7301 Homeschool Hub
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Virginia
You must file the annual notice of intent by August 15. If you move into a Virginia division or begin after the school year starts, notify the division as soon as practicable and complete the filing within 30 days of the notice.
Virginia sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide a curriculum and include a list of the coming year’s subjects with the annual notice. The home-instruction statute does not require the public-school curriculum.
- Testing: Submit evidence of progress by August 1 after the school year. Children under six on September 30 of that school year are exempt from this assessment requirement.
- Records: Submit the annual notice, subject list, proof of a qualifying route, and required evidence of progress. Keep copies; no routine portfolio or attendance-log filing is required.
- Teachers: Qualify through a high-school diploma, Board-prescribed teaching qualifications, providing a curriculum or program of study, or evidence that you can provide an adequate education.
Read the Virginia homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Virginia
Questions parents ask
- Are any Homeschool Hub field trips scheduled?
- None are listed as of October 12, 2026. Email the program contact to ask when the next one opens for registration.
- Is there anything for upper elementary students?
- Yes. Current 4th and 5th graders can join Battle of the Books, a trivia challenge with teams of up to five, starting with an in-person info session that you register for on the library's events calendar.
- Do session dates ever change?
- Yes. Dates can change with presenter availability, and changes are emailed to families who registered, so call the branch or email the program contact before you go.
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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