Homeschool benefits and savings in Williamsburg, James City County, and York County
A Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) teacher card lets you borrow 20 items at a time, keep books, audiobooks, and DVDs for six weeks, and take five free Book Nook items a month. Homeschool parents who live in Williamsburg, James City County, or York County qualify after verifying their teaching position.
Who qualifies
Lives in a funding jurisdiction
The homeschooling parent must live in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, or York County, the three areas that fund WRL.
Verifies the teaching position
WRL requires teachers to verify their position before it issues a card. The page does not name a document for homeschool parents, so ask circulation staff which homeschool paperwork they accept.
Shows ID and proof of address
WRL finalizes accounts in person with a state or government photo ID, plus a bill, lease, or other official document if the ID does not show your current address.
Owes $30 or less
An account with more than $30 in fees cannot check out any library material.
What the card gives you
The limits come from WRL's teacher card page and its information for library users.
- Items out at once
- 20
- Holds at a time
- 20
- Books, audiobooks, and DVDs
- 6 weeks
- Hotspots, Rokus, and Learning to Go kits
- 1 week
- Free Book Nook items
- 5 a month
- Overdue fines on regular items
- None
On a regular WRL card most items go out for 21 days and DVDs for 7, so the teacher card's six-week loan is the main gain for unit studies.
How to get the card
- Before you apply
Gather your papers
Have a photo ID, proof of address if your ID lacks it, and the homeschool paperwork WRL accepts as verification.
- Online
Fill out the registration form
Use the teacher card form linked from WRL's Teacher Cards page.
- At a branch
Verify and finish your account
Bring your documents to the Williamsburg Library at 515 Scotland St. or the James City County Library at 7770 Croaker Road.
- Each September
Start a new punch card
The Book Nook punch card resets every September and covers only regularly priced items.
- Each year
Renew the card
Teacher cards require annual renewal, so plan to verify again each school year.
What it includes
Included
- 20 items with six-week loans
- Up to 20 holds
- Digital collections and databases
Not included
- Six-week loans on hotspots, Rokus, and Learning to Go kits
- Sale-priced Book Nook items
- Cards for parents living outside the three funding areas
Good to know
Call ahead to ask which document counts
WRL does not name a specific document. It says only that teachers must verify their positions, so call circulation before you go and ask which homeschool document counts.
Who to contact about the card
Circulation staff answer questions about library cards, accounts, and charges at option 1 of the main line.
757-741-3300 Teacher card page
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 there late fines on a WRL teacher card?
- Not on regular items. WRL charges overdue fines only on special collection items such as interlibrary loans and hotspots, and items 39 days past due count as lost and are billed at replacement cost plus a $3 processing fee per item.
- What is the Book Nook punch card?
- Teacher cardholders get a yearly punch card good for five free Book Nook items a month. It applies to regularly priced items only.
- We live outside the three funding areas. Can we still get a teacher card?
- No. Outside those areas, WRL offers teacher cards only to teachers at Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) or York County schools, so a homeschool parent must live in a funding jurisdiction.
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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