Maine Home Education Alliance Hosts First Annual Homeschool Leader Summit

The Maine Home Education Alliance (MHEA) hosted its first annual Leader Summit on Saturday, drawing homeschool leaders from across the state, including Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred) — the first homeschooler ever appointed to a state Board of Education.

“One of MHEA’s goals is to LISTEN and on Saturday we did just that. We listened to leaders who are paving the way in their local communities. Feedback from the event has been extremely positive as leaders have reached out to us in gratitude and asked how they can get involved with MHEA moving forward,” said MHEA Vice President Brooke Thompson.

The summit was held at the Maple Hill Farm Inn in Hallowell.

The event included a discussion panel with the founders of various homeschool groups from across the state, and a presentation on the results of focus groups held last year meant to determine the needs of homeschooling families throughout the state.

MHEA highlighted the opportunity provided by the event to bring together homeschool leaders from across the state, allowing them to work together to meet the needs of homeschoolers.

Rep. Sampson spoke in favor of collaboration between the leaders of various homeschool co-ops, and reminded them to find a balance between the work required to manage homeschool groups and the needs of their families.

During the summit, leaders focused on the need to provide social activities for homeschooled children and teens, as well as giving homeschooled students opportunities for higher education.

As a result, MHEA board member Christy Alley, who works for the University of Maine System (UMS), said she would work to help establish an online workshop on the UMS early college program and the Maine Community College system.

The event met with positive feedback from attendees.

“My cup has been filled, and I get to return to my community with so much inspiration. It’s always rejuvenating to be around other like-minded people who dedicate their lives to homeschooling, too,” said Victoria Staples, founder of Root and Bloom Co-op in Farmington.

[RELATED: Maine Moms Start Maine Home Education Alliance in Response to Dramatic Growth of Homeschooling…]

The MHEA was founded in July 2023 to provide support for Maine homeschool families, and to defend the legal rights of Maine parents to educate their own children.

The organization was formed in response to the significant growth in homeschoolers since the COVID lockdowns shut down public and private schools across the country.