BUT... if your child is 5, you can choose to delay kindergarten for one year. See more info here. You need to file a form with your assigned elementary school. You can pick up the form there, file it with that school, and they will send it up to the central office for approval.
Harford County has a list of frequently asked questions on their website. Here's a link to the page.
Whether you choose to go with an umbrella or you choose to report directly to the schools, you have to go in person to the appropriate middle school pupil services office. In some cases, if you call the pupil services office for the school you would report to, they will mail you the form. There is a form that you must fill out that declares your intent to homeschool. It needs to be filed at least 15 days prior to the beginning of the school year (or when you intend to begin homeschooling). You can file it by either mailing the form back to the office or dropping it off in person.
Salem Christian's umbrella has some specific and very helpful information about this form HERE. On their site is a link to HSLDA's form. The state department stopped giving a standard form for the state and so some counties began asking for information that families are not legally required to provide. So, I would recommend using HSLDA's form instead and turning it in.
There isn't a lot of information on the website so it's hard to really know what it's like to report directly to the schools unless you talk to someone who's done it before. When you fill out the required form, you will let them know that you are going to report directly to the school district. You will want to inquire about what proof and types of work samples they will want to see at your reviews. Every reviewer (whether in the schools or homeschool umbrellas) seems to look for a little different combination of samples, so it is wise to ask ahead of time.
Different schools and different pupil services offices look for different things in the portfolios and plans you bring them for review. Schools typically require 2-4 reviews per year.
There is no financial cost if you choose to report directly to the school.
