Before I continue, though... a quick note--if you have a child who has been playing club sports and is interested in playing in college at the NCAA level, there is a Facebook group called "Homeschool and NCAA Eligibility". I have heard from several friends who've had homeschooled children go on to pay sports at the college level that this group is very helpful. There are forms that help guide you through the process of planning for high school so that your child can be qualified to play. NCAA guidelines for homeschoolers are strict, so this is very important. Oftentimes homeschoolers will say that there are no "requirements" for what their children must study in high school. This is true in a way, but it is also not true. Those requirements come from what they want to do after high school, rather than from the Maryland Public High School system. So, in this case, if your child wants to play sports at the NCAA level after high school, they will need to meet the requirements that NCAA has set forth. But, there are other homeschool parents that have walked this route before and love to help and encourage through the Facebook group I've mentioned. If this is what your child wants to do, it can be done!
But, back to sports opportunities in this area...
FCA is providing high school varsity sports teams for home schoolers in the Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil. Many of their teams have been in existence for 10 years. They still find people in these areas that are home schoolers that have never heard that there is an opportunity for them to play a varsity level high school sport, so we are being more diligent to inform the home school community. All of their teams hold their games and practices in the Perry Hall/Bel Air area. We currently offer the following high school sports: Girls Varsity--Lacrosse, Soccer, Basketball, Cross Country
FCA is providing high school varsity sports teams for home schoolers in the Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil. Many of their teams have been in existence for 10 years. They still find people in these areas that are home schoolers that have never heard that there is an opportunity for them to play a varsity level high school sport, so we are being more diligent to inform the home school community. All of their teams hold their games and practices in the Perry Hall/Bel Air area. We currently offer the following high school sports: Girls Varsity--Lacrosse, Soccer, Basketball, Cross Country
Boys Varsity--Football, Basketball, Lacrosse, Baseball, Cross Country
You can find more information on their website HERE, then look at all the sports under the teams tab.
Harford County Parks and Rec is very homeschool friendly. There is a homeschool gymnastics class at Churchville Rec. Many homeschoolers in the county participate in various rec sports programs throughout the county. They've recently changed the counties website. As a result, you have to click on the rec council in your area to get information about the sports near where you live.
Havre de Grace Rec specifically has a homeschool gym program. For more information, see HERE.
Two private gyms in the area offer tumbling and gym programs for homeschoolers.
1. KYA, Kinetic Youth Academy in Edgewood, right off of I-95 has several homeschool classes during the week. They also offer private lessons that can be scheduled weekly or bi-weekly. My own children take gym classes here and love it.
2. Harford sports offers many different training clinics and I believe that they offer a homeschool gym class. Contact them for more information.
Additionally, the YMCA in Abingdon, Bel Air Athletic Club, and the Arena Club all offer various sports. Harford Gymnastics and Churchville Rec are the two competitive gymnastics clubs in the area.
Swimming:
Harford County Public Schools offers swim lessons every summer at North Harford and Edgewood Middle Schools. The lessons are taught by Red Cross certified instructors.
Kids First Swim Club in the Festival has homeschool swim classes during the year during the daytime.
The YMCA in Abingdon, the Arena Club in Churchville/Bel Air, and AquaCulture in Forest Hill also offer swim classes year round in the late afternoons and weekends.
During the summer, there are several swim clubs in the area: Bel Air Athletic Club, the Arena Club, Aberdeen Penguins (at the Boys and Girls Club pool in Aberdeen) , Fountain Green Swim Team. The Aberdeen club has the only dive team in the county to my knowledge. All of these teams meet from late May until the end of July for practice and meets.
Martial Arts:
There are various martial arts programs in the area. Additionally, Oak Grove Baptist Church has a free program that I know many homeschoolers here enjoy.
In some states, homeschoolers can participate in public school sports. Unfortunately, it is illegal in Maryland--it's even a law. But, fortunately, there are a ton of other options for homeschooling kids here!
As a mother of four young ones who is new to the area I find this to be soooo helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share this information!
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