Identification Cards for Homeschool Students

TEXAS, USA (SANEPR.com) February 26, 2007 -- According to the National Home Education Research Institute, the number of homeschoolers rose from 1.2 million in 2003 to an astounding 2.4 million in 2006. With this staggering increase in those receiving an education from home we have to wonder why people are choosing this form of education.

Based on surveys, there are three primary reasons children are being trained at home instead of the government funded solution. The primary reason parents have chosen to train their kids is to incorporate religion into their curriculum. Tied closely are other parents that have decided to incorporate moral training into their courses. Both of these have been continuously removed from the education children receive when trained publicly. The third reason parents have chosen to train their own children is because the alternative is viewed as an inferior education in comparison to the education they could receive at home.

Taking a look at the results it’s often found that homeschool students test up to thirty percent higher than publicly educated children. What’s truly amazing when added up is the sixteen billion tax dollars that are saved annually because of their choice to homeschool.

One of the major challenges these 2.4 million students and their teachers are faced with is being able to prove their status as homeschoolers. When students and teachers come from a public or even a private school they are provided with school ID cards. Alternatively homeschoolers are forced to seek out a solution for themselves when it comes to school identification.

There are several reasons homeschoolers need identification cards starting with the need to prove they are not breaking the truancy laws of the country. Commonly home schooled students are not on the same schedule as publicly educated kids. Having the ability to produce a school ID card would be a simple solution, but without one it appears the kid is ditching class.

Another reason homeschool students want identification cards is to receive the benefits that many retailers offer to kids in school. Even the local theater offers discounted ticket prices to students and teachers carrying their school identification card. Parents that have become homeschool educators can receive discounts from both office supply and school supply stores if they can prove they are teachers.

Since 9/11 airplane passengers are required to produce photo ID cards prior to boarding the plane. Students are required to show a photo identification card prior to taking exams such as the SATs. We could continue to review the reasons these students and teachers are in need of a solution.

Creatively these homeschoolers have found their answer by printing ID cards on their home/office printer and then laminating them at the local office supply store. Others have found solutions to produce plastic ID cards. Plastic or PVC identification cards are obviously of a much higher quality than laminating paper cards, although until recently it has been an expensive alternative. One of the main reasons plastic ID cards have been expensive is because of minimum order sizes and setup charges often charged by vendors.

A new vendor, FullIdentity.com has developed an affordable plastic ID card solution that works well for homeschools. Students or teachers can design their school ID card online as well as upload their own pictures. Orders can be made easily for even just one ID card if that is all that is needed.