The state says. •Teach at least 180 days a year.•The rules for the association route set days, not hours.•None of them sets a number of hours a day.The school district route is different:•Its school day is at least four and a half hours.•Lunch and recess do not count.

You do. 1.Plan at least 180 teaching days.2.Log each day you teach.•The log is part of the progress report the law asks you to keep.

The state says. •There are three ways to home school.•Option 1: your school district board approves your home school.•Option 2: you join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools.•Option 3: you join a home school association with at least 50 members.•You pick the one that fits your family.•These steps follow Option 3.

You do. 1.Pick your option.2.For Option 3, choose a group from the state's Option 3 list.

Where. Step 1 of Do the steps

The state says. •From the school year your child is 5 before September 1.•Until the 17th birthday, or high school graduation.•Is your child not yet 6 on September 1?•Then you may sign a paper with your school district to skip kindergarten.

You do. •Check each child's age on September 1.•If you skip kindergarten, sign the district's paper for it.

The state says. •On Option 3, the law's step is to join the association.•None of its rules asks you to file with the state or your district.By January 30 each year, the association tells your school district two things:•How many children it has.•What grades they are in.•On Option 1, you apply to your district board instead.

You do. 1.Join the association before you start.2.Keep the proof that you are a member.

Where. Step 1 of Do the steps

The state says. •A parent needs at least a high school diploma.•A GED counts the same.•Option 1, the district route, also takes a college degree.

You do. Keep a copy of your diploma or GED with your records.

Where. Step 1 of Do the steps

The state says. •Reading, writing, math, science and social studies.•In grades 7 to 12, add composition and literature.•Composition means writing papers.•You may teach more than these.

You do. •Plan these subjects each year.•The Academic Planner lays them out by grade.

The state says. •The state's rules for Option 3 name days, subjects, records and a parent's diploma.•None of them is a test.•Your association has its own rules, and you follow them.•Option 1 is different. Your child takes the yearly state tests, given by a district worker.

You do. Ask your association if it wants a test, and when.

Where. Step 2 of Do the steps

The state says. •The home school law does not mention shots.•The shot law is for schools and child care centers that take in children.•It applies if your child joins one of those.

You do. •Keep your child's shot record at home.•If a school or child care asks, give it the record or an exemption paper.•An exemption is a paper that lets a child skip a shot.