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NOTES : This article can be found on page B1 of the September 01, 1999 Daily News. Home school now has P.E., thanks to Y
The Navarre YMCA will offer a physical education program for home-schooled children.
By DUWAYNE ESCOBEDO, Daily News Staff Writer NAVARRE - Joslyn Edge home-schools her two children and wants to make sure they get a well-rounded education.
Beyond the three R's, that means P.E. to Edge. So, she approached the Navarre YMCA, which plans to launch a program for home-schoolers in the area Sept. 22.
The Navarre Y is among the first in Northwest Florida to start such a program. P.E. programs for home-schooled students are gaining popularity in YMCAs across the state.
Edge said her children, 9-year-old Stephanie and 5-year-old Patrick, can't wait for the physical education classes to begin.
"It fills in the gaps of social and physical activities that sometimes are overlooked or we can't do as a family," said Edge, coordinator of the home-school group Independ-ent Thinkers, which boasts 255 families as members in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. "It's much needed."
Brian Akin, Navarre YMCA director, said he created the program after looking at ones in Lakeland and Sarasota, among others.
"It's becoming more and more common," he said. "It's important not only to educate our kids on the three R's but physical fitness as well."
Akin said he's expecting up to 30 children to register for the five-week courses that will focus on different activities each time. The cost is $10 for one child and $5 for each additional child, with a maximum price of $25 a family.
A growing need among home-schooled children was identified in Santa Rosa County, Akin said.
The Santa Rosa County School District reports 678 children are being taught at home this year - 317 in elementary school, 187 in middle school and 174 in high school. That's 139 more students than the 539 reported as home-schooled last year.
Statewide, 33,219 children stayed at home for school last year. Okaloosa had 589 home-schooled children last year, while Walton counted 268.
Laura Hood, a Navarre resident who home-schools her 6-year-old daughter, Rebecca, and 4-year-old son, Stephen, welcomes the Navarre YMCA program.
"We have music, drama, science and math clubs," she said. "This way, the children can be exposed to a lot of different sports at a reasonable price."
Staff Writer Duwayne Escobedo can be reached at 936-8600 or duwaynee@nwfdailynews.com