Frequently Asked Questions | Latter-day Saint Eastern Home Educators

Conference

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What is LDSEHE?
LDSEHE (Latter-day Saint Eastern Home Educators) is an organization dedicated to providing support to the Latter-day Saint homeschooling community in the East. One of the most important ways we do this is by organizing and hosting an annual Home Education Conference and Youth Home Education Conference.

LDSEHE has been in existence (under various names) since 1994. Conferences have been held in many locations, including: Maryland; Washington D.C.; Kirtland, Ohio; Buena Vista, Virginia and historic Williamsburg, Virginia.

What is the mission of LDSEHE?
Our mission statement reads: We are a community of Latter-day Saint families who seek to support, inspire and strengthen one another as we strive to educate our children at home—leading and preparing them under the direction of the Spirit to fulfill the divine purpose of their lives and return to their heavenly homes. Through fellowship, education and opportunities to serve one another, we refine our capacities, commitment and skills to teach our own and succeed in home centered education.

During the meetings of the LDSEHE Board of Directors and Executive Board, we revisit this mission statement constantly. We strive to be true to this mission in everything we do as an association—through our conferences, website and our interactions with each other.

Is LDSEHE sponsored or endorsed by the LDS Church?
Although we strive to live by the principles of the restored gospel and the LDS Church in our own lives, we are not sponsored or endorsed by the LDS Church.

Who are the members of the board?
Most of the members of the Board of Directors and Executive Board have served as a volunteer for the association and/or conference before being invited to join the Board. Some individuals were nominated to their position due to special skills they possess (technical, accounting, etc.). All are unpaid volunteers and serve the LDSEHE community out of a desire to support LDS homeschooling families.

I’m excited about the mission of LDSEHE! How do I help?
We are glad you are interested in supporting our mission! We have many positions that need to be filled every year in order to keep the association functioning. If you are interested in helping, you can email us at secretary.ldsehe@gmail.com.

What is the LDSEHE Home Education Conference?
Every year, LDSEHE organizes and hosts a Home Education Conference. Its purpose is to provide a place to learn about home education-related topics in an environment of LDS gospel principles and with the spirit of revealed truth. It is a place to learn new teaching and parenting skills, a place to discuss idealistic principles of education and a place to inspire parents to reach for excellence in their homeschools. We realize that friendship and fellowship are also very important, so the conference also is a place for LDS homeschool parents to meet each other and find support in these associations.

Is the LDSEHE Home Education Conference sponsored or endorsed by the LDS Church?
The conference is not sponsored or endorsed by the LDS Church. To the extent we are able, we do strive to ensure that the information presented at our conferences is in line with the teachings of Church leaders and the scriptures.

When is the conference usually held?
The conference is generally held in the spring of the year, usually in May. We realize that no time of the year is perfect for every family, and there will always be schedule conflicts. Over the years, we have discovered that spring is usually more economically feasible when scheduling the conference, as the start of summer tends to “drive up” the prices at conference centers and hotels. In addition, most families are wrapping up their own schools in the spring and are ready for a “re-charge" and an infusion of new ideas, just in time for summer planning and reorganization of the following school year.

Where is the conference usually held?
LDSEHE is a unique organization, as it covers the geographic area of the entire eastern United States, and the eastern part of Canada. With that in mind, it is impossible to hold the conference “close” to everyone who wants to attend. We do try to stay close to the center of our geographic region, holding the conference most often in the Virginia / North Carolina / Washington D.C / Maryland area.

In addition, the majority of the people who are in our database are located in this same geographic area, with the overwhelming majority living in Virginia. By keeping the conference close to this area, we have a better likelihood of attendance that will allow us to meet our costs for the conference.

As our membership in other areas of the country grows, we may be able to have our conference location change, as well. The future holds exciting possibilities!

Why isn't the conference held at a Church facility?
Due to strict regulations set by the Church for use of all church-owned buildings, we are not permitted to use church facilities as a conference location.

Who sets the prices?
As most of our membership consists of one-income families, we fully understand that finances are an important issue. LDSEHE does not try to make a profit from our annual conference—we try very hard to keep the costs as low as we can while providing the best conference experience possible. That being said, we do have to “break even” on the conference in order to have one the next year! Therefore, the registration price for the conference helps to pay for everything from renting meeting space, to the transportation costs for the speakers, to the photocopies of the conference schedule and so much more.

Each year we offer free registration for all spouses. We also offer special Family Rates, which discount the price for families with two or more youth who would like to attend. We also offer special discounts to those who would like to attend the pre-conference seminar in combination with the regular two-day LDSEHE Conference. We hope that these little price breaks help offset the cost to the family, while allowing us to meet the financial obligations needed to provide the conference year after year.

Where do the speakers and class topics come from?
LDSEHE tries to seek out the very best speakers for our annual conferences. Many hours are spent by the Executive Board and Conference Committee researching topics and speakers that we feel will provide a message our conference needs. Often, suggestions come from conference survey forms, or suggestions of past conference attendees.

I know that you have a concurrent conference for youth ages 12-18, but do you have any accommodations for younger children?
At this point, we do not provide accommodations or provisions for younger children during the conference. We simply are not of a size that would allow us to be able to hire the child-care providers, furnish the activities/supplies/snacks and cover the insurance costs that a program like this would require. Even if mothers were to volunteer to take turns with the younger children, LDSEHE would need to rent the additional space, which would increase the cost of the conference.

Of course, nursing babies are welcome at the conference, but we do ask that all background noise be eliminated, due to the video and audio recordings which take place in each session of the conference.

A word on child care at the conference:
We understand that it can be difficult to arrange for child-care for the duration of the conference. While many parents attend the conference without their younger children present, we make it a priority to find family-friendly locations for those parents who choose to bring their younger children to the conference location with them. (With spouses being admitted free of charge, this essentially allows both parents to "share" their registration, while at the same time sharing responsibility over their own children.)

I’ve never been to an LDSEHE conference before—what can I expect?
Come ready to learn! One of the most common comments we get is along the lines of “I wasn’t expecting EVERY class to have something for me!” or “Wow, I learned so much yesterday, I think my brain is full!” Many attendees are most impressed with the Spirit that attends the conference. We love to hear those comments! We want you to feel like this conference was worth your precious time and money to attend.

In general, the classes will start at about 8:30 in the morning and continue until 5:00 p.m., with an hour and a half for lunch. We also have family-oriented evening activities on Wednesday and Thursday. These activities are great to form new friendships (or re-new old ones!) in a relaxed environment.

Our youth already have the options of attending EFY and our stake-sponsored Youth Conference. What makes the LDSEHE Youth Home Education Conference different?
We are definitely not trying to keep anyone from attending their own stake-sponsored Youth Conference, or EFY. We are not trying to replace these programs in any way—in fact, our mission has a separate focus from these programs.

The purpose of our LDSEHE Youth Home Education conference is to provide a safe place for LDS homeschooled youth to meet and forge friendships with other like-minded youth. In addition, the conference focuses on education, with classes designed to help them in their (sometimes unique) position of being LDS and a homeschooler. We strive to make the youth conference a place of spirit-filled learning, helping the youth discover their own life’s mission and the steps they need to take to fulfill it.

My son/daughter has never been to an LDSEHE conference before—what can she/he expect?
Your child should be ready to have a wonderful time…and learn…a lot! While there are plenty of fun activities (and food!) to break up the day, the primary purpose of the conference is to provide a stimulating and inspiring learning environment. Parents should determine if their youth are ready to attend group classes and be a respectful audience to the speakers.

How do you select the speakers for the youth conference?
The Executive Board works closely with a youth committee to select the speakers for the youth conference.

Can I bring a youth to the conference that is not related to me (a friend's child, my child's best buddy, etc.)?
For many reasons (including insurance liability, emergency medical considerations, and other issues), we do not allow parents to bring youth to the conference other than their own children. If a parent brings a youth other than their own to the conference, they will be asked to act as a youth chaperone for the entirety of the conference, thus missing the adult classes.

My son/daughter is ALMOST 12. Can he/she come anyway?
We do not allow youth who are not 12 to attend the Youth Home Education Conference. (A very few exceptions may be granted (i.e. the birthday is a few days after the conference, etc.), but each case must be approved by the LDSEHE Executive Board.)

Why are you so firm on the age requirement?
While this policy may seem strict to some, please know that much thought and many years of conference experience have determined this decision. Over the years, the youth committee and chaperones have noted a significant change in the maturity level of those children who have already graduated from Primary and moved forward to the YM/YW programs of the church, from those who have not yet left Primary. At our conference, the youth will be in classes with other youth up to age 18 and they must be able to handle themselves maturely. This is not to say that some 11-year olds are not mature. But, as a rule, we have seen that most 11-year olds are not ready for this conference experience. It would be impossible for us to “judge” the maturity level of every 11-year old fairly, so we have decided to make a cut-off age which coincides with the natural programs of the church. Just as Primary youth are not permitted to attend YM/YW activities, we have decided to follow this same pattern.

As LDSEHE Chairman, Misty Foxley, has expressed it: "even with those of us who are on the board, we wait until our own children are in the YM or YW programs of the church before we allow them to attend this conference. My own children anxiously wait until they are old enough to attend this conference and when they do get to go, it means so much to them."

Can I attend the Youth Conference if my parents are not attending the adult conference?
All youth registered for the LDSEHE Youth Conference must have a parent who is registered for the LDSEHE Conference present. No exceptions. Parents are responsible for their own youth. LDSEHE is not able to chaperone youth outside of the planned class and day-time activities for the Youth Conference or the Pre-Conference Seminar. If you bring a non-family member youth with you to the conference (as a favor to a friend, etc.), you will be asked to attend the youth conference as a chaperone, instead of attending the adult portion of the conference.

Why do you offer “pre-conference” seminars?
The families that make up LDSEHE are a very diverse group, and practice many different ways of homeschooling (structured, flexible, classical, unschooling, etc.). When we design our conferences, we try to be diverse in our conference classes as well, to try to meet the needs of as many families as possible. However, to support the needs of one interest group in particular, we may host a special pre-conference seminar that will allow for more indept study of that particular topic. In the past, we have hosted pre-conference seminars focused on Thomas Jefferson Education, a "Making of America" Constitutional Seminar, and a seminar focued on teaching writing. We also host pre-conference Youth Seminars, on similar themes.

We also see a need to focus specifically on the needs of the beginning home schoolers. Therefore, we have provided a special half-day pre-conference seminar entitled the "Homeschool Beginners' Seminar," designed to teach and discuss the particular needs of those parents who are in the first few years of home education.

Why are they an additional cost?

When we provide an extra day of classes, we need to pay for that extra day. We fly out special speakers and provide for their extra day needs, as well as provide for all of the other conference costs (location, etc) for that “pre-conference” day.

About LDSEHE:

About the annual Home Education Conference:

About the annual Youth Home Education Conference:

About the “pre-conference” seminars: