Good morning, and welcome to this week’s roundup. August is the month the school year stops being theoretical, so this week we are leading with two free things you can actually put on the calendar, then working through the funding news state by state. As always, the dates below come from official program pages and we link them so you can check for yourself.

A free day of books, authors and hands-on activities in Washington DC on August 22

The Library of Congress National Book Festival returns on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC, running 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free, but free tickets are required, so grab them before you make the drive. It is one of the largest literary events in the country, with authors, illustrators, storytellers, poets, book signings and a dedicated slate of family activities for younger kids.

If you are within a few hours of DC, this is a rare field trip that costs nothing but gas and counts for language arts without anyone having to pretend it is schoolwork. Details and tickets are at loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is booking fall field trips for ages 8 to 15

Separate from the festival, the Library of Congress runs an experiential gallery called The Source, built for kids and teens roughly ages 8 to 15 visiting with family or a group. Visitors work with hundreds of real primary source documents from the Library’s collections. Group visits are being booked now for fall 2026.

The Library is also running monthly Family Days on select Saturdays through the year, with programming tied to America’s 250th anniversary. Both are free. If you have a co-op looking for one big shared outing this fall, this is worth a look at loc.gov/families.

Alabama opens school sports and activities to more homeschoolers

Alabama enacted S.B. 342 this year, allowing students who use CHOOSE Act funds to take part in interscholastic athletics. It is a small bill with a real effect: for a lot of families, sports access is the single thing that decides whether homeschooling works for a particular kid.

This is part of a wider pattern worth watching in your own state. Sports and activity access rules vary enormously, some states guarantee it, some leave it to the local district, and the deadlines to sign up are usually in August. If you have an athlete, call the school now rather than in September. (Be sure to look for us in the CW Marketplace!)

A good week to tidy up your record keeping

Several states adjusted their oversight rules this year, and the practical takeaway for the rest of us is the same either way. Keep a simple attendance log, keep samples of work from each subject, and keep receipts for anything you bought with public money. None of it has to be fancy. A single folder per child per year is enough, and it turns a stressful request into a five minute errand.

If you have never been asked for any of it, that is normal. Build the habit anyway while the year is calm, because the families who scramble are always the ones who started the folder in April.

Utah: new oversight rules for Fits All, and income limits dropped for Carson Smith

Two Utah changes landed this year. H.B. 467 tightens oversight of the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, which in practice means tighter expectations around how funds are documented and spent. If you are a Utah Fits All family, read your program agreement again this month rather than assuming last year’s rules carried over.

S.B. 54 eliminates the income requirements for the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship, which serves students with disabilities. Families who were previously over the income line are now worth a second look at that program. (Look for A to Z for Moms Like Me in the Odyssey Marketplace)

North Carolina ESA+ families: accept or decline by August 17

This is the most time sensitive item in the roundup. NCSEAA extended additional 2026-27 ESA+ scholarship offers on July 27, 2026, and families must accept or decline in MyPortal by Monday, August 17, 2026. After that date NCSEAA determines whether further awards can be made.

If you applied during the priority window and did not get an award, keep watching MyPortal, because declines from other families are exactly what frees up the next round. Program details are at k12.ncseaa.edu.

Tennessee raises its ESA enrollment cap to 35,000 students

Tennessee’s H.B. 2532 raises the universal Education Freedom Scholarship enrollment cap from 25,000 to 35,000 students. Enrollment caps are the quiet mechanism that decides whether a universal program is actually universal, so a 10,000 seat increase is a meaningful expansion rather than a technical one.

Tennessee also enacted S.B. 2206, directing the state to participate in the new federal tax credit scholarship program. More on that below.

Texas update: at least half of Education Freedom Account money by October 1

An update on a story we covered when the first Texas deposits went out. Under the program’s funding schedule, at least 25 percent of approved funding was to be available in participant accounts by July 1, 2026, and at least 50 percent by October 1, 2026. So if your Texas account looks partly funded, that is the design, not an error.

Plan your fall purchases against the October date rather than assuming the full award is sitting there in August. Official information is at educationfreedom.texas.gov. (Look for A to Z for Moms Like Me in the Odyssey Marketplace)

Update: five more states formally opt into the federal tax credit scholarship

We reported when the federal guidance came out and noted that many states were leaning in. Here is the concrete follow up. Idaho (H.B. 731), Oklahoma (H.B. 3704) and Tennessee (S.B. 2206) directed state participation, while Kansas (S.B. 361) and Kentucky (H.B. 1) elected in through veto overrides.

Opting in is only the first step, and what actually reaches homeschool families depends on the rules each state writes next. Treat this as a signal about where new money may appear in 2027, not as something you can apply for today.

South Dakota widens its Partners in Education tax credit program

South Dakota’s S.B. 84 expands the income cap and increases the maximum scholarship amounts under the Partners in Education Tax Credit Program. South Dakota rarely makes these roundups, which is exactly why it is worth flagging for families there who assumed nothing had changed.

Upcoming Homeschool Events

• National Book Festival, Saturday August 22, 2026, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC. Free, but free tickets are required. Details
• Library of Congress Family Days, select Saturdays through the year, Washington DC. Free family programming tied to America’s 250th anniversary. Details
• Southeast Homeschool Expo, July 29 to 31, 2027, Cobb Convention Center, Atlanta GA. Early bird tickets are $20 per person, children under 18 free with a parent. Far out, but it sells out, so it is a genuine save the date. Details

Homeschool Facts and Tips for This Week

Did you know? The federal tax credit scholarship is no longer theoretical. At least five states, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee, have now formally elected in through legislation. Whether homeschoolers benefit depends on the rules each state writes next, so this is a watch item rather than an application.

Myth to bust. Homeschooling is not just for religious families. Families choose it for academics, flexibility, safety, special needs, travel, a child who was bored, a child who was struggling, and a hundred other reasons. If you have been waiting to feel like you fit the stereotype, there is no stereotype left to fit.

Planning tip. Build the year as a four day week and leave the fifth day empty on purpose. Use it for catch up, field trips, appointments and the days that fall apart. A schedule with slack in it survives September. A schedule packed to the edges does not.

Money tip. Before you finalize your curriculum list, go look at what your ESA marketplace actually stocks. Families lose weeks planning around a program their platform does not carry, then have to redo it. Search the marketplace first, then plan.

Social tip. One steady weekly commitment out of the house beats five sporadic ones. A single park day, class or practice that happens every Thursday is what actually turns into friendships, because the kids stop being new every time they show up.

Until next week

If you are in North Carolina, the August 17 deadline is the one to act on. Everywhere else, this is the week to check your state’s sports and activity signup dates before they close quietly. We will be back next Saturday with whatever moves.

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