Time4Learning vs Power Homeschool
The main differences
Both put every subject online from pre-K to 12th grade, with grading and records kept by the program, and neither is a school with teachers. Time4Learning mixes recorded video, interactive activities and printable worksheets, sells a membership per grade of four core courses at $39.95 a month, and has an annual plan. Power Homeschool runs Acellus filmed video lessons, each followed by questions, at $99 a month per student for up to six courses at a time.
| Time4Learning | Power Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | All subjects: math, reading and phonics, language arts, science and history and geography | All subjects: math, reading and phonics, language arts, science and history and geography |
| Grades | Pre-K to 12th grade | Pre-K to 12th grade |
| Method | Traditional | Mastery |
| Format | On screen | Video lessons |
| Faith label | Secular | Secular |
| Cost a year | $335.52. 3rd grade membership (four courses) for one student: $39.95 a month, which is $479.40 for 12 months. The annual plan is shown as $27.96 a month (30% off), about $335.52 for the year. A second student is 10% off. | $1,188. $99 a month per student, which is $1,188 for 12 months, for up to six courses at a time. The Roger Billings Scholarship rate is $79 a month ($948 for 12 months) for students who meet monthly study-time and effort rules. |
| Placement | How to choose a grade level (FAQ) ↗ | None on the publisher's site |
| Parent time | The publisher says parents may spend 1 to 2 hours a day guiding kindergarten to 2nd grade, 30 minutes to 1 hour a day for 3rd to 8th grade, and 15 to 30 minutes a day in high school. | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A family that wants the child to learn mostly on screen at their own pace, with grading and progress reports handled by the program. | A family that wants video teaching in every subject with grading and records done for them, and a child who can work on a screen while a parent checks in. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants to keep screen time low, or that needs an accredited school with teachers, grades on a transcript and a diploma. | A family that wants to keep screen time low, prefers books on paper, or needs an accredited school with teachers and a diploma. |
Time4Learning
Time4Learning is an online curriculum for pre-K to 12th grade that the child works through on a computer at their own pace. Lessons mix recorded video instruction, interactive activities, quizzes and printable worksheets, and the program grades the work and keeps progress reports for the parent. A monthly membership for one student includes four core courses in elementary (language arts, math, and science and social studies for most grades) and four core courses plus three electives from 6th grade.
Does well: One monthly price covers the core subjects for a grade, with lessons, quizzes and grading all done in the program.
Watch for: Most of the teaching happens on screen, and it needs a PC or Mac with a steady internet connection; Android is not supported for K to 5th grade.
Power Homeschool
Power Homeschool sells Acellus online courses to parents who homeschool, from preschool through 12th grade. Each course is a run of short filmed video lessons, each followed by questions; a student who shows understanding moves on, and one who struggles gets extra help videos and practice. One monthly tuition per student covers up to six courses at a time from math, language arts and reading, science, social studies and electives, and the system grades the work and keeps records.
Does well: One monthly price per student covers up to six courses at a time, and the publisher says the rate does not rise with grade or number of courses.
Watch for: Courses come without teacher support: the parent acts as the teacher and has to keep the child working.
Lists with both
- Homeschool all-in-one curricula 22
- Secular homeschool curricula 30
- Homeschool curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 48
- Homeschool curricula for middle school 51
- Homeschool curricula for high school 38
- Secular homeschool all-in-one curricula 8
- Secular homeschool curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 25
- Secular homeschool curricula for middle school 24
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money. Every program compared