Empowering families: Georgia Black Home Educators Network to host 2025 Flourish Conference in Decatur, GA

DECATUR, GA–The Georgia Black Home Educators Network (GBHEN) will host its 3rd Annual Flourish Family Homeschool Conference from Jan. 29-31, 2025. The conference, designed to “empower families to homeschool well,” kicks off on Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. at New Life Church and Community Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur.  A community meet-and-greet will be held at 6 p.m. 

In a state where homeschool surged from 59,000 students in 2015 to 91,000 by 2022, the Flourish Conference is equipping families with tools for success, the nonprofit stated in a news release. 

 Sponsored by School Choice Week, VELA Education Fund, and the Home School Legal Defense Association, the two-day event prioritizes fixed-budget, Black, Brown, neurodiverse, single-parent, grandparents as guardians, and rural families, providing them with a critical on-ramp to homeschooling.

Recent Georgia legislation including Senate Bill 233: Georgia Promise Scholarship Program, an education savings account (ESA), has further empowered families by providing eligible households with a $6,500 voucher for tuition, homeschool expenses, tutoring services, physician/ therapy services, curriculum, and more. 

“The disparities in education are too great for families to ignore. This conference empowers parents to rediscover the beauty of home education. We believe family-centric education lowers illiteracy rates, breaks cycles of poverty, and strengthens communities,” said GBHEN Co-founder Nicole P. Doyle. “We empower families to homeschool well.”

This year’s Flourish Conference promises a robust lineup of resources, workshops, and networking opportunities for attendees. 

Conference Highlights include:

• School Choice&Neurodiversre Student: Workshops train parents to resource needs of an IEP
• Fresh Educational Topics:Black Homeschooling Fathers and Homeschooling through High school to Ivy League institutions
• Social Justice Education and School Choice: A complete home education for Black families includes “Cultural Restoration: Integrating Heritage and Healing in Homeschooling,” a panel discussion with Amber O’Neal Johnston(the Heritage Mom); Anita Gibson of National Homeschool Advocacy; and Cheryl Fields-Smith, University of GA professor and homeschool researcher   

About GBHEN:

The Georgia Black Home Educators Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit championing the parent-as-educator movement by ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities and academic resources for homeschooling families. 

Since 2023, GBHEN has distributed over 200 devices (laptops, Chromebooks, and tablets) to under-resourced families. GBHEN produces family-centric social engagement, parent-as-educator training, and STEAM programming for students. GBHN’s Annual Flourish Family Homeschool Conference, which hosts over 300 attendees, is in its third year. The parent-focused event and diverse curriculum expo offers workshops and mentoring sessions with more than 20 homeschooling veterans. GBHEN is also the producer of the Flourishing Conversation Podcast, “Where Homeschooling Meets Girl Talk.” 

For more information and registration: 3rd Annual Flourish Family Homeschool Conference