Alternatives to SDCHE for Secular South Dakota Homeschool Families

If you are a secular, non-denominational, or religiously diverse family looking for homeschool community in South Dakota, your main obstacle is that the state's largest and most established homeschool organization — South Dakota Christian Home Educators (SDCHE) — requires a Statement of Faith for membership. That locks out secular families, interfaith families, Native American families building culturally responsive pods, and military families at Ellsworth AFB who want non-denominational stability. Here are the alternatives that actually work.

Why SDCHE Does Not Work for Everyone

SDCHE and its local chapters — Coteau Area Christian Home Educators, West River Christian Homeschoolers, and others — run excellent programs. Field trips, graduation ceremonies, networking events, and conventions. For families aligned with their faith requirements, SDCHE is the obvious choice.

The problem is structural: the Statement of Faith requirement excludes families who do not share that specific theological position. In a state where homeschool enrollment has grown 143% in the past decade — pushing past 12,000 students — the demographics of homeschooling families have diversified far beyond SDCHE's traditional base. Suburban families in Sioux Falls leaving the public system over school environment concerns, Native families seeking Oceti Sakowin-centered education, and military families cycling through Ellsworth AFB are all searching for community, and SDCHE's gate keeps them out.

The Alternatives

1. Build Your Own Inclusive Pod or Co-op

The most direct alternative is to form your own micro-school or learning pod with like-minded families. South Dakota's legal framework makes this remarkably easy:

• SDCL §13-27-3 requires only a one-time notification and instruction in language arts and math. No testing, no portfolio, no curriculum approval, no teacher certification.
• Each family files their own Alternative Instruction Notification independently.
• You choose the curriculum, the schedule, and the values — no Statement of Faith, no corporate franchise, no denominational requirements.

The operational challenge is not legal — it is finding families, drafting agreements, handling liability, and building a sustainable schedule. This is where a state-specific microschool startup kit provides the framework that SDCHE provides for its members but secular families have to build from scratch.

The South Dakota Micro-School & Pod Kit gives you the complete operational foundation: parent agreement, liability waiver, facilitator contract, budget planner, and the three-pathway legal framework — built for South Dakota, not gated by religious affiliation.

2. Our Way of Learning Homeschool Collective (Sioux Falls)

Based in the Sioux Falls area, Our Way of Learning is an inclusive homeschool collective that does not require a Statement of Faith. They focus on secular and eclectic approaches and provide co-op classes, field trips, and socialization events. For Sioux Falls-area families, this is the closest existing alternative to SDCHE's community programming.

Limitation: Geographically limited to the Sioux Falls metro area. If you are in Rapid City, Aberdeen, Brookings, or rural South Dakota, this does not serve you.

3. FAIRSD (Families for Alternative Instruction Rights in SD)

FAIRSD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on legislative advocacy — tracking bills like HB 1152, HB 1158, and SB 134 that attempt to add testing or reporting requirements to South Dakota's alternative instruction framework. They are non-denominational and serve all homeschooling families regardless of religious affiliation.

What FAIRSD gives you: Legislative alerts, open enrollment guidance, and political advocacy.

What FAIRSD does not give you: Community programming, co-op classes, field trips, graduation ceremonies, or operational templates for running a pod. FAIRSD defends your right to homeschool; it does not help you build a daily micro-school operation.

4. South Dakota 4-H Networks

SDSU Extension 4-H operates in nearly every county in South Dakota and provides one of the best socialization and enrichment channels for homeschooled students — without any religious requirement. Programs cover agriculture, STEM, leadership, public speaking, and community service.

Strengths: Available statewide (including deeply rural areas), no faith requirement, strong in agricultural education, and familiar to farm and ranch families.

Limitation: 4-H is an enrichment program, not a co-op or instructional community. It supplements a micro-school but does not replace the daily instruction, shared teaching, or legal structure that SDCHE's co-op chapters provide.

5. Facebook Groups and Informal Networks

Several non-denominational Facebook groups serve South Dakota homeschoolers:

• South Dakota Homeschooling (statewide)
• Sioux Falls Area Homeschoolers (Minnehaha/Lincoln Counties)
• Rapid City area homeschool groups (Pennington County)

These groups are useful for finding individual families and organizing informal meetups. They are not useful for legal guidance — Facebook groups regularly circulate outdated advice about the 22-student cap, insurance requirements, and the 2021 deregulation changes. Use them for family-finding, not for legal compliance.

Comparison Table

Who This Is For

• Secular and agnostic families who want homeschool community without a faith requirement
• Interfaith families who do not align with a specific Statement of Faith
• Native American families who want Oceti Sakowin-centered or culturally responsive education, not evangelical programming
• Military families at Ellsworth AFB who want stable, non-denominational community during their station
• Any family who has looked at SDCHE and thought "this is not for us" but still wants the community, structure, and shared resources that SDCHE provides its members

Who This Is NOT For

• Families who are comfortable with SDCHE's Statement of Faith and want the established programming SDCHE already offers
• Parents who want a fully turnkey franchise solution (Prenda operates in South Dakota for this model)
• Families who only need legislative advocacy (FAIRSD already covers this well)

The Real Gap

SDCHE has spent decades building infrastructure that secular families do not have access to: local chapter networks, graduation ceremonies, field trip coordination, and convention programming. When you are locked out of that infrastructure, you have two choices: cobble together substitutes from 4-H, Facebook groups, and informal meetups — or build your own intentional community from scratch.

Building your own is harder upfront, but it gives you exactly what SDCHE gives its members — community, shared teaching, and mutual support — without the faith gate. The legal barrier in South Dakota is low. The operational barrier is what a startup kit eliminates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SDCHE really require a Statement of Faith?

Yes. SDCHE and most of its local chapters (Coteau Area Christian Home Educators, West River Christian Homeschoolers) require members to affirm a Statement of Faith. This is a membership requirement, not a legal requirement — South Dakota law does not require any religious affiliation to homeschool.

Can secular families access SDHSAA sports without joining SDCHE?

Yes. SDHSAA eligibility for alternative instruction students is governed by open enrollment rules, not by membership in any homeschool organization. You file the enrollment paperwork with your resident public school district. SDCHE membership has nothing to do with athletic eligibility.

Are there secular homeschool co-ops in South Dakota outside of Sioux Falls?

Very few established ones. Our Way of Learning serves Sioux Falls. Outside the metro areas — in Rapid City, Aberdeen, Brookings, and rural SD — secular families typically need to form their own pods. This is exactly why a microschool startup kit exists: to provide the operational framework for families building community where none currently exists.

What about Homeschool South Dakota (formerly TEACHSD)?

Homeschool South Dakota maintains a statewide directory and hosts conventions. They are generally more inclusive than SDCHE, but their operational support is limited. They can help you find families and attend events; they do not provide legal templates, parent agreements, or the operational infrastructure for running a daily pod.

Is it hard to build a secular pod in South Dakota?

The legal part is easy — SDCL §13-27-3, one notification, no testing. The hard part is the same thing that is hard everywhere: finding 3–5 aligned families within driving distance, agreeing on a schedule, handling money, and planning for when someone wants to leave. A state-specific startup kit reduces that operational challenge from months of trial-and-error to a structured launch process.

See more United States homeschool guides →