Feature Family

Meet the Carter Family

These quotes from April Carter’s sons, Eli and Hunter, give us tremendous insight into the tone that April has set for her family.

When faced with bullying and some hard situations at their local school in Idaho,  April knew she had to bring positivity back into their school experience, and she began homeschooling in 2013. She started with an online school program, but they did not offer local classes. After googling “homeschooling with in person classes for socialization,” April found Venture Upward. Their family switched, and now Venture School is the highlight of the Carter’s week with PE (Eli’s favorite) and music appreciation (Hunter’s favorite)! 

Both Eli and Hunter are in Venture Upward’s SST program, a program that allows students to begin research-based interventions at the very first sign of struggle or concern, without delay. Hunter was six when his teacher first noticed he needed extra support. Through the program he received testing and currently has an IEP. Now, Hunter’s handwriting is legible, and his reading skills have greatly improved! April commented, “Through the SST program, I am thankful that my children’s individual needs are being met. As a team, we are all working to provide the best education for my students.” 

In their daily school schedules, home educating has given the Carter family the flexibility to spend time with their dad as his travel schedule, working for a potato factory, fluctuates. April shared that her favorite part of home educating is that she has the privilege to watch what her children are learning and that she gets to do it with them. “I get to choose everything they do, and no one else is making that decision for me.” 

“This is the best decision I have ever made. This is the best program we have used, and I’m sticking with it.”