Parenting

Preschool through high school education:

• Fairfax County Public Schools
• Homeschooling
• Private Schools
• School Profiles and Statistics
• Special Education
• Tutors
• Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs)

Fairfax County Public Schools

• Free Webinars for Parents
  Attend free parent and educator webinars to learn the latest information to help your child succeed. All webinars are FREE to parents, educators and community members.
• Parent Resource Center Library
  The Parent Resource Center Lending Library contains over 10,000 books, eBooks, DVDs and CDs on topics related to parenting and educating all children including those with learning challenges, mental health concerns, special needs and disabilities.
• Return to School — Frequently Asked Questions for Families
  Questions and answers about the 2021-2022 school year.
• Technology Support for Families
  To support families who are working with their children during virtual learning, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has launched the Parent Technology Help Desk. Find out how to help your student log into Blackboard and Google Meet for their virtual classes and how to get help.

Resources on homeschooling for parents and guardians.

You may also be interested in Homework Resources and Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. For online practice tests and tutorials for students, see LearningExpress Library.

• Fairfax County Public Schools — Home Instruction
  Requirements parents and guardians must follow to homeschool a child. Includes links to resources.
• Home Educators Association of Virginia
  A member-supported, statewide, 501(c)3 nonprofit homeschool association. HEAV serves homeschoolers of Virginia through information, legislation and resources.
• VaHomeschoolers
  An independent, nonprofit, member-driven statewide organization. Dedicated to serving, empowering and advocating for all Virginia homeschoolers.

Use these resources to help in your search for a private school for your child:

• NAIS School Search
  Search the National Association of Independent Schools member database to find private schools in your area. Limit results by distance, boarding or day schools, co-ed or single-sex, sports programs and more.
• Search for Private Schools
  Find private pre-K through high schools by state, city, distance from zip code area and more. Includes a brief profile of each school and enrollment figures. Produced by the Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.
• Virginia Accredited School Locator
  The Virginia Council for Private Education explains what VCPE-approved accreditation means and also provides a list of Virginia Accredited Virtual Schools.

Resources for those who are moving or would like to see statistics on local schools.

• Best High Schools
  U.S. News and World Report ranks public high schools nationally and by state. Special features rank best charter, magnet and STEM schools across the nation.
• Virginia School Quality Profiles
  Provides report cards for individual schools, school divisions and the state. Information includes student achievement, college and career readiness, program completion, school safety, teacher quality and other topics.

Information on special education services for children with disabilities.

• Fairfax County Public Schools — Special Education Instruction
  Describes FCPS's programs and services that meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.
• Getting the Most from Special Education: Preschool Through High School
  A guide for parents of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. Available for download in multiple languages. Produced by The Arc of Northern Virginia, a local chapter of the largest nonprofit organization supporting people with ID/DD and their families.
• Virginia Department of Education — Special Education
• Information on Special Education in Virginia. Provides resources for parents and guardians and links to additional information. Includes links to federal and state laws, regulations and policies.

You may also like LearningExpress Library for online practice tests and tutorials for students.

Tutors

Fairfax County Public Library does not provide tutoring. However, other resources are available:

• Fairfax County Public Schools — Tutor List
  FCPS maintains a list of qualified, paid tutors. The 2023-2024 School Year Tutor List will be available mid-September and updated monthly. Send an email to prc@fcps.edu to request a copy.
• GIVE — Free Online Tutoring for K-7 Students
  Many branches host regular, free tutoring sessions for K-7 grade students provided by high-school student volunteers with the nonprofit organization, Growth and Inspiration through Volunteering and Education. Students can register here or see the library's event calendar for the next GIVE tutoring sessions at library branches. For more information on GIVE tutoring services, visit the GIVE website or email them at directors@giveyouth.org.

Online Tutoring Resource

The library has access to live, online tutoring for students in grades K-12:

• Brainfuse HelpNow
  HelpNow's Live Tutoring provides live, online tutoring and homework help for students in grades K-12.
  HelpNow’s Writing Lab provides assistance and feedback in virtual study spaces.
  Tutors are available every day in English and Spanish from 2 p.m to 11 p.m. Provided by the Library of Virginia. A library card is required for use outside the library.

The Standards of Learning (SOL) describe the commonwealth's expectations for student learning and achievement in grades K-12.

You may also be interested in Homework Resources.

• Virginia Department of Education — Standards of Learning (SOL)
  Choose from the links on the right-hand side to view the Virginia Standards of Learning in English, math, science, history, social science and more. View sample questions from previous years tests. Read about the Virginia SOLs and Common Core State Standards.