Coral Springs Mom Helps Homeschool Students Celebrate Prom Without Missing a Milestone

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Home-school prom. {Lindsay Joly}

Coral Springs homeschool parent Lindsay Joly organized two South Florida proms, creating a sold-out celebration and new social opportunities for homeschool students.

Joly recently organized two South Florida proms for homeschool students, including a high school event and a separate dance for elementary-age children in Lake Worth Beach.

Interest was immediate. The high school prom sold out and developed a waitlist, while the elementary event was nearly at capacity heading into the weekend.

Joly tells Coral Springs Talk that the response counters a common misconception that homeschooling leaves children isolated from their peers.

“There’s this idea that homeschooling equals isolation, that homeschooled students are sitting inside their homes in solitude for seven or eight hours a day,” Joly said. “That idea couldn’t be more false.”

She said the homeschool families she knows put significant effort into creating opportunities for their children to meet friends and participate in activities outside the home.

“Most of the homeschooling families I know work tirelessly to provide their children with socialization opportunities, from clubs and classes to dances like this one,” she said. “The want is there, the need is there, the community is there.”

With more than 6,000 students being homeschooled in Broward County, Joly said she has watched the local homeschool community expand considerably in recent years.

She also stressed that choosing homeschooling does not have to mean opposing traditional public education.

“I will always support and believe in our public schools,” Joly tells Coral Springs Talk. “There’s sometimes this us versus them mentality that takes away from what I feel is the most important thing: all children deserve access to the same quality education and opportunities in life.”

Joly said families turn to homeschooling for a wide range of reasons, including seeking a more personalized education or an alternative to changes they may be experiencing in traditional school systems.

“I have seen the homeschooling community grow tremendously in the last few years,” she said. “I think most families are looking for the same thing, and it’s just for their children to be well-educated, happy, and to enjoy their childhoods.”

Beyond academics, she said parents are seeking many of the same experiences offered through traditional schools: friendships, clubs, activities, teams, and opportunities for children to develop socially.

The proms were designed with that goal in mind.

Joly worked with other homeschool parents, volunteers, and businesses to put the events together, with support including donated lighting, a photo booth, food, drinks, and allergy-friendly snacks. The events were also designed to be accessible to students who use wheelchairs.

One of the biggest supporters was Outschool, a virtual learning platform offering classes, tutoring and clubs for children and teenagers.

Joly said her own children have taken classes through Outschool for years, and she has served as an ambassador for the company while helping connect homeschool families through in-person activities such as field trips and museum visits.

The idea for the dances started simply.

“This dance began as a series of brainstormed notes and scribbles that I brought to Outschool with a lot of questions,” Joly said. “They, too, saw the need and interest in something like this.”

What followed grew into something larger than she initially envisioned, supported by fellow parents, friends, and members of the South Florida community.

“I’m not sure I can adequately verbalize what it meant to me to have the support,” Joly said. “When you have teenagers coming up to you with beaming smiles telling you this was the best night ever, I found it hard to not get a little misty.”

For Joly, seeing students dance, sing, make friends and exchange contact information was evidence that homeschool students do not necessarily have to sacrifice the social milestones commonly associated with attending a traditional school.

“There are so many meet-ups, clubs, classes, teams and ways to make friends and socialize as homeschoolers,” she said.

Watching the proms come together made that especially clear.

“You really realize that, no, they’re not missing any milestones at all,” Joly said. “The joy was palpable.”

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Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiple outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.