In this episode, Crystal and Anthony Obey go beyond the program basics to explore what Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) truly means for your family's financial future, your homeschool lifestyle, and the decade ahead.

For the first time in Texas history, homeschool families are being seen — and funded — by the state.

Discover the five concrete changes TEFA brings to your daily homeschool life — from a real curriculum budget and funded tutoring services, to educational therapies, technology allocations, and the growing visibility of the homeschool community across Texas. With $2,000 per child available, self-funding homeschool education just got a powerful new ally.

Crystal and Anthony also explore what public investment in homeschooling enables over time, what questions families should be asking now, and exactly what to do after this episode to make the most of this historic moment.

🎧 This is the episode that connects the program details to the bigger picture — and to what it means for your family on Monday morning.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

1. Why Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) represent a philosophical shift in how Texas funds education — and why it matters for every homeschool family
2. The 5 concrete changes TEFA brings to your daily homeschool life starting in 2026–2027
3. How $2,000 per child can cover curriculum, tutoring, therapies, and technology — finally giving families real homeschool curriculum savings
4. What the future of homeschooling in Texas looks like as TEFA grows and evolves
5. How to participate intentionally and help shape what year five of this program looks like
6. Your action steps: exactly what every Texas homeschool family should do after listening

Perfect for You If:

1. You want to understand what TEFA actually changes for your family beyond the headlines
2. You're exploring homeschool funding strategies for the first time
3. You've been homeschooling for years and want to know if TEFA aligns with your values and goals
4. You care about the long-term future of homeschooling in Texas

Start making the most of this historic moment in Texas homeschool funding. Tune in now!

I wanna start today's episode with a

question, and I'd like you to really sit

2

with it for a second before we dive in.

3

When you decided to homeschool your

child, or when you're considering it

4

now, what did you assume you would have

to do on your own fund on your own?

5

Figure out on your own

6

Because for most of home schooling's

history in Texas, the answer to

7

that question was everything.

8

You chose this path.

9

You paid for it.

10

Full stop.

11

The state was not part of that equation.

12

The state was for a lot of families,

almost an obstacle in that equation

13

that is changing right now in

a way that has never happened

14

before in Texas history and today.

15

We're gonna talk about what that actually

means, not just for your bank account

16

this year, but for what homeschooling

looks like in this state five years

17

from now, 10 years from now, and for the

generation of parents who come after us.

18

A fast growing number of parents are

starting their homeschooling journey while

19

others have been homeschooling for years.

20

All of these parents are asking one big

question, how can I afford to homeschool?

21

We are here to answer that

important question once and for all.

22

Hi, I'm Crystal Obby.

23

And I'm Anthony Obby.

24

We've been homeschooling our five

kids for 13 years and we funded it.

25

Through our online consulting business

that we've been running for over 17

26

years now, we're combining Crystal's

financial coaching expertise with my

27

digital marketing background where I help

entrepreneurs launch and sell online.

28

We're here to help fellow homeschooling

parents self-fund their homeschool

29

journey and create lifestyle businesses.

30

For financial freedom without a nine to

five job, are you ready to start living

31

life on your own terms and make your

homeschooling experience a lot more fun?

32

Well then sit back, crank up

the volume, and enjoy this

33

episode of Homeschool Money.

34

Welcome to the Homeschool Money Podcast.

35

I'm your host, Anthony Obby.

36

And I'm your host, crystal Obby.

37

We are not going to tell you

that this is all perfect or that

38

every question has been answered.

39

What we are going to do

is tell you what is real.

40

What is possible and

why this moment matters?

41

To understand why this

moment is significant.

42

You have to understand where

homeschooling in Texas has

43

been and the honest answer is.

44

It has been entirely on your shoulders.

45

Legally protected.

46

Yes.

47

Respected by many, yes,

but funded by the state.

48

Not even close.

49

Texas homeschool families have been

building something remarkable for decades.

50

Completely independent

of government support.

51

They've built co-ops, they've

built curriculum networks.

52

They've built community.

53

They've proven through thousands

of outcomes that choosing

54

education outside the system can

produce extraordinary results,

55

and they've done all of it.

56

While paying taxes that funded public

schools their children didn't attend

57

while buying curriculum out of pocket,

58

while paying privately for therapies,

tutoring, and enrichment programs

59

that public school students

received at no direct cost.

60

The homeschool community has

been in a very real sense.

61

Running a parallel education school

system with zero public investment, that

62

context matters because Tifa is not just

a new program for homeschool families.

63

It represents a fundamental

shift in relationship between

64

the state and educational choice.

65

For the first time, the state of Texas

is saying your choice to educate at

66

home is a legitimate educational path,

and here is real money to support it.

67

This is the shift from a system where the

state funded one model of education to a

68

system where the state funds the child,

regardless of where or how they learn.

69

That is not a small change.

70

That is a philosophical reorientation

of how Texas thinks about education.

71

Now, does $2,000 per homeschool

student fully close that gap?

72

No.

73

Is the homeschool funding level the

same as the private school level?

74

No.

75

Is there more ground to cover?

76

Absolutely.

77

But the door that just opened.

78

Is one that was sealed shut for

the entire history of formal

79

homeschooling in this state.

80

And what matters right now is

understanding what can walk through let's

81

get specific because quote unquote, things

are changing is only meaningful if you

82

understand what is actually different

in your family's daily educational life.

83

Here's what TFA concretely changes

for a homeschool family starting

84

in the 2026 to 2027 school year.

85

Change number one,

curriculum has a budget line.

86

Now, for the first time, a Texas

homeschool family can have a

87

state funded curriculum budget.

88

$2,000 per child.

89

If you have three kids, that's $6,000 for

curriculum and instructional materials.

90

That the state is contributing to you.

91

The textbooks, the online learning

programs, the hands-on science kits,

92

the structured reading intervention

materials, the Math manipulatives.

93

These now have a dedicated funding

source that didn't exist a year ago.

94

Change number two, tutoring and

support services are accessible.

95

One of the quiet inequities in

homeschooling has always been this.

96

Families who can afford outside

tutoring and supplemental

97

support get better outcomes.

98

TFA disrupts that tutoring and

supplemental education services

99

are an approved expense.

100

A homeschool parent can now use TFA

funds to hire a qualified reading

101

specialist, a math tutor, a writing

coach, or a foreign language instructor.

102

Services that were out of reach

financially become part of the plan

103

Hey, real quick, if you're liking the

show, hit follow so you don't miss a

104

single episode and drop a five star

rating and a review to let us know that

105

you're loving the content and tell us

what topics you'd like us to cover.

106

This will help more people find

the show, and please share this

107

episode with a friend, your

co-op, or anyone who needs it.

108

They'll be glad you did.

109

Now, back to the show.

110

change.

111

Number three, educational

therapies are on the table.

112

This one is particularly significant

for homeschool families with a child who

113

has a learning difference or disability.

114

Educational.

115

Therapies and services are an approved

TIFA expense, speech therapy, occupational

116

therapy, educational interventions

for years, homeschooling families

117

with kids who needed these services.

118

Either pay it out of pocket or just

went without tfa, creates a funding

119

pathway that simply did not exist before.

120

Change four.

121

Technology gets a real allocation.

122

Technology is an approved category,

capped at 10% of your account, so

123

$200 on a $2,000 homeschool account.

124

That's not enormous, but it's real.

125

A specific educational software

subscription, a learning app,

126

a digital curriculum platform.

127

These now have a budget.

128

For homeschool families who have

been using technology creatively

129

and on their own dime for years.

130

This is recognition that technology

is a legitimate educational tool.

131

Change.

132

Five, the homeschool community

becomes visible to the state,

133

and this is, and this one is less

financial, but just as significant.

134

When Texas homeschool families participate

in Tifa, they become part of a documented,

135

counted, recognized educational ecosystem.

136

That visibility has implications

that go far beyond the school year.

137

It creates data, it creates precedent.

138

It creates political reality

around the size and legitimacy of

139

the homeschool community in Texas

that matters for what comes next.

140

By the numbers.

141

Tifa launched with $1 billion.

142

Homeschool students received $2,000 each.

143

That means if just 50,000 Texas

homeschool students participate,

144

$100 million of that billion dollar

flows directly into home education.

145

The scale of participation will shape.

146

The program's evolution for years to come.

147

We wanna zoom out now because one

of the questions we keep coming back

148

to is this, what does the homeschool

landscape in Texas look like?

149

If programs like Tepa continue and

expand and we think that question

150

is worth sitting with seriously.

151

Let's think about what public

investment in homeschooling

152

actually enables over time.

153

Right now, $2,000 covers curriculum

and some support services, but

154

programs like this tend to evolve.

155

As more families participate, as

more data is collected on outcomes

156

as more providers build services

designed specifically for homeschool

157

students using this funding,

158

let's think about what public

investment in homeschooling

159

actually enables over time.

160

Right now, $2,000 covers curriculum and

some support services, but programs like

161

this tend to evolve as more families

participate, as more data is collected

162

on outcomes as more providers build

services designed specifically for

163

homeschool students using this funding,

the ecosystem around homeschooling grows.

164

We are already starting to see this in

states that have had similar programs for

165

longer curriculum companies are building

specifically for ESA funded families.

166

Tutoring networks are organizing

around ESA approved providers,

167

micro schools and learning pods.

168

Small groups of homeschool students

who learn together with a shared

169

educator are forming in communities

where this funding exists.

170

The money creates a market and the market

creates options that didn't exist before

171

For Texas, which is doing this at a

scale that no state has ever attempted.

172

We are genuinely in uncharted territory.

173

The state just said it is funding

the child, not the system.

174

That is a statement with consequences

that will unfold over years and decades.

175

Think about this.

176

Every Texas homeschool provider,

every curriculum company, every

177

tutoring service, every educational

therapist, every learning co-op

178

now has a potential customer base

with state funding behind them.

179

That changes the business of homeschool

support from a niche cottage industry

180

into something with real economic weight.

181

And there are some real questions

that come with that, questions that

182

homeschool commun que, and there are

real questions that come with that.

183

Questions that the homeschool community is

going to have to engage with thoughtfully.

184

What does accountability look like as

public money flows into private education?

185

How do homeschool families maintain

the educational freedom and

186

flexibility that made this choice

compelling in the first place?

187

What is the relationship between

accepting state funding and

188

accepting state involvement?

189

These are not gotcha questions.

190

They are the legitimate questions

of a community, navigating

191

something genuinely new.

192

And the families who engage with

those questions clearly and early

193

are the ones who will help shape

the answers, which is exactly why

194

voices like ours matter right now.

195

Because here's what we

know, the program is real.

196

The money is real.

197

Families are going to use it, and as

they do, the homeschooling community

198

in Texas is going to look different.

199

Not better or worse, just different,

more diverse, more resourced, more

200

visible, and more connected to broader

education conversations in this

201

state than it ever has been before.

202

For the journey ahead.

203

Programs like TFA don't stay static.

204

They respond to who uses them, how

they're used, what outcomes they produce,

205

and what politics will surround them.

206

The homeschool community's active

informed participation in year one

207

is the most powerful thing it can do

to shape what Year five looks like.

208

Hey, friend, quick break.

209

If you're ready to fund your homeschool

without relying on a nine to five

210

job, you have to check this out.

211

We're giving you instant access to.

212

Our free class is called Get 30,000

a year to Fund Your Homeschool

213

Without a nine to five job.

214

In just 90 minutes, you'll learn

how to create consistent income.

215

Afford a world-class education for

your kids and get the lifestyle freedom

216

you deserve, that's gonna give you

more time to invest into the people

217

that matter the most, your children.

218

This is the system that changed everything

for us, and it's changed everything

219

for hundreds of other families too.

220

Go to homeschool money.com

221

to register and watch the free

class on demand and get our

222

newsletter full of tips and support.

223

Don't wait.

224

Your freedom starts right now.

225

We wanna bring this back to you, the

parent listening right now, figuring

226

out what this all means for your family.

227

Because vision is only useful

if it connects to what you

228

actually do on Monday morning.

229

Here is what we think every homeschool

family should take away from this

230

moment, regardless of whether

they participate in tifa or not.

231

First, know that your

choice is being seen.

232

That's important because for years, the

narrative around education in Texas.

233

Has centered almost entirely

on public schools, test scores

234

and district performance.

235

TFA is the first time the state has

formed a tfa, is the first time the

236

state has formally acknowledged that

a significant number of Texas families

237

are doing education a different way, and

that their children deserve support too.

238

You don't have to agree with every

element of the program to recognize.

239

That acknowledgement as meaningful.

240

Secondly, if you participate,

participate intentionally.

241

The $2,000 homeschool allocation

is real money and it will go the

242

furthest for families who plan

how to use it before it arrives.

243

Map your annual curriculum costs.

244

Identify the one or two services

your child needs that you have been

245

funding privately or going without.

246

Make a plan so that when the money hits

in July, every dollar has a purpose.

247

Third, stay engaged

with this conversation.

248

TFA is year one.

249

Of what may be a long evolution.

250

The rules, the funding levels, the

eligible expenses, the accountability

251

requirements, all of these will

be shaped by what happens in the

252

next few years of the program.

253

Families who stay informed, who

participate, who provide feedback, and who

254

make their voices heard in the process,

will have far more influence over where

255

this goes than families who opt out

entirely and watch from the sidelines.

256

Fourth, be honest with yourself about

what this changes and what it doesn't.

257

Tifa does not change the fundamental

character of homeschooling.

258

It does not change the reason

most families chose this path.

259

It does not change what makes a

great homeschool education great.

260

The relationship between

a parent and a child.

261

The freedom to pursue deep interest,

the ability to move at the right

262

pace for your particular child.

263

These things are yours and

they are not on the table.

264

What it does change is the financial

layer underneath that, and for many

265

families, removing some of the financial

strain of this choice makes that

266

choice more sustainable, more enriched,

and more accessible to families who

267

might have wanted to homeschool, but

felt they couldn't afford to do it.

268

Well, that is not a small thing.

269

The real opportunity, TFAs arrival in

the homeschool space is an invitation.

270

For the community to articulate clearly

what it needs, what it values, and what

271

it is building, the families who answer

that invitation thoughtfully will help

272

define home schooling's role in Texas

education for the next generation.

273

We want to close today with

something that has been on our minds

274

throughout this entire conversation.

275

Every generation of homeschool families

in Texas has faced something new.

276

The families who first asserted their

legal right to homeschool in this

277

state faced one kind of challenge.

278

The families who built the curriculum

networks and co-ops faced another,

279

the families navigating learning

differences and special needs without

280

institutional support faced still another,

281

This generation faces

something genuinely different.

282

Not a fight for recognition, but

an invitation to integration.

283

The state is offering resources and

with resources come, questions with

284

questions, come conversations, and with

conversations comes the opportunity

285

to shape something important.

286

We don't think anyone

has all the answers yet.

287

We certainly don't, but we believe

deeply that the families who

288

stay curious, stay informed, and

stay connected to each other.

289

Through this transition are the

ones who will navigate it best.

290

That is why we are here.

291

That is the kind of voice we

want to be in this conversation.

292

Not the loudest, not the most certain,

but the most consistently useful.

293

We want to be the people you come

back to when something changes, when

294

a new question comes up, when you

need someone to help think it through.

295

So wherever you are on this journey,

whether you just applied for tifa,

296

whether you're still deciding.

297

Whether you've been homeschooling

for 15 years and aren't sure this is

298

for you, or whether you're a brand

new family, just starting to explore

299

what homeschooling even means.

300

We're glad that you're here and

we will keep showing up for you.

301

Here's what we want you

to do after this episode.

302

First, if you have never visited

education freedom.texas.gov,

303

go there, read what's there.

304

Form your own informed view, the program

details, the eligible expenses, the

305

school finder, the application guide.

306

It's all there and it is your right

as a Texas parent to understand it.

307

Second, have this conversation

with your homeschool community.

308

Not to convince anyone of anything,

but because this is a topic that

309

deserves thoughtful discussion among

people who care about education.

310

The more your community understands

what is actually in this program.

311

Not rumors, not talking points, but

the facts, the better position everyone

312

is to make their own good decision.

313

Third, share this episode with someone

who needs it, a family who is just

314

starting to explore homeschooling.

315

A parent who feels overwhelmed by

TFA and doesn't know where to start.

316

A friend who is curious about

where education is headed in Texas.

317

This conversation is meant to travel.

318

And fourth, stay with us because

this is not the last time this

319

conversation is gonna matter.

320

We're gonna keep following this story,

keep breaking down what changes.

321

Keep bringing you the information you need

to make good decisions for your family.

322

So subscribe.

323

Follow, share and come back.

324

This journey is just getting started.

325

Thank you for being here.

326

We'll see you in the next episode.

327

If you like today's episode, make

sure you tap the follow button so you

328

never miss a thing, and if it help

you share it with a friend or your

329

homeschool group sharing is caring.

330

Do you love free stuff?

331

Like me?

332

Sign up and watch our free games

class called Get 30,000 a year

333

to Find Your Homeschooling.

334

With our nine to five job, when you sign

up, you'll gain instant access to a class

335

and you'll get our weekly newsletter.

336

For tips and strategies to make your

homeschooling journey affordable,

337

go to homeschool money.com

338

and register right now, ready

to get your homeschool money.

339

Head over to homeschool money.com

340

to enroll in the full Homeschool

Money Makeover course.

341

You'll get the tools, templates,

and step by step help to

342

find your first $1,000 fast.

343

And create 30,000 or much more every year.

344

Each module of this program is designed

to transform your finances and help you

345

experience financial abundance, so you

have the flexibility and lifestyle freedom

346

to homeschool your children with a nine

to five job and without sacrificing.

347

And right now we have an amazing limited

time offer that gives you huge savings

348

and bonus gifts you're going to love.

349

Go to homeschool may.com

350

to enroll today, and don't forget

to give us some love with the

351

five star rating and review.

352

It'll help more people find ourselves.

353

Have a great day.

354

Bye.