If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the college application process or wondered how to best support your homeschooler, then you’re in for a treat with today’s episode featuring the fabulous Stephanie Simpson! As the leading lady of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Stephanie opens up about the crucial role IECs play in helping families navigate the complex educational landscape. She brings her personal and professional experiences to the table, sharing stories of her own children’s educational journeys, including the ups and downs of homeschooling and returning to public school.

Throughout our conversation, we explore the evolving needs of families in education and how IECs serve as trusted partners in this journey. Stephanie breaks down what it means to have an independent consultant in your corner, guiding families through everything from transcript creation to understanding college admissions requirements. She emphasizes the importance of early planning and the power of personalized support, reminding us that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education. With a sprinkle of humor and a wealth of insights, this episode is all about empowering parents to seek the help they need to ensure their kids are set up for success in their educational endeavors. So buckle up, because this chat is going to equip you with all the tools you need to navigate the exciting, albeit sometimes bumpy, road ahead!

Stephanie Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the leading professional organization representing independent private college and career counselors who support students and families navigating postsecondary education pathways. Previously, she served as CEO of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), the world's largest and oldest professional association dedicated to helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents. Stephanie’s nearly 15 years of association leadership experience includes senior roles at the American College of Cardiology and the American Psychiatric Association. She holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BA from DePaul University.

Stephanie's Website

Bringing Education Home is an educational podcast brought to you by Kristina and Herb Heagh-Avritt.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast app!

Please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or their preferred podcast app or online at Bringing Education Home.

Sponsored by Vibrant Family Education - creating Happy, Healthy and Successful kids

Follow us on these socials:

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook Group - The Family Learning Circle

Facebook Business Page: Vibrant Family Education

Support Bringing Education Home

Copyright 2026 Kristina & Herb Heagh-Avritt

This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the college application process or wondered how to best support your homeschooler, then you’re in for a treat with today’s episode featuring the fabulous Stephanie Simpson! As the leading lady of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Stephanie opens up about the crucial role IECs play in helping families navigate the complex educational landscape. She brings her personal and professional experiences to the table, sharing stories of her own children’s educational journeys, including the ups and downs of homeschooling and returning to public school. Throughout our conversation, we explore the evolving needs of families in education and how IECs serve as trusted partners in this journey. Stephanie breaks down what it means to have an independent consultant in your corner, guiding families through everything from transcript creation to understanding college admissions requirements. She emphasizes the importance of early planning and the power of personalized support, reminding us that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education. With a sprinkle of humor and a wealth of insights, this episode is all about empowering parents to seek the help they need to ensure their kids are set up for success in their educational endeavors. So buckle up, because this chat is going to equip you with all the tools you need to navigate the exciting, albeit sometimes bumpy, road ahead! If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the college application process or wondered how to best support your homeschooler, then you’re in for a treat with today’s episode featuring the fabulous Stephanie Simpson! As the leading lady of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Stephanie opens up about the crucial role IECs play in helping families navigate the complex educational landscape. She brings her personal and professional experiences to the table, sharing stories of her own children’s educational journeys, including the ups and downs of homeschooling and returning to public school. Throughout our conversation, we explore the evolving needs of families in education and how IECs serve as trusted partners in this journey. Stephanie breaks down what it means to have an independent consultant in your corner, guiding families through everything from transcript creation to understanding college admissions requirements. She emphasizes the importance of early planning and the power of personalized support, reminding us that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to education. With a sprinkle of humor and a wealth of insights, this episode is all about empowering parents to seek the help they need to ensure their kids are set up for success in their educational endeavors. So buckle up, because this chat is going to equip you with all the tools you need to navigate the exciting, albeit sometimes bumpy, road ahead!

I now have the pleasure of introducing Stephanie Simpson.

Stephanie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Educational Consultants association, the ieca, the leading professional organization representing independent private college and career counselors who support students and families navigating post secondary education pathways.

Previously, she served as the CEO of the association for the Middle Level Education, the amle, the world's largest and oldest professional association dedicated to helping middle school educators cultivate the potential and possibilities of young adolescents.

Stephanie's nearly 15 years of association leadership experience includes senior roles at the American College of Cardiology and the American Psychiatric Association. And she holds a J.D. From Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a B.A. From DePaul University. Welcome, Stephanie.

It is a pleasure to have you here today. Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to the conversation.

Yeah, Stephanie, we did our pre chat like we do with almost every single one of our guests and was amazing.

What the similarities are of what you've been building and working on with yourself and your organization, but then also how it connects to homeschool families and how we really want parents to really kind of take charge of their child's education in lots and lots of different ways. So we're excited for this conversation. Thank you for being here. And let's start with that first question. Why this passion?

What is it about independent, independent consultants, et cetera, that help families, that make it your passion? You really want to talk about this and share this with families?

Yeah, I'd say it's probably both personal and professional.

So just from the career side of having spent several years working in the middle school space, you just see the stress that kids are under, the decisions that we're asking them to make about their future, from sometimes a very young age, just the complexity of the educational trajectory that they're having to navigate. And you're like, wow, I wish these kids had a little bit more support or as much support as we can possibly give them.

And so when I was approached by the Independent Educational Consultants association about their leadership role, I thought, well, these are, these are the folks that are, have dedicated themselves to providing this type of support to families. They again, are consultants. So they are helping individual students and families. So it's really tailored and personalized support.

So, so that really resonated for me. And then just personally, wow, I wish I'd had an IEC when I was making my college decision making process.

And then also, you know, I have a high school. He just finished his freshman year. And I've been thinking a lot. I have a high school freshman and then I have a two year old.

So I've been thinking a lot about how their educational trajectories are just going to be different with the way the world is changing. And my high school freshman. We've had to navigate a lot of educational decision making throughout his, throughout his schooling.

We homeschooled for a while because that he just needed to take a break and needed a different setting for a little while. He's back in our local high school so that's now the setting that's right for him.

But man, it just, it's so nice to have IECs out there who are supporting families and navigating some of these really complex decisions.

Thank you. Yeah, I mean, and that's where, you know, part of what we do with vibrant family education comes in.

It's like really helping parents navigate and figure out that yeah, there is a different choice, there is a different way of doing things and, and you don't have to be overwhelmed with everything that's out there. You can actually ask questions. There are people out there to help you.

Yeah, I totally would have loved something like that because the way I picked my college is I had a whole bunch of applications. I pretty much knew that whatever I applied to, I was going to get into. I'm kind of smart.

And the way I picked my college is I got down to the last two applications that hadn't, that I hadn't missed their turn in date. And I looked at the two of them and I was like, you know what, I will fill out both of them.

And then I filled out the first one and I didn't fill out the second one. I didn't feel like filling out the second one. So I, they were small liberal arts colleges. I wasn't worried of necessarily about the education.

I was going to find a wife, which worked out very well for me. And so it's like. But yeah, that's, that's how I picked the colleges.

I just, I missed all the deadlines except for the last two and then I figured I better get it done.

Well, I think we have a saying that, you know, IECs run on coffee and deadlines. So hopefully we can support kids these days and not missing those deadlines and of avoiding the dartboard approach to picking a college.

But also, I mean, things have changed so much in that college application process like you were saying.

I mean now there's like huge college tours and extra things on scholarships and just like tons and tons of things that when we were picking Colleges, that wasn't a thing.

I mean, once in a while you'd hear somebody go for a college tour, but mostly it's like you would look it up and get a brochure in the mail and, you know, maybe call and talk to somebody, and that was about it.

And we were also both the first of our family to go to college, so we really didn't have a lot of other understanding of that either. So.

Yeah, absolutely. And to your point, a lot of kids are having non traditional education paths.

They might do homeschooling, microschooling, world schooling, whatever it might be. So then when it's time to decide if you want to go to college, it's.

It can be really hard to create that transcript to really represent the really broad range of education that you've had. So it's, it can be a fraught process for sure.

And actually that's a perfect segue. Into what?

One of the questions I'd love to ask you is that when you see those homeschool families come into the college process, when you see those families choosing a higher education course, do they come with the transcripts and stuff ready, or is this something we need to get out to parents? Like, hey, parents, let's document a little bit more?

Oh, absolutely. I think every IAC who works with homeschool families would say, please start early. And they.

That's the other advice I would give, is that of course there are lots of networks of support for homeschool families, but if you're working with an IEC in particular, make sure that it's someone that has expertise, because the homeschool component to it is just so complex in terms of putting that application together and creating the transcript. You really want to work with somebody who knows what they're talking about.

And organizations like IACA are great places to find people who have that really specialized expertise.

So we've heard that, that colleges are like highly recruiting homeschool kids because they seem to be a little more together, put together, a little more responsible over multiple aspects of life. They don't have to babysit them as much as they do kids coming out of public education.

But so wouldn't they make the requirements to get in a little easier or not be so, so strict? So what's the difference there? And again, how can parents start early? What is it that they need to have for the colleges?

Well, I think to your point, it's not that they.

It's just they've been used to such standardized information coming from high schools or, you know, the public high schools they're used to working with. So it's just about how homeschool families can demonstrate the really robust typically curriculum that they've provided to their kids.

The expertise and knowledge that they have, you know, test optional is really kind of is less and less common.

So, you know, they're also able to demonstrate their expertise through the SAT and ACT now that are, you know, more widely accepted by schools these days. So I think it's, it's not necessarily that schools aren't doing enough to recruit homeschools.

It's just adjusting the system to make sure that homeschool kids are able to demonstrate all that they've accomplish that that activity list is as robust as another applicant from a local high school. It's just how they're demonstrating that.

So that's where I think an IEC or some counseling support really helps, is to help translate what they've done in the homeschool environment in a way that makes sense for a college admissions professional who's going to see 90% kids from a traditional high school and a less, you know, a much smaller stack of applications from a homeschool family, if that makes sense.

And part of that also is the legal right, because there are, I mean, we talk to people every single day who don't really understand homeschool. They, they still think it's just, oh, people just avoiding this education system.

But it's like, no, there's so many more layers in different areas to homeschool that it's just not that. So if our general run of the mill people don't understand homeschool per se. Right.

And then you get into a standardized education system, they're not necessarily going to understand homeschool and what it all meant as well. Right. So you have to help those professionals in those admission offices really understand what they're looking at and how it's being laid out.

Oh yeah, IACs have those conversations when they're advocating for their homeschool students all the time with admissions officers. And again, that's why this conversation is really helpful for families to have early.

So if you are taking courses at a local community college or with the local high school, how does that plan your transcript? What amount of credit is translating there for that? Whatever curriculum you've chosen, how are you translating that to the transcript?

So again, just starting really early helps to make sure that you're telling that complete story of the student.

Okay, so you said something kind of tossed away out there. You said that your son was homeschooled for A long time, but now he's back in the public education system because that's working for him.

So first off, I would like to point out to our parents is like, see, you can put your kids in, take them out, do what's best for them. It is not. Taking him out to homeschool is not a, like a one time and then you're done.

It's like, you can, you can fit your situation now your, your son is back in school in high school. How does that affect what the IEC does with like the home school sometime, public school sometime? How does that show up in the records? Or does it.

Or does that matter?

We're like, would it be a good idea to homeschool them and then like put them into high school for one year even though, even though they might be like way ahead of everybody just to, to be able to have that on their record to make things easier. Explain that a little bit because I look for loopholes and things to make things easier at times.

So if they haven't been doing that with sending them to high school for a year, help.

Yeah. And I'm going to. You mentioned that I have a law degree, so I'm going to give you the most lawyerly answer ever.

And it depends on the individual kid and their situation. In our case, he just socially just needed a, needed a beat to be home and for us to provide that schooling at home for a little while.

And then, you know, towards the end of middle school, went back to the public school setting and has really thrived there.

So to your point, he needed that particular particular pathway, but because he's now done, he's just finished his freshman year, so he'll have done all four years in high school. So it'll be more of a traditional pathway for him as he looks to app to colleges.

Got it. So what was your impetus to have your child, you know, or actually when did you pull him out and do homeschooling?

Was it from the very beginning or was it kind of. So he's good to have this journey back and forth?

No. Yep. So we, we're probably non traditional. Non traditional in terms of. We really kind of leveraged homeschooling.

He had just kind of been, he has adhd, just been struggling with how he was able to, you know, engage in the classroom. He's very smart, but just wasn't getting quite what he needed out of the traditional classroom setting.

So in fifth grade, fourth and fifth grade, we decided to take that schooling into our home and then our local middle school is 7 and 8th grade. So we decided that was the right point when all the theater schools were kind of coming back together to give it a try again.

And he really thrived when he went back into that setting.

That's cool.

Yeah, and it's just one of those things that like you were saying, it's like, you know, you get a point and parents think like her was saying is like one or the other. Once that we're in public school, we have to stay in public school, or once we're homeschooling, we have to homeschool.

But it's really when you're, you know, tuning into your child and how they're doing and what they need, that is the power of that empowerment of the parent.

So as you were deciding to homeschool, were you also using an independent education consultant at that time for the homeschool area or you knew enough from your journey in this in the different areas you had been working in.

I was lucky at that time to be working for the Middle School association and that was the age range he was in. So I got a lot of support from some of the teachers and educators that I worked with in that context.

So actually, you know, I didn't know a lot about IECs until I came into this role at IECA, which I think is if I could be anything, it would be an evangelist for finding support like that for your student. Again, it's just so tailored to your individual kids needs.

We can't possibly ask a school counselor who has a caseload of 300 or 400 kids to one to be able to tailor their support to each individual child. So, you know, I just think it's when a student finds a really great relationship with an iec, it can just be transformative for them.

And I would say also, you know, I think we hear a lot that, well, our IECs, only for wealthy families, that is just so not the case anymore. The majority of IAC clients are middle class families and they have lots of options just based on what the individual family needs.

So if it's a homeschool family that just needs that transcript support, they'd likely be able to find an IEC who kind of works hourly to provide that. If they need something more comprehensive. There's lots of IECs out there that work in that, in that capacity too.

Okay, so I'm going to take this back a little bit because we keep talking about IECs and the IECA and you said even when you started you hadn't really heard about that very much. So there's probably a lot of people kind of like me. I'm starting to piece it together. But what is an iec? An individual Education consultant.

And what is the ieca and what is it that you actually do? So let's clear that up for the people who are like, well, it sounds like it sounds. Oh, maybe she let's just like nail that down.

What is an IEC and what is the purpose of the ieca?

And I love it was it's actually independent instead of individual.

And I love that you had that error because it lets me, you know, we are so bad at telling our own story as an IEC community and of using acronyms instead of really describing the families, the services that IACs provide. So IAC is independent educational Consultant.

I for independent is so important because it means that they do not accept any payment from a program, school, university to place or refer a student. So really unbiased advice educational. So they're really supporting throughout the student's entire educational journey.

We have some IECs who support K12 decision, school decision making. We have some IECs who support students who are looking for therapeutic programs. You might need a different approach.

Obviously the college admissions process, a lot of IECs support that piece.

And then also grad school, med school and law school admissions consultants past that, even career path consultants who really help students as they're coming out of their programs of study to look at what those first kind of early career moments look like so truly across the entire educational decision making process. And then C for consultants.

So they're typically engaged directly by the family or in some cases a school might engage in IEC to support their counseling services, but there to serve an individual student and family so that they're really providing that tailored comprehensive support.

So we're IECs.

We are.

And we have a lot of IECs on our podcast.

So that's exactly.

That's pretty cool.

They just aren't with the A, the association yet.

Well, send them my way.

We'd love to have them be part of our community because we're really trying to raise awareness of what folks like you and you know, all the people that support kids in these, again, just completely complex educational decision making that they're having to do today.

And what something you were just talking about is like, you know, the K12. It's like, you know, if you don't want your child in that public school, what do you do?

Do you do a charter school, a private school, a Christian school, etc? And from what you were just describing, there's people who help families Kind of figure that out.

Right.

And pick up something in their area that's.

You mean besides us?

Besides us. Well, because we're, you know, we tend more towards the homeschooling things, so.

Sure, sure. Yeah. And to that point, there are a myriad of options out there now.

There are online schools, there are hybrid schools that do some online and some in person. There are supplemental programs to a traditional public school. There's just so many options out there.

Can be really overwhelming for families to find out what's the right fit for them.

Like I said, I have a 15 year old and a 2 year old, so I'm worried about the 15 year old on the college navigation process and the 2 year old I'm really considering. There's a broad range of options now available to us and for his schooling and what might be the right fit for him.

But I think you guys made such a great point, is that if you choose one path, it doesn't have to be your path forever.

So if it makes sense for your kid to do different things at different times in their lives, I think families should feel empowered to make those decisions.

Yeah, like, we're like, Christine is really great with the earlier education stuff. As we get into high school, it's a little, it's a little less.

We can still guide people, but we prefer to hand them off then to people who are more qualified to deal at that area. But the early education, the learning to read, the learning how to learn right off the bat, it's like that. That's where she's an expert in.

But we don't want to necessarily take it all the way and we don't necessarily talk about financial aid.

And again, that's why we have the people on our podcast and to bring in the holes that we don't have the, the professional to do that because it's like, we're really great here, we're okay here. Let's get people who are really great once we're past that. So it's like we don't want clients forever.

We want to help them with their needs and then get them to the next level where they can grow with the next person.

I think that's a great point. And we've seen that in the IEC space is that there is more sub specializing happening because these questions are becoming more and more complex.

Financial aid is really complex. They just changed a lot of the regulations around when and what you can borrow.

And you know how that impacts decision making that you're making for college might impact your ability to Borrow if you go to med school down the road. So that's just one example of ways in which IACs have really had to kind of subspecialize.

And to your point, a really great IAC will tell you what their expertise is and they'll also tell you what their expertise isn't and where you might need somebody else to help you navigate those decisions.

So you said also though that you know, a lot more middle class families are coming in and using IECs to help them make these decisions and things like that.

But there's also several states who have like changed the laws and now they have like extra financial support or the money from the school district now follows the child more. Are those states able to use some of that, those funds to help support, support and pay for IECs?

We're not seeing that. I would have to see this. But again, here's your lawyerly answer. Dependent. I would have to see the individual states regulation.

We have not seen movement on being able to use education funds, you know, at the federal level for, for IEC services. I think that, that I would advocate for that.

I think that that's a really good use of, of those funds in order again to provide some of the services that maybe a large counseling department isn't able to provide at a, at a large public school, for example.

So yeah, I think that that's something we would certainly advocate for, but I'm not sure it's really widespread yet being able to use some of those kind of savings funds for IEC services.

Yeah, because I'm trying to think what was it?

I know Florida has a really robust program with financials as far as like either helping support the homeschool curriculum and things like that, or Arizona, Arizona is another one.

So yeah, yeah, I definitely recommend people look at their individual state regulations and not use AI to, to tell them.

It's, it's really kind of funny because I'm here in Oregon, it's like none of that, it's what we do is really difficult for people here in Oregon to, to afford because it's like there is no help, there is no support. You pull your kids out of school, the money doesn't follow them. It's like they really don't want you to hear.

So it's, it's a, it's kind of a battle here in Oregon. And that's also why we like helping people here so much to navigate that some states it's super easy.

And again we help people navigate that too because sometimes easy is a trap because it's like, oh, it's easy. We don't have to do anything. It's like, no, there's still things that.

Have to be done.

Right. And like we said to set them up for success for whatever decision they want to make at the end of their schooling.

So setting them up for success in college applications and beyond, for sure, definitely should be on the radar, even if that's the. The state requirements are not as stringent.

Yeah. And that's. And that, again, that's definitely something that we do, because it's like, we don't. We don't have a foot in their game at this point.

So it's like, what do you need for your family? So we really go into the family. What's best for you? It's like, okay, well, let's try this for three months and let's see how that goes.

Because if they really don't have an idea, then it's like, let's try this. Let's move. And so we can step them through different processes.

And instead of them thinking that they failed every step of the way, it's like, oh, this is too hard. I can't do this. Oh, let's try this. It's like, no, let's. Let's find out what works. Let's find out where the resistances are.

Let's see if there's something that we can get around this resistance and make it a little easier for you.

So, so much of what we do, and it sounds like what IEC does, is to make it so that the parents have the information available to make the decision that's best for them.

Like, so if you go to a school and you're in public school, you go to them to try and get help, it's like, they're going to do what's best for the school.

Not always necessarily what's best for your child, but if you are your child's school, then that changes because you are going to do what's best for them. But they get so overwhelmed with all of the choices.

Yeah, absolutely. One thing that really resonates for me is our IACA's president.

She says the best feedback she gets from students isn't when they say, you helped me get into the right school, or you helped me, you made me feel really good about the process.

And I think that's just so important that families feel informed, that they feel like their kid put their best foot forward in their applications or in whatever decision making they're doing, and that they made the choice that's right for them. And so, you know, if an IEC can support families in that, I think that's just such a value add.

So now in the ieca, what do you do? What is it that people are going to come to you for?

Is it like you, they come to you and you send them off to the people or do you help them individually? What is your role and what are you doing?

Yeah, so we're a professional association, and I think the most important thing that we do is we provide an ethical code for IECs. So every IECA member has pledged to adhere to our ethical code. It has very strict restrictions.

Like I said, they are not to take any financial compensation from any school, program, university. It has a lot of guidance on conflicts of interest and how to ethically support a family.

When we have ethical concerns brought to us by families or by other members, we take those really seriously. We conduct full investigations, and we make sure that those that are in the ICA community are actively practicing that ethical code.

So we have a database of members on our site that families can search through. So we would never recommend a particular iec. We want families to be empowered to make the right choice for them.

But that database gives them more information on IEC so they can find the right fit for them, for example, if they want somebody who specializes in supporting homeschool families. And then we do a lot of professional development for iecs.

I just can't emphasize how much expertise that you have to have to be able to be a really, you know, competent IEC. These days. Everything's changing so quickly.

The environment is so complex, so it's just so important that they stay up to date on what's happening in the field.

Yeah.

And that's one of the things that I really appreciated when we talked earlier is that not only do you have those code of ethics and those, you know, extra things that people can do and learn and keep together, but it also turns into this, you know, this association, this group where people can support each other and then, you know, oh, I might not be able to help this family with this situation, but I also know in our association, this person is going to be a good fit for them. So those connections are there as well.

So, you know, independent, educational people aren't just out there on their own, always doing it on their own. Everybody needs some support off and on. So that wonderful that this group is here.

We have a hyperactive, you know, online community and every day I see looking for referral for homeschool family in Oregon or wherever it might be.

So, yes, you really, I think when you engage with an IECA member, you're getting the whole community because they really lean on each other to support families in the best way they can.

Yeah, because we've been building our own community, we've been building our own platform of experts, but we don't have that, the, the standards that you guys do. And so it's, it's like you're a level above us in, in, in quite a few ways.

And so that, that's really interesting to, to hear that because again, you have what we are in the process of building from the ground up in a different kind of a way. So that's, that's really cool to hear that those are out there like that.

Yeah.

And this is actually our 50th year in existence, so we only have it because we've matured over several decades of supporting professionals in this field.

So I'm sure when you celebrate your 50th anniversary of vibrant family education, you'll be, you'll have, you know, all the same types of supports that we offer too.

Right, exactly. But, you know, to go back to that a little bit. Yeah.

We don't have the same, you know, standards and support that you do, but at the same time, you, you know, you can attest to our pre chat, I was pretty thorough with asking who you are and what you do and, you know, would you be a good fit for our show and for who we're talking, talking to.

So in the same way you'd evaluate an iec, you want to have that conversation and trust that you know who you're talking to and what expertise they bring? Absolutely.

So we said that the IEC is independent education consultants.

Do we go into things like nutrition and parenting and the other parts that end up getting, you know, having impact on education, or is it just the choosing of programs and colleges and things like that that IECA deals with?

You're going to love my answer. It depends.

Some educational consultants do have supports like executive functioning or, you know, support neurodiver divergent students with some of the behavioral supports that they might need. Others do career exploration services for students and with families. It really depends on the IAC practice.

I'd say they're more focused towards the educational decision making, but several of them have expanded the work that they're doing because they just see that it's this big kind of holistic puzzle versus it's not just picking a college. It's instead, am I ready to go to college? Which, what skill sets do I need to be successful there?

What courses Should I be taking during high school in order to put my best foot forward on my application? So certainly I see services have expanded over the last several years.

But again, they're going to draw on other experts as they see families need support. So if they don't provide nutrition services, you know, that might be something we'll see on our member network as looking for a referral for.

Yeah, because that's, that's actually kind of a really interesting thing that we find that, that so many problems that children have in school that people come to us from aren't related, really school related. So they're, they're not sleeping, they're not getting outside enough, they're not exercising enough. They're not. Their food is awful.

I mean, the, the school, the school food program is awful.

So it's like there are so many human aspects that can be looked at and addressed that will actually resolve a lot of the education issues that, that we find with parents. So again, that's part of what we're doing is we're bringing in lots of other experts as well for all aspects of life.

Because again, sounds weird, but if a kid doesn't like to go poop every day, then that can seriously affect their education because they'll get backed up and suddenly they're. They're off the walls or off the rails. So it's like there are so many different ways to look at it.

And that's kind of what we try to bring to the table, is that.

Is that, you know, not only it's not just about education, but they're also this meat suit that's carrying this spirit around that also has to be addressed and looked at as, as we're going forward.

I can just. I'm bobble. Heading along in agreement from my time at the Middle School Association.

If you want to talk about meat suits with, you know, with active spirits, those are middle schoolers, to be sure. And like you said, it's just we do so much better when we think about the kids holistically and not just as.

Yeah, just not just, not just this three pounds up here, but the rest of it.

So much more than the test score 100.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. When we talk about, you know, bringing education home, it's the, the body, the mind, the spirit.

Is all of it connected around the child and the family. Yeah. You talk about those middle schoolers. That is one place I would never go as a teacher.

I was like, no, no, you can transfer me to high school if you want to, but please don't Transfer me to middle school.

School. But you've met middle school teachers and you know they belong there if they. Yes, yes.

Because they look at the elementary and the high school teacher and they're like, we wouldn't want to be any other place. It's like, right, good for you. Stay there. Because I don't want to be there.

Real good friends with the sixth grade teachers. Like I can't do it. You do. It's like I can't do what you do. It's like exactly. Those, with those seven year old little monsters.

It's like, how can you handle to be with those 12 year old psycho kids?

Yeah, I think that's a great point. Teachers kind of find a way of ending up where they need to be.

Absolutely. And you know, to take it back to what we're talking about here.

That's why the independent education consultants also, they find where they need to be. They find their love, they find their passion.

They know the experiences they have that they can impart to families and really help them make that next great steps. Yeah, yeah.

Oh yeah, yeah.

With these kind of associations. When you chose to take your son out of school in the fifth, sixth grade, were you working with fourth, fifth.

Were you working with a consultant at that point? And was it, was it around like a specific issue?

That, that or you don't have to like be specific but, but it's like sometimes it's like kids get bullied for and they can't get away from it or.

We took our son out of school for a couple of years because the crowd he was in and he wasn't getting the right kind of education and he was, he was really hurting when he went to school. So we put him in a different environment and he really thrived for two years.

He like rose to the top of the class and so he's like, I want to go back with my friends. Then it kind of like went down.

Yeah, but, but, yeah, but do, do, do the consultants that you work with like if your child's having emotional problems in school or not wanting to go to school, is that, do you have counselors like that as well?

Oh, absolutely. And for us it was more of a, it was a social issue that was impacting his academic performance.

So for needed a different environment for a while until we kind of figured out that, you know, he developed a little more and matured a little more. But we have in particular just an amazing group of consultants who are called therapeutic consultants.

And so a lot of them have some type of clinical background.

But many of them also face challenges in their own families or with their own children just needing a different setting or needing a school that has more of a clinical approach in some instances. So they're really wonderful consultants. And you made me think when you said about some kids just need to get outside more.

One of the programs they work really closely with is some of those, you know, outdoor wilderness programs which just do incredible work with kids who just need a different setting who just are not going to thrive in a, you know, sitting at a desk in a classroom all day. So yeah, they're really. And you again, you can find them on our website.

Our therapeutic consultants are just do wonderful work with families who just are mesmerized by what the transformation their kids make when they find the right educational setting for them.

Beautiful. And so now is actually a great time. How do people find besides the website? Go ahead and say it out loud.

Of course everything's going to be in the show notes. But how do they find you? How do they find the consultants? How do they help their families move forward in the education process?

Yeah. So we'[email protected] you'll find right on the homepage.

Find a consultant that brings you to our database that lets you search across the country, around the world, based on your parameters, whether you want virtual or in person support, what type of consultant you're looking for. If you ever need help, you're welcome to call our, our number as well.

And we can help you utilize the database because again, it's just our goal to help families find the right support for them.

Beautiful.

And one of the things I remember when I was looking at the website is that you said there's boxes, but you don't have to fill in all the boxes to do a search. You can just type in the name of something you don't have to put in like the state or the zip code.

So that opens it up a little bit more for people who want that like whole country kind of search.

Absolutely. Yeah. Our search is so robust it can feel a little.

We want to make sure we're giving families every filter possible, but you don't have to use any of them.

You could just start with a search that says homeschool, for example, and it might give you a list of, you know, consultants that specialize in that area. So yes, if you ever need help navigating it, just give our office a call. We're happy to help.

Beautiful. Thank you so much.

Is there anything that we haven't touched on that you had on your notes, like, you know, I really want to make sure I speak on this, or I really want to share this part, or I hope.

I hope they talk to me about this.

No, this was a really great opportunity for us to talk about where there's overlap and to share how IEC support families. And just thank you for the work that you're doing to empower families to make the right decisions for their kids.

So just happy to be part of this conversation.

Thank you, Stephanie, so much for being here today, for giving us your insights and really, you know, putting a spotlight on all these people. There are so many experts and people out there who really want to help families, and then sometimes they don't get found.

And so your association is helping them get found, but also just opening this conversation that, yes, parents, it's okay to go find somebody to help you with these decisions, because it can be so overwhelming. So thank you again for being here today.

Yes, thank you for being here again. A lot of parents feel shame is like, oh, I should know what to do because I'm a parent now.

But just because you know how to have sex does not mean you know how to have a parent. Be a parent. So, again, do not be ashamed. We made lots of mistakes. We have, you know, we have skeletons in our closet. It's like, nobody's perfect.

But if you can reach out for help, this is a great place to do it. And so many people are afraid to ask. And you are a great cheerleader for the ieca. Thank you for coming on the show today.

Thank you for coming and telling our parents what you. What you do and how you help. And I actually hope some of our parents will reach out to you and get more information that they might need.

So thank you so much for coming on our show today.

Thanks so much for having me.

All right, audience, you know, it is time to, like, review and share, because guess what? Stephanie comes and does this kind of stuff to help you take you and your family to the next level.

So take the gold nuggets that were shared and put them to use. And then also reach out to people like Stephanie, like the other IECs that are ready to help your family become the best it can be every single day.

And if you're going to share the podcast, make sure to leave a comment to the person you want to share it to with an app, and that will get them the information and also increase our contacts. And it'll help more people see this as well. So share it. Comment.

Comment to the people that you want to share it with as well, help this message get out, because more people need to see this, because people like Stephanie need more people to see them so that we can help more families. And the IECA is great at helping families. So again, thank you for being here and have a wonderful day.

Bye, everybody.

Bye for now.

Thank you.