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HTS is not a school; HTS is a ministry of Harvester Presbyterian Church in America and offers academic and elective instruction to homeschool students. HTS does not take the place of the home educating parents, but, rather, comes alongside parents to help them meet their family’s educational goals.

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Harvester Teaching Services' enrollment system requires renewing membership every academic year after the first year of membership. Part of the renewal process prior to enrolling children in classes is updating critical information such as allergies and emergency contacts, as well as paying the $95 Family Registration Fee. 

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Due to the limited instructional time in each class, we cannot accommodate visitors. However, if you have additional questions about HTS that you do not see answered on this website, please get in touch with us by phone or email. We also encourage you to attend HTS' Annual Open House. Please see the Academic Calendar for the date and time--click on the "Dates" tab under the banner on our homepage. 

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Open House occurs toward the end of the Academic Year and is intended to showcase student work from the year. It is also an opportunity for families (returning and those considering HTS) to meet instructors and ask questions about the classes being offered next year. Open House is just what it sounds like--come, mingle, and stay a short time or until the end of the evening.

HTS101 is intended to inform parents of the vision of HTS (who we are, why we do what we do, what we do and what we do not do) in a short presentation followed by a time of Q&A with our Director. Our Safety & Security procedures will also be presented to parents to provide peace of mind that their children will be well cared for in case of an emergency situation. Attendance at HTS101 is required for new families participating in HTS. Please click on the "Dates" tab under the banner on our homepage for dates and time.

Orientation occurs the Tuesday prior to the first class of the new Academic Year--7:30pm-9:00pm. We give a brief presentation of what to expect in a typical day. Topics covered include Traffic Pattern, Parking Lot Safety, Required Forms, Lunch Procedures, Dress Guidelines, and more. After the briefing, there is time for parents and students to meet instructors and staff, and to pick up any information needed prior to the first class meeting time. NOTE: AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING (4/6/21), COVID RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE, SO THERE WILL BE NO "MEET & GREET" WITH INSTRUCTORS.

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Enroll in Ladies Bible Study (Courses, Enroll, & Tuition). There is no charge; we just want to ensure we have a way to communicate Bible study information as needed.

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If you would like to attend the Ladies Bible Study, please enroll your school-age children in classes for that period of time (space permitted) or arrange off-site child care.

DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING (4/6/21), child care is not available for 2021-2022. Should restrictions be lifted prior to the beginning of the 2021-2022 Academic Year, child care will be evaluated.

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Please email Cathy Stone at [email protected] with your question. Chances are you are not the only one with the question.

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No. HTS classes are offered “a la carte.” You may enroll your child(ren) in the number of classes that accommodate your family schedule and your educational goals for your child(ren).

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Click on the title of the class in which you are interested. The full course description will appear; the tuition and any associated supply fee is in the upper right corner.

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Enrollment is for the full year except in specifically-noted, single-semester classes.

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Each member family pays a $95.00 registration fee per year. (Families new to HTS pay a $20.00 Background Investigation Fee.)

Each class lists the tuition and any supply fees in its course description. Click on Courses, Enroll, Tuition, then click on the title of the class to see the full description and associated fees.

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NEW FOR 2021-2022: HTS is accepting PayPal.

If you prefer checks or cash:

HTS accepts checks or money orders via mail and by hand delivery. During the academic year, we accept cash payments on-site.

Send checks or money orders to:

HTS

7800 Rolling Road

Springfield, VA 22153

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A Family Registration Fee of $95 is due within 10 days of invoicing. Families NEW to HTS: include the $20 Background Investigation Fee payment with your Family Registration Fee payment. Families are welcome to enroll their children in classes when we have received the Family Registration Fee (and Background Investigation Fee if applicable). NEW FOR 2021-2022: HTS is accepting PayPal.

A minimum of 10% deposit of the tuition plus all supply fees is due within 10 days of enrolling in classes.  You may view the details of your fees and payments by clicking on your Statement of Account after you have logged in to your account. Your Statement of Account will show the total amount due on any particular due date. You may expand the due date box to see the breakdown of classes and fees due on that date.

Aug. 1 -- 1st Semester Balance due 

Oct. 1 -- One half of 2nd Semester balance

Dec. 1 --Balance  Due

NEW FOR 2021-2022: HTS is accepting PayPal.

If you prefer checks:

Make your check payable to HTS and send to:

HARVESTER TEACHING SERVICES

7800 Rolling Rd

Springfield, VA 22153

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Parents purchase the books needed for each class; textbook titles and ISBNs are listed in the course description. In cases where textbooks are available for purchase only to "schools", HTS buys the books and adds the cost to families registered for that class as a supply fee. In cases where purchasing the books in bulk is more cost effective than each family purchasing individually, HTS buys the books and adds the cost as a supply fee. 

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A combination of criteria is the determining factor: time, subject matter, and target grade level are the primary criteria. For instance, we consider language/writing to be a core subject and the classroom instruction and level of homework will reflect that, as will the class length and tuition. If you have questions about a particular class, please contact the instructor.

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Core academic instructors provide a syllabus at the beginning of the year and send out weekly emails and/or post to their Classroom Dashboard. If you are unsure of a particular assignment, email your child’s instructor. It is each family’s responsibility to maintain valid family and student email addresses in their Family Profile—please update your Family Profile and inform instructors when you have an email address addition/change so they can update their records.

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Core Junior High and High School class (math, science, language) students are provided with quarterly evaluations; grades are provided by the instructor. Semester evaluations are given for elective Junior High and High School classes. A final year-end evaluation for Grades 6-12 are issued to parents in sealed envelopes or sent to parents via email at the discretion of the instructor. An end-of-year Certificate of Completion, suitable for framing or keeping in a notebook, is issued for Grades PK-5.

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While HTS high school classes are transcript-worthy, HTS does not provide a transcript. Instructors provide grades for Core academic classes, enabling parents to create a transcript for their high school student. There are numerous resources available to parents, which can include other homeschool endeavors or co-op classes. Home School Legal Defense Association has launched a Transcript Service here: Homeschool Transcripts. By searching the internet, parents can find a template or templates that meet the requirements of colleges and universities.  

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Yes. We start the background check process by entering parent first name, last name, and email address. ClearStar, the screening company we contract with, sends an email with a unique link for each parent to complete the background check process. 

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Click on the JOIN tab at the top right corner of any page to get started!

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We recommend that you have your highlighted schedule in front of you to avoid enrolling your child in two classes that meet at the same time or overlap in time slots.

• Log in to your account
• Click on Courses, Enroll, & Tuition
• Scroll down the list of Course Descriptions to the class in which you are interested
• Click on the class name
• The full course description will appear
• On the right side of the screen you will see your family members names with a box next to each (parent boxes are grayed out for children's classes so that you don't accidentally enroll yourself)
• Click on the box beside the name of the child you wish to enroll in the class
• Click on the Register button

Repeat the steps above until you have completed enrolling your child(ren)

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Log in to your account. Select Courses, Enroll, & Tuition from the tool bar. Click on the Manage Class Registrations link on the right side of the screen. You will see each child and each class in which they are enrolled.

Once you, the parent, have signed up for your Volunteer Hours, you will also see the roles, dates and times for which you signed up.

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Log in to your account. Select Courses, Enroll, & Tuition from the tool bar. Click on the Manage Class Registrations link on the right side of the screen, then click on the Future Classes tab (before classes begin) or the Current Classes tab (after classes begin). You will see each role, date, and time for which you volunteered, as well as each child and each class in which they are enrolled.

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You may drop a class through your Family Account at any time prior to June 15 by following these steps:

• Log in to your account
• Select Courses, Enroll, & Tuition
• Click on the Manage Class Registrations link on the right side of your screen
• Click on the Future Classes tab
• Scroll down to find the student and the class you wish to drop
• Click on the "Remove" box next to the class you wish to drop
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the black "Remove" button

Please refer to the Family Agreement for information on dropping classes after June 15.

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Each course description lists the ISBN of any book needed so that families can use their own sources to find a new or used book that meets their budget. Some sources include Christian Book Distributors, Rainbow Resources, Amazon, ABE books. In the case of books that are restricted to “schools”, are hard to find, are very course specific, or are less expensive to buy in bulk, HTS purchases those books and adds the cost to the class as a materials fee.

NOTE: Be sure to read reviews on websites; some re-sellers have been less than honest when listing the ISBN for a book. Ask more information from the re-seller if in doubt.

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No, but we would love for you to stick around and join us for a cup of coffee or tea in the Resource Center and chat for a bit.

You may drop off your children for their classes and return to pick them up when their classes are finished. We recommend that parents of younger elementary children stay on-site for the first 2-3 weeks to assist their children in moving from classroom to classroom. Younger children are more comfortable when they have spent time with you learning where to go next. We also recommend that you place a copy of the schedule, with your child's classes highlighted, in an outside pocket of his bookbag in case your child needs help if you are not on-site. Please note that we do not offer child care before classes begin for the day or after classes end for the day, so arranging rides with other families may be a good option if you have other obligations at those times of the day.

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HTS schedules 30 minutes for lunch (12:00pm-12:30pm). Children may bring COLD lunches from home. There are a few fast-food restaurants and delis close to HTS for parents to purchase lunches to bring to their children. Parents are encouraged to eat lunch with their younger children. Many families use the lunch period as a time to get to know other families and meet new friends from their children’s classes. HTS does not supply paper products, utensils, hot water, microwave, refrigerator, etc. As time and volunteer interest permits, we periodically sell hot lunches (pizza, Chick-Fil-A, etc.) on-site by pre-order to raise funds for our Resource Center or special events.

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Staff members and adults  are on-site to supervise students when their parents are not in the building.

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There may be a gap of time between a student's classes at HTS. Study Hall is a privilege offered to parents and students for the purpose of students working on homework during that gap time. There is no registration required for Study Hall, neither is there a charge. There are, however, responsibilities associated with Study Hall:

• Parents are expected to send their children with productive work to be accomplished during the ONE period at a time their child will be in Study Hall. We have found that students who have little to no work to focus on are a disruption to the quiet environment we strive to provide. 
• Students are expected to engage in the productive work their parents send with them. 
• Students are expected to sign in when they arrive, and sign out WHEN they leave for their next class.

Study Hall monitors are available to help younger students with the productive work their parents send with them. 

Students may check out books from the Resource Center only after they have finished all of the work sent with them--yes, we do ask that question. 

Any student who is, by determination of the Study Hall monitor or an HTS Administrative Team member, disruptive to the purpose of Study Hall will be escorted to the office to enjoy the comings and goings of the HTS staff until his/her next class. 

Please refer to the Family Agreement for more information. Once you have become an HTS member family, you may also access the description for Study Hall Monitor in the Publications & Articles section of the website.

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The Resource Center is a “library”, coffee room, and parent “hangout.” Families may check out 6 resources (books, CDs, DVDs, curriculum) per day. Resources are checked out for a period of three weeks, after which overdue fines of $.10/day begin accruing. We do not have the ability for automatic “Resources Due Soon” and “Resources Overdue” emails, so it is up to you to mark your calendars with the due dates.

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The Resource Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the start of the first class of the day until the end of the last class of the day. (Be sure to consult the schedule of classes posted on-line.) Check-out begins a couple of weeks after classes have commenced, to allow time for our library system to be updated with current family information. Check-in ends the date of the final day of Elective classes or of Open House, whichever comes first.

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Children must be actively supervised by an adult who is engaging in reading to or quietly playing with your child. If you need to step out of the RC for a few moments (not for an off-site errand), please ask another adult in the RC if they would be willing to watch your child for those few moments. Please help us to make the Resource Center an “inside voice” area so that parents can visit, encourage one another, and pray together, and so that Harvester’s church staff can focus on their work—noise carries through the walls and ceilings.

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Because of seemingly unlimited class offerings and limited physical space, quiet space is a hot commodity throughout the day at HTS. Please check the posted classroom assignment schedule to see if there is an empty room (nurseries are not available for parent/child study time). If a classroom is available, you are welcome to work with your child, keeping in mind that other families may be sharing the room for the same purpose. The space behind the Sanctuary is available for one-hour increments by requesting and signing in and out with HTS Administrative staff in the office. Other on-site possibilities are: the foyer for quiet parent/child interaction (blue tiled floor area outside of the Sanctuary), picnic tables, and playground—weather permitting. Your car/van is also another possibility if there is no empty room and the weather is less than ideal. Off-site possibilies are Lorton Library (less than 10 minutes away) or near-by coffee shops.

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HTS is not in a position to provide child care. We encourage parents new to HTS to spend some time getting to know other parents the first few weeks of the year for the purpose of trading child care as needed. During pleasant weather, parents may take each other's children out to the playground. In less pleasant weather, the Resource Center may be used to care for each other's children. Please remember that the Resource Center operates much like a library--sssshhhh. 

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Family Volunteer Hours are a requirement of participating in HTS classes, and they provide an opportunity for everyone in the HTS community to serve and benefit one another in Study Hall (4 hour increments) or at lunch (1 hour increments). See the Family Agreement for the number of hours to which every family must commit each year. Assistance in a particular class is separate from and in addition to Family Volunteer Hours.

Full details of each volunteer position can be found in the Volunteer Hours Descriptions section of the Publications page after you have joined HTS (click on Publications in the tool bar beneath the HTS banner on any page).

Volunteer Positions are listed just like classes, so you can see the dates, time frame, and number of parents needed to fill the positions. Volunteer hours are listed by Quarter for ease of signing up. When signup opens in August, please have your personal calendar/schedule in mind so that you do not create conflicts for yourself.  Please sign up (register) to serve appproximately 1/2 of your full commitment during Q1 and Q2, and the remaining 1/2 during Q3 and Q4. Not only do we enjoy seeing and chatting with you throughout the entire year, you may find yourself sticking around in the Resource Center to visit with other parents. 

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Any field trips are class specific. Parents and, sometimes, siblings accompany the class and make it a family event. HTS does not arrange program-wide field trips, but we encourage parents to coordinate outings/tickets to Kennedy Center or George Mason University performances geared toward children or any activity that may be of interest to other families. All registered families and instructors are encouraged to post events in the General category of Class Communications. Be sure to include a point of contact. We ask that activities/field trips not conflict with Tuesday or Thursday classes, potentially negatively impacting other classes students may be taking. Outside of HTS, many families get together for outings, play dates, or field trips that they arrange among themselves.

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Clubs and extra-curricular activities are parent-driven and are carried out with the guidance of the HTS Director. In the past, HTS parents have led LEGO Club, Chess Club, American Girl Doll Club (to name a few), and have organized a CPR class, Scripps Spelling Bee competition, $5 movie nights, and a homecoming dance. Have an idea for a club/activity? Talk to Cathy Stone! We will help to publicize your club/extra-curricular activity within the HTS community.