I launched Fresno Family on Jan. 9, 2001, after looking for and not finding, a local website that had info on local things to do with my first child. At the time, my daughter was a newborn, and I was very eager to get started finding all the fun things to do in the area with her as she grew. Since I couldn’t find anything that suited my needs, I went ahead and created it! I (rightly) figured other families would also like to have a website with this sort of info… And so Fresno Family was born!
It has evolved quite a lot over the years. You can view many of it’s past evolutions on The Wayback Machine, starting with it’s first archived homepage.
In 2019, after hours and HOURS of a LOT of hard work…Fresno Family evolved beyond just pages of lists of resources into a full-on directory website complete with business ratings and reviews! Businesses now also have the opportunity to pay to upgrade their free listings to even more visible options.
But the core purpose of Fresno Family remains the same: To be the BEST online parenting resource in the Central Valley! Here you will find all kinds of things to do for and with your children in our area, both free and paid options, as well as ideas for family outings that are within a day’s drive away.
So dig in, enjoy, and discover all that the Central Valley has to offer families with children! Also, share some of your own feedback!
And tell your friends and family about Fresno Family!
About the Webmama
My name is Tina and I, too, am a Fresno local.
I have been a stay-at-home/work-at-home-mom since 2000, and homeschooling since 2005. Neither of my children has ever been anything but homeschooled.
I have my bachelor’s degree in child development and many years of experience working with children in a variety of educational programs, both traditional and alternative, prior to becoming a mom. A few examples: summer camps, daycare & preschool programs, a science and conservation “outdoor ed” program for 6th graders, a local children’s science center, and even (for a few months) in the local public elementary schools as a substitute teacher.
After becoming a mother, I continued to work with groups of children with a “mommy and me” program I ran out of my home for nearly 3 years. In addition, I have led many organized activities and events for homeschoolers in our community for years. I also planned and organized many local family-related events based out of The Discovery Center for years, including the 6 years of the Fresno BabyFest, TDC’s Move it Dig it Do it (an event all about machines big and small), and the first 2 years of the annual EggFest.
I also run an online business called Tina’s Learning Adventures where I sell e-courses and virtual products for homeschoolers, write a homeschool blog called Homeschool Realm where I share about my homeschool journey and share lots of helpful learning resources, and do a secular homeschool podcast with a local friend called the Savvy Homeschool Moms.
But enough about me…Go enjoy Fresno Family!!!
6 Comments
Christina
New to Fresno/Clovis area (on the border). Both husband and I homeschool our two girls, 11 and 13. Have been since they were born. Use secular curriculum including CM. Not impressed with the homeschooling groups that I have found so far here. We came from a homeschooling group that met once a week and did secular co-op classes that were quite flexible and could be attended by the girls if desired. Any ideas or suggestions to explore for this area (already a member of the 3 options on yahoo groups)? The girls are looking for others that are their ages and like-minded. Thanks for any direction for homeschooling in this area!
Christina
WebmamaTina
Somehow this comment slipped through my radar. I am just seeing it. Obviously, 5 years later, I’m guessing you found something already…but for others reading this…Yahoogroups are dead now, so we are all on Facebook now. Check out this page for a list of some of the local homeschool Facebook groups: http://fresnofamily.com/homeschooling/local-homeschool-groups/
Mindy Zielke
I stumbled onto your website because I too am a mom and I’m new to the Fresno area and I’m not at all impressed with Clovis unified. I’m seriously considering homeschooling, but am looking for advice as to the best charter or public schools home program. I want the oversight as I’m a newbie and I want the public funding of 2,000 per year per child from the state as long as I’m meeting the standards. Any good suggestions?
WebmamaTina
Hi Mindy! Welcome! Currently I’m unaware of any local program that will allow access to the money you speak of. I have heard of programs in other counties that do pay that money directly to the homeschooling parents…but last time we discussed it, there wasn’t anything in the Fresno area that distributed money. Imagine what we could do w/that much money annually to pay for supplies and classes for our homeschooled kids! We dream of that day! :). But, that said, there ARE local charters for homeschoolers that spend that money for you on programs and materials for enrolled homeschoolers. I have only ever heard anything good about 2, however, as I tend to be in circles of homeschoolers who, like me, don’t want a program that tells me what to do but instead provides a variety of resources and lets me pick…the 2 that I know of that are flexible and recommended are Mountain Home School in Oakhurst and Eleanor Roosevelt in Visalia. Yup, not IN Fresno. BUT….here’s the GREAT news…ERCLC (Eleanor Roosevelt) is starting a Fresno satellite in the fall! My kids are currently enrolled at ERCLC and we make the 1 hour drive down there twice a week and LOVE IT! We are very excited about the Fresno satellite! Let me know if you’d like more info…you can find my contact info on the contact page: http://fresnofamily.com/contact/
Also, have you checked out my homeschool pages yet? There’s all sorts of info on local groups and such.
WebmamaTina
Just stumbled upon this comment again… 6 years later and there are now options in our area for homeschooling with a charter and receiving funding! Check out Inspire charter and Compass charter, both for homeschoolers, both provide funding for students to use for educational purposes!
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