Meet Nicole Doyle | Home Education Advocate & Community Leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Doyle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by parents who held to call to be intentional architects of safe spaces for Black childhood joy to flourish and function as stewards of holistic academic environments filled with love and nurture. These families are using traditional and nontraditional education options that prioritize the mental and physical wellness of their children as sacred work that blesses the community and society as a whole. I am additionally inspired by passionate educators who love children and continue to support homeschooling families as social entrepreneurs and consultants.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a solution-oriented home education advocate focused on providing assistance that enables individual families to realize the educational possibilities of homeschooling. The pandemic forced 9 million students home for remote education. According to the 2019 Census, Black families were 3.3% of the homeschooling population, and by the fall of 2020, the population had increased to 16.1%. Now, Black families are the fastest-growing homeschool population in the United States. Most parents desire to nurture their students’ minds and spirits with an education that provides positive images and an accurate representation. During the post-pandemic era, BIPOC families are opting for home education as a response to institutionalized racism that stamps out potential, a culturally insensitive curriculum that marginalizes our history, disproportionate disciplinary practices that police black bodies, and implicit biases that stifle Black childhood joy. I envision that homeschooling our children will bring about a spiritual and emotional healing that community programs, schools, and church groups have tried to do for years. Within the framework of the family, there will be a change and shift as Black parents are looking at homeschooling as a responsive way to ensure emotional and academic growth for their children. So, I serve my homeschool community as the President of DeKalb Christian Home Educators (DCHE), a parent-led support group located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Since 1989, DCHE has offered extracurricular activities, academic classes, monthly field trips, and parent-mentor support.  The motto is “We believe relationship is the key to a quality education.”  Thus, my goal is to cultivate relationships and a community that serves Black families seeking educational support. So, I cofounded the Georgia Black Home Education Network (GBHEN), a collaboration of Black homeschool leaders with a mission to equip, energize, and encourage underserved homeschooling families by an annual conference showcasing diverse options. In January at the inaugural Flourish: 2023 Black Family Homeschool Conference, GBHEN partnered with Home School Legal Defense Association, VELA Education Fund, yes. every kid foundation., National School Choice Week, and over 30 home education advocates and experts to present practical topics such as  Georgia Homeschooling 101; Developing the Four-Year High School Plan; Adapting an IEPs for Homeschooling; Homeschooling Your Way: Methods & Philosophies, and more. The conference ends with a Black Homeschooling Fathers Panel to showcase and model homeschooling fatherhood as well as dispel the absent Black father.  A 2018 study published in Social Science Quarterly concluded that Black fathers with nonmarital children “shared responsibilities more frequently and displayed more effective coparenting than Hispanic and White fathers.” The conference is a work of love to assist parents as they create a safe space for uninhibited childhood joy and freedom of cultural expression. I am excited about next year’s conference.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Suppose I were to take a friend with kids out on the town for family fun. I would start with breakfast at Pancake Social in Ponce City Markets, then take a tour of the Beltline. Depending on the kiddos’ stamina, you could spend day one here exploring the urban landscapes of the Atlanta Beltline via bike or scooter. From the Old Fourth Ward Park to Freedom Parkway Trail, there are tons to see and you could even stop at the Krog Street Market for lunch. But the amazing exposure to Black history and culture is a draw for any tourist. Atlanta is home to the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site and childhood home, which offers a guided walking tour. There is also an amazing African American art scene that can start at the Hammond House Museum and extend to the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art and the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum. We could end the day with an adult art & jazz groove including appetizers and cocktails by checking out the High Museum of Art. Lastly, I would end our travels with an exploration of the nature of Georgia. The topography of Georgia is amazing and sites like the Etowah Indian Mounds, Arabia Mountain, and Providence Canyon State Park can teach lessons on environmental conservation.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since 1989, DeKalb Christian Home Educators (DCHE), a 501c3 non-profit cooperative, has shared educational opportunities, and financial resources with underserved home-educating families in the Metro Atlanta area. DCHE offers weekly diverse social engagement, academic enrichment, and parent-as-educator support. DCHE is a parent-led organization of families sharing access to extracurricular activities and classes including music instruction, foreign language classes, STEM clubs, karate, classical education offerings, and dual enrollment cohort supports. Student social activity programming includes science & history fairs, Scripps Spelling Bees, graduations, Field Day, field trips, and community service projects tailored for kids as young as 4 years old. This organization has modeled for many families what it means to truly be mission-minded for the communal education of children. Their motto is “We believe that relationships are the key to a quality education.”

Website: https://www.nicolepdoyle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georgiablackhomeeducators

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolepdoyle/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gablackhomeedu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgiablackhomeeducators

Image Credits
Picture 1: Georgia Balck Home Educators Network Collaborators (Nicole Doyle, Michelle Shaw, Andrea Hall & Malaika Wells) Family pic: Nicole Doyle & Husband, Willie Doyle, Jr. with kids