Join us in advocating for homeschool freedom at California’s State Capitol.
Applications Close At Midnight Saturday, January 13th.
The goal of Capitol Day is to provide information about private home education to our California state legislators and their staff in a friendly, professional manner. This also allows legislators and their staff the opportunity to visit with real homeschool families.
Capitol Day serves several purposes:
- It informs any newly elected legislators and their staff and reminds the veteran legislators of the benefits of private homeschooling.
- It strengthens our working relationship with them on a professional level.
- It leaves them with a way to contact us if they ever have any questions about home education.
- It educates private homeschool families on the inner workings of the legislative process, trains them in how to advocate for homeschooling freedoms, and gives them a hands-on learning experience in government as they visit legislators’ offices at the capitol.
Our Capitol Day volunteers will visit each of the 120 legislators’ Capitol offices, providing each office with an information packet about private homeschooling. These packets help explain private home education as well as provide research showing that privately home-educated children do very well compared with students from the public schools.
This event is especially vital for the many new legislators and their new aides who have not yet become familiar with private home education. In fact, a significant number of the legislators and their aides have no idea how private homeschooling works, either practically or legally, or that there are homeschoolers in their districts. These visits go a long way toward helping them see that homeschoolers are good, law-abiding citizens who are living and working in their districts.
Capitol Day Speakers
Capitol Day is fast approaching! We here at FPM would like to share some exciting news about the speakers for Capitol Day. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain wisdom from these prominent figures in the homeschooling community. These speakers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and their goal at Capitol Day is to prepare participants on how to be active and influential delegates in their local and state government. Don’t miss out on learning from these influential advocates!
Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh is a graduate of San Bernardino High School and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She worked towards her teaching credential at California State University, San Bernardino and went on to teach English language learners at the elementary school level. She has been a proud Realtor for 20 years, helping others achieve the American Dream. Ochoa Bogh served on the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District board and is a former board Chairwoman/President of the Yucaipa Valley Chamber of Commerce as well as a former board member of the East Valley Association of Realtors. In November 2020, Ochoa Bogh was elected to represent the nearly one million people of California’s Senate District 23. Senator Ochoa Bogh and Greg Bogh, her husband of 26 years, live with their son, two daughters and a Cocker Spaniel named Penny in the city of Yucaipa.
Assemblyman James Gallagher
James Gallagher has represented California’s Third Assembly District since 2014. Before joining the Assembly, he served on the Sutter County Board of Supervisors for six years. James earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at UC Berkeley before completing an Assembly Fellowship in Sacramento and a law degree at UC Davis, where he graduated at the top of his class. He advocates for small businesses and farmers in his law practice and is a partner in his family’s farming operation. James is married to his high school sweetheart, Janna; the two live in Sutter County where they are raising their five young children.
Joel Grewe
Joel started his life of advocacy in 6th grade, when he convinced his mother to homeschool him. He went on to work on Capitol Hill for Congressman J.C. Watts, then delved into the world of demographic research, and now serves as the executive director of HSLDA Action and Generation Joshua. Today, Joel travels across the US, training and mentoring young leaders. He draws on over 20 years of both ministry and political experience to inspire a generation that, in his opinion, will change the world. Joel lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Christie, and their three children.
Brian Ray
Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. and others founded the institute in 1990 as a 501(c)3 non-profit research organization, and is the president of the institute. He holds his Ph.D. in science education from Oregon State University, his M.S. in zoology from Ohio University, and his B.S. in biology from the University of Puget Sound. Dr. Ray has been a middle school and high school classroom teacher in both public and private schools, an undergraduate college professor, and a university professor at the graduate level. He is a leading international expert with regard to homeschool (home school, home education) research. Dr. Ray executes and publishes research, speaks to the public, testifies before legislators, and serves as an expert witness in courts.
Frank Erb
Pastor and missionary to the Capitol, reminded us that our state legislators are people just like us! He emphasized showing them compassion and respect; the stressful environment of the Capitol is difficult for them. They need prayer. We should think of them as we do any other person who needs the love of Christ—rather than judging them as just some opposing politician.
Nathan Pierce
Nathan Pierce began working at Family Protection Ministries (FPM) in 2002 to protect homeschooling in California. He was homeschooled himself from kindergarten through high school and received a B.A. in Political Studies from the Master’s College. Currently, he serves as FPM’s Executive Director, Legislative Liaison, and conference speaker to homeschool leaders, parents, and teens. He works behind the scenes at the State Capitol, meeting with legislators to advocate on behalf of homeschoolers. In 2018, Nathan received the Christopher J. Klicka Award for legislative work protecting homeschool freedoms. He and his wife Betsy were married in 2004 and have eight children. They are involved in their church, and homeschool their own children.
Betsy Pierce
Betsy is a second generation homeschool mom. She shares eight children with her husband, Nathan, all of whom they have homeschooled since birth. They met while at The Master’s College and moved to Placer County in 2004 when Nathan began his work at Family Protection Ministries. The whole family works toward the calling of protecting homeschooling. Betsy has been involved in many levels and types of leadership in the homeschool community over the years.
Jeff Campbell
Jeff was raised in a Christian home by godly parents and was redeemed at a young age. He has spent most of his life in Northern California. He and his wife Carolyn have been married for 36 years and have ten children and eight grandchildren. Jeff serves as a board member of FPM, as well as pastor at Foothill Christian Fellowship in Northern California.
Jennifer Avila
Jennifer Avila is a homeschool mom of three and small business owner alongside her husband of 12 years. She was not homeschooled, but the Lord laid the idea upon her heart as a teenager and it never wavered. Her background in television, radio, and local government has given her the tools to successfully advocate. Networking and maintaining connections has always been her strong suit. Jennifer and her family’s advocacy extends to their local law enforcement each year and were presented a plaque in recognition of their support as well in 2021. Both Jennifer and her husband make time for advocating anything good and worth having is worth fighting for.
Drew Olender
Drew Olender began with Family Protection Ministries in 2020 as a research assistant monitoring and analyzing executive orders, emergency regulations and mandates. He currently works at FPM as a legislative assistant and media editor. He is a current college student, after receiving both homeschool and public education. He and his wife are currently attending the University of Nevada, Reno, and Drew is finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
Xedrick Paredes
Xedrick was born in Orange County in 2006, moved to Davis California in 2012, and is where he currently resides. He is privately Homeschooled by his parents and has been since the 1st grade. Xedrick currently participates in STOA, a private christian homeschool speech and debate organization. He serves as the 1st President of Sacramento Christian Organization Parent Educators (SCOPE) student government and was an Intern at FPM for the summer for 2023. His goals are to never stop glorifying and serving our one true God and to be able to finish college and continue serving the homeschool community by encouraging the youth of our generation.
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