Our Mission
At Au Courant Homeschool Consultants, our mission is to provide comprehensive support to homeschool middle and high school students. We offer personalized guidance to help students and parents make informed decisions about their educational paths. Our team is committed to making the homeschooling experience enriching, rewarding, and successful. By working with us, you gain access to a wealth of knowledge and resources tailored to your unique educational journey.
Who We Are
Together we have over 30 years of homeschool experience in working with our own children as well as assisting, advising and teaching other homeschool families.
Kim Engelke
Hi! My name is Kim Engelke and I have been working as a homeschool consultant since 2014. I have my master’s degree in early childhood special education with a focus on Developmentally Appropriate Practice. I believe that children learn best with they are encouraged to follow their interests.
From 2014-2018 I worked as a homeschool reviewer for The Excelsior Academy. In 2018 I started my own umbrella school, Peach Tree Homeschool Academy, providing counseling, legal oversight, transcripts and diplomas for families in Maryland. I find that much of my focus is on high school students, helping them design a high school experience that fits with their plans for after graduation.
My husband and I decided to homeschool when we were pregnant with our first child. Both our children were homeschooled right up to college. Both of our children chose an interest-based high school experience, earning credit for their hobbies and passions, rather than a strictly academic one.
Our daughter was an avid horse woman from the time she was young. She also loves to read, write and draw. In high school she did math, English, Spanish, and history classes. For science, she used her equine experiences of competing, training, and caring for her horses. These experiences along with her art also counted as her electives. In choosing an interest based high school experience she knew that she would need about 30 credits of community college classes before transferring to a four-year college. She started community college while still in high school, receiving high school and college credits.
After graduating high school, she continued at community college then transferred to the University of Maryland to complete her degree in Microbiology. By attending community college and then doing two years at our state university, she was able to save a lot of money and graduate debt free.
Our son is an avid falconer and received his falconry license when he was 14 years old. He was an apprentice for many years to a Master Falconer. He is also an avid horseman, competing, training, and caring for his horses. We counted all these experiences as primarily science and elective credits. His study of falconry required a knowledge of the history of falconry, earning history credits. He wrote about falconry and brought his bird to schools, assisted living facilities, and local hunting clubs and gave talks earning credits in English. He also took math, English, Spanish and history classes. Our son also started community college in high school earning both high school and college credits. After graduating high school, he received his associates in welding at Pennsylvania College of Technology.
Now that my kids have flown the nest, I enjoy sharing my expertise with other homeschooling families. In my free time I enjoy riding my horses, training my dogs for agility and flyball, knitting and making greeting cards.
Dawn Dennison
Hello! My name is Dawn Dennison. I have been a homeschool mom for 16 years. I am currently a math tutor and have taught math and literature classes to homeschoolers for the past 6 years. I have a BAS in mathematics. Due to my 6 years of serving in the Air Force and then 14 years as a military spouse, I have a special understanding for the complexities of military families who homeschool.
I began homeschooling my oldest in 2nd grade when a military move led us to school district that was not a good fit for my oldest daughter due to her severe food allergies. She graduated high school early at 17 to train with a professional ballet company for 1 year. She then decided to go to college for dance at Point Park University on both an academic and artistic scholarship. She graduated with honors in 2023 and is currently living her dream dancing with a ballet company. My middle child didn't begin homeschooling until 8th grade. She did a blend of dual enrollment, AP and independent study classes. She is currently in her senior year at Cornell University majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with 3 job offers for after graduation. My youngest graduated 1/2 year early. She took a gap semester to work on her acting and music, landing herself an agent. She is currently in her freshman year at High Point University on a full academic scholarship. She is majoring in theater and history and minoring in dance. She had a lot of medical issues starting at age 9 and was even a Make-A-Wish kid, which gives me a special insight into homeschooling while managing life-changing medical issues.
Through my journey with my girls and while supporting my students I have learned the importance of finding a variety of programs that allow the students to pursue their unique dreams, while also considering the family dynamics and budgets. I have found the value of allowing the student's strengths to guide their education and have acquired a wealth of knowledge through personal experience, lectures, and educational resources that I am excited to share with you! In my spare time I love reading, doing anything Star Wars or Marvel related, visiting my daughters and family and finding cool math videos to share with my students.