Frequently Asked Questions
Get clear answers about Kindred curriculum matching, learning differences, plans, transcripts, privacy, and Education Savings Accounts for homeschool families.
Who is Kindred for?
Kindred is built for three kinds of families. Families just getting started, who face a wall of curriculum options and want to know which programs fit their child, their schedule, and their values. Families whose child learns differently — ADHD, dyslexia, autism, giftedness, and more — who need curriculum matched to how their child's mind actually works (the free finder screens 25 learning differences and traits; the full Kindred profile covers 45 diagnosed conditions across 7 categories plus 10 learning traits). And families with college on the horizon, who need rigorous academics, credit tracking, GPA calculation, and a transcript colleges take seriously.
How is Kindred different from researching curriculum myself?
The hard way looks like this: weeks of research, buying curriculum because it worked for someone else's kid, pushing through a bad fit because you already paid, messy spreadsheets for attendance, and guessing what your state requires. Kindred replaces that with personalized matches in about 3 minutes, programs chosen for your child's learning style, planning and transcripts in one place, and built-in compliance tracking for all 50 states — so every decision is backed by data instead of guesswork. The average family tries 2-3 curricula before finding the right one. Kindred is designed to get it right the first time.
What exactly is a "learner identity"?
A learner identity is a comprehensive profile of how your child learns — not just their grade level. It includes their primary learning modality (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), pace preferences, learning differences you choose to share (the free finder screens 25 learning differences and traits; the full Kindred profile covers 45 diagnosed conditions across 7 categories plus 10 learning traits), current therapies and accommodations, environmental needs, engagement triggers, and academic goals. Kindred does not diagnose anything — it records what you already know about your child. This identity powers every recommendation, match score, and insight Kindred generates.
My child has ADHD and dyslexia. How does Kindred help?
Kindred tracks both conditions in your child's profile and uses them as one of the most heavily weighted factors in curriculum matching. Providers that specifically support ADHD and dyslexia (like All About Reading, IEW, or Math-U-See) are surfaced with clear compatibility scores. The planner accounts for therapy schedules, and accommodations like frequent breaks and audiobooks are integrated into your child's learning plan.
Why won't Ask Kindred recommend a curriculum for my child?
Because it would be guessing. A curriculum suggestion is only worth something when it accounts for how your child learns, and a chat assistant hasn't met them. Find Your Match builds your child's learner profile first — learning style, pace, diagnoses, faith preference, budget and more — and then scores 150+ curricula against it, so the answer fits your kid rather than a generic list. Ask Kindred is happy to answer everything else: how Kindred works, pricing and plans, what a term like Charlotte Mason means, whether a specific curriculum is in the database, and how transcripts and verification work.
Is Kindred a curriculum? Do I still need to buy curriculum separately?
Kindred is not a curriculum — it's the platform that helps you find, organize, and track whatever curriculum you choose. You still purchase curriculum from providers like Saxon Math, Sonlight, or Abeka. Kindred helps you discover which ones match your child's learning profile, plan your year, track daily progress, and generate official transcripts and compliance documentation.
How is the matching algorithm different from a quiz?
Most curriculum quizzes ask 3-4 surface-level questions and recommend their own products. Kindred's 10-factor algorithm weighs subjects, learning style, learning differences, teaching philosophy, grade level, format, parent involvement, faith alignment, pace, and budget across 150+ independent curriculum providers. You get ranked results with specific reasons why each program fits — or doesn't fit — your child.
What about my child's data and privacy?
Your family owns your data. Period. Kindred includes a data export — download your records at any time from Settings. Account deletion permanently removes all records. We never sell your data or your child's learning profile, and we don't run ads inside Kindred. The only companies that touch your information are the service providers that run Kindred for us (hosting, payments, email) — the full list is in our Privacy Policy at kindred.school/privacy. The platform is funded by family subscriptions, never by monetizing your child's information.
Is Kindred faith-based?
Kindred serves all homeschool families. Our curriculum directory includes Christian, secular, and faith-neutral providers. Your family's faith alignment is part of your profile and factors into curriculum matching — Christian families see Christian curriculum ranked higher, and secular families see secular options prioritized. The platform respects your values, whatever those values are.
Does Kindred help with Education Savings Accounts (ESA)?
Yes. Kindred includes ESA budget tracking, expense categorization, and allocation monitoring. Currently supporting ESA programs in 18 states, with more being added as new programs launch. Families managing $5,000-$10,500 in ESA funds can track spending on homeschool-specific purchases in one place.
Are Kindred transcripts official?
When you homeschool independently, you are the school's administrator, and the transcript you issue is the official record — the same way a registrar's transcript is official for a traditional school. Kindred formats that record the way admissions offices expect: courses by year, credits, grades, weighted and unweighted GPA, a grading scale and credit policy, and a signature block for the parent-administrator. Kindred does not accredit homeschools: colleges evaluate homeschool transcripts on their content, and most do not require accreditation from homeschool applicants. If you enroll through an umbrella or cover school, it may issue the transcript instead — check its policy.
Will colleges accept a transcript packet from Kindred?
Colleges accept homeschool transcripts from parents every admissions cycle; what they ask for beyond the grade list is context. Kindred's College Transcript Packet supplies it in one PDF: the official transcript, course descriptions, the curriculum used for each course, a reading list from the reading log, standardized test scores, portfolio highlights, activities and awards, and a school profile page — the same supporting documents a traditional high school sends. Every packet also carries a verification code so an admissions office can confirm it is authentic. Requirements vary by college, so check each school's homeschool applicant page.
What's the verification code on a Kindred transcript packet?
Every packet is generated with a short code in the form KND-XXXX-XXXX, printed with a QR code on the cover and in the footer of every page. Anyone can enter it at kindred.school/verify to see the student name, school, course count, credits and GPA recorded when the packet was generated, along with a fingerprint of the document that must match the one printed on the page. Course-by-course details are never shown publicly. If you regenerate a packet after adding courses, it gets a new code, and you can revoke an old code at any time from the Transcript page.
What does Kindred cost?
You can try Kindred's curriculum matching tool free — just your email, no account or credit card. Kindred Plus ($9.99/month or $99/year) adds learner profiles, lesson planning, and progress tracking for 1 child. Kindred Pro ($14.99/month or $149/year) adds up to 3 child profiles, transcripts, all-states compliance, ESA management, and personalized insights. Kindred Homestead ($19.99/month or $199/year) supports unlimited children with family-wide dashboards. The trial is 7 days, free, no card. It shows the reasons behind your family's top three matches and lets you plan the first week for one child. Full reasoning for every match, ESA tools, compliance detail and exports are on paid plans. Matching stays free.
Can I change plans later?
Yes. Sign in and use the Change plan button on the Pricing page. Upgrades — a higher tier, or switching from monthly to annual billing — apply immediately, and Stripe charges the prorated difference for the rest of your current billing period. Downgrades — a lower tier, or annual to monthly — apply at the end of your current billing period; you keep your current plan until then and are not charged for the switch. Founding Family pricing carries over to the new plan.
Still have a question? Email info@kindred.school.