FAQ

Your questions answered.

Try the full HSEA system free for 7 days — no credit card. Or, with no account at all, the first lesson of every subject is free as a quick sample. Membership unlocks the full curriculum: all 40 lessons per core subject (20 in Life Skills and Survival), interactive reinforcement, clean printing, PDF downloads, kid profiles, and saved progress.

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🎯 What HSEA actually is

Is HSEA screen-free?

Almost. Total daily screen time is about 10 minutes: the next day, your child redoes the same lesson on the screen as a review. The screen never teaches. It just locks in what was already learned on paper the day before.

Is this just worksheets?

No. It's a structured lesson system. The lesson is on paper, with you at the table: you read it once, you talk it through together, your child does the exercises, and you correct together. The next day, your child redoes the same lesson on the screen for about 10 minutes. The paper and the conversation are the core of the learning; the screen is the next-day review.

How is this different from other learning apps?

Most platforms are screen-first: the child taps answers alone, gets rewards, moves on. Learning feels fast but retention is shallow, and the parent isn't in the room. HSEA is the opposite — you read every lesson with your child on paper and talk it through. You're involved at the table. The screen has one job: a 10-minute review of the same lesson the next day.

Do I have to use the screen activities?

Yes — the 10-minute next-day screen review is how progress gets saved per child profile. The screen never teaches the lesson and never replaces the paper work; it just locks in yesterday's learning and records the progress.

🆓 Free access & membership

How can I try HSEA for free?

Two ways, no credit card needed for either:

7-day full-access trial — sign up and add your first kid profile: the 7 days start then. All 1,880 lessons, all 9 subjects, up to 5 kid profiles, saved progress. After 7 days you choose a plan (or walk away — your kid's progress stays saved on your account).
Free first lesson of every subject — no account at all. The first lesson of every subject is unlocked for anyone to read, on every grade. That's 8 free lessons per grade in Grades 1–2 and 9 in Grades 3–6 — a quick sample if you're not ready to make an account yet.

What does the 7-day trial include?

Every lesson: all 6 grades, all 9 subjects, all 1,880 lessons, up to 5 kid profiles and saved progress per kid. The 7 days start when you add your first kid profile. During the trial, PDF downloads are limited to 3 new lessons a day. Printable certificates come with annual plans. No credit card up front. We'll send you a heads-up email the day before it ends, and your kid's saved progress stays on your account even if you don't subscribe — so if you come back later, you pick up exactly where you left off.

Are any lessons free without an account?

Yes. The first lesson of every subject is free — no account needed, no credit card. That is one free lesson per subject — 8 per grade in Grades 1–2 and 9 in Grades 3–6 — so you can sample the full curriculum before committing.

What does membership unlock?

Membership unlocks the full HSEA workflow: interactive reinforcement activities, clean lesson printing, PDF downloads, kid profiles, and saved progress and scores per child.

What stays locked for members only?

Lessons 2–40 of every core subject and lessons 2–20 of Life Skills and Survival are members-only (each one shows a free preview of its mini lesson and vocabulary). So are the interactive activities, print and PDF tools, kid profiles, and saved progress.

Do I need an account for the free lessons?

No. The first lesson of every subject is accessible without an account. You only need an account to use membership features.

🎓 Progress, exams & certificates

Are there exams?

Yes. Every core subject in every grade has a final exam — 42 in total across the curriculum. Life Skills and Survival have no exam: completing all 20 lessons of one in a grade earns a completion certificate (printable on annual plans). Each exam unlocks only after your child completes all 40 lessons in that subject at 90%+ mastery, so they only test when they're truly ready.

Can my child earn certificates?

Yes — printable certificates are an annual-membership perk. On an annual plan, your child earns a dated, named certificate every time they pass a subject exam, plus a full-grade completion certificate when every subject in a grade is passed. Useful for portfolios, state reviews, and end-of-year keepsakes. Monthly members still earn exam passes (and can see them on the dashboard) — they unlock for printing the moment you switch to annual.

How do I show what my child has actually learned?

The Skills Mastered PDF lists every skill your child has demonstrated, organized by subject and grade. One click from the dashboard — print it, save it, share it with curious relatives or include it in a homeschool portfolio.

What if I need help?

Open a support ticket directly from your dashboard. The HSEA team reads every message and replies.

📅 How to use HSEA

What is the recommended daily routine?

Paper teaches. Screen reviews. That's the order, always.

Before you start — print the lesson and have it on the table before you call your child.
Read once, then talk (~15 min) — the heart of the lesson — you read the lesson once, slowly; your child tries to read the vocabulary words; you add your own explanations and experiences. Questions come up and you talk: this is where the real learning happens.
Exercises on paper (~20 min) — your child works on paper. If needed, read the instructions with them and show one example. If they need the lesson again, they reread it themselves.
Correct together (~10 min) — use the answer key at the end of the PDF. Explain each mistake without giving the answer, so they get a second chance. Then check with the Parent checklist that they really understood, and give a mark and an encouraging comment.
Next day: screen review (~10 min) — your child redoes the same lesson on the screen. It locks in what they learned and saves their progress.

About 45 minutes at the table per lesson, plus the 10-minute screen review the next day. Up to 2 lessons a day.

How long does a session take?

About 45 minutes at the table per lesson, plus a 10-minute screen review of the same lesson the next day. If 45 minutes is too long at first, split the paper lesson into two shorter parts across the morning.

How many lessons should we do each day?

Start with one lesson per day in your first week while you get used to the rhythm. After that, do two lessons per day maximum: more becomes overwhelming and less productive. Better two lessons well understood than five misunderstood. There's no race.

Can I teach several children at the same time?

Yes: stagger them at one table. Print everything before you start. Read the lesson and talk it through with the first child; while they do their exercises, call the second, then the third. Then go back to the first child to correct together, and while that child does yesterday's screen review, check the second one's work. For three kids, one lesson each, that's about 90 minutes. Each child has their own profile (Family plan: up to 3, Large Family: up to 5).

Is 45 minutes enough?

Don't try to copy a school day. A school day is long, but much of it is transitions, waiting and managing a whole class. At home, with one or two children at the table, 45 focused minutes per lesson goes a long way. We recommend at most two lessons a day; beyond that, it becomes overwhelming for parents and kids.

Do I need to be a trained teacher?

No. HSEA is built for parents who want to be involved, not for trained teachers. Every lesson is laid out so you can read it aloud once, talk it through with your child, and lead the practice. If you can read the instructions and sit beside your child, you can teach the lesson.

📚 Grades, subjects & curriculum

What grades are ready now?

All 6 grades are available now — Grades 1 through 6, each with the 7 core subjects plus Life Skills, and Survival from Grade 3: 300 lessons in Grades 1–2 and 320 in Grades 3–6. That is 1,880 lessons covering Grades 1–6. Start at the grade that best matches your child's current skill level — you can always adjust.

Is this a US curriculum?

It is skill-based and international. US grade labels are used because that is the most common way parents search. The lessons focus on universal foundational skills that apply anywhere.

What subjects are covered?

There are 9 subjects. Every grade includes the 7 core subjects: Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, SEL (social-emotional learning), and Technology. On top of those: Life Skills (Grades 1–6) and Survival (Grades 3–6).

Can my child follow different grades for different subjects?

Yes — and this is one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling with HSEA. Your child can be in Grade 2 for Math and Grade 3 for Reading at the same time. No rules. Each subject moves at its own pace, because every child learns differently. That kind of flexibility simply does not exist in a traditional classroom.

Is HSEA for full-time homeschoolers only?

No. Some families use HSEA as their full homeschool curriculum. Others use it for after-school practice, summer learning, or targeted review in specific subjects.

💳 Billing & refunds

Do you offer refunds?

Because membership unlocks printable, downloadable, and interactive features, purchases are generally non-refundable once activated.

Billing errors such as duplicate charges are always corrected — contact support and we will fix it.

Are there PDF download limits?

Yes — sized to match real family use, not to be restrictive.

Trial and monthly plans have daily caps:

Trial: 3 new lessons/day
Solo Monthly: 3 new lessons/day
Family Monthly: 8 new lessons/day
Large Family Monthly: 12 new lessons/day

Annual plans have generous yearly caps:

Solo Annual: 320 new lessons/year (enough for a full grade: 300 lessons in Grades 1–2, 320 in Grades 3–6)
Family Annual: 960 new lessons/year (3 kids × a full grade of up to 320 lessons each)
Large Family Annual: truly unlimited

Reprints never count. Once you've downloaded a lesson, re-downloading it any time in the future is free — lost PDFs, damaged printouts, or a new device don't eat into your allowance.

What happens if I hit my download limit?

You'll see a friendly message when you click Download, explaining the cap and when it resets. Re-downloading lessons you already grabbed is always free and doesn't count. If you frequently hit the cap, that usually means your household would be better on a higher-tier plan — and you can upgrade anytime from your dashboard.

Where can I compare plans and prices?

Visit the Pricing page for current membership options and what each plan includes. Every plan can be paid monthly or annually.