MPE turns 40 years young in 2026!

We are so excited to mark our founding in 1986 with a special lineup of events, activities, and resources to train up the next generation of homeschoolers.

Save the dates for the following:

Women’s Encouragement Day: TBD

Conference & Curriculum Fair: March 6-7

Our homeschool conference and curriculum fair is one of the highlights of our year! Thousands of homeschoolers come annually to hear speakers and browse vendors from around the nation.

There are a few important reasons for this March timeframe, which is earlier than usual:

  • Our usual weekend (1st weekend in April) is Easter in 2026.
  • All other dates in March and April were previously reserved at the KCI Expo Center.
  • Doors have closed on other venues our task force explored (including churches and smaller conference centers).
  • Kansas City is hosting the World Cup in June and July, so area hotels are blocked.
  • May seemed unlikely as we would be competing with graduation and other family events.

We appreciate your patience as we continue making adjustments to keep this opportunity available to families in the Kansas City area and general Midwest!

Gala: TBD

What’s the big deal about 2026?

2026 40-year anniversary mpe

Much has changed in the homeschooling world since the 1980s when MPE was founded.

On one hand, homeschoolers enjoy an abundance of opportunities and resources – curriculum, groups, supplies and programs. We can sometimes feel overwhelmed choosing just one option for our families!

On the other hand, a targeted “fourth wave” of opposition is calling for increased federal regulations and restrictions on homeschool parents.

Examples include Illinois, where thousands of families protested against House Bill 2827 in the state capitol. Despite their advocacy, the legislation still passed.

Lessons learned in Kansas (and Missouri)

Closer to home, in 2024 we learned the Kansas Department of Education’s online non-accredited private school registration form was requiring information not required by law (K.S.A. 72-4346).

According to the statute, a school custodian must submit the name and address of the school when registering. 

However, the online form required applicants to provide a phone number, email address, estimated number of students, or grades offered. None of these were required by law.

We took immediate steps alongside the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and other homeschool associations around the state to get the form back into compliance with the law’s requirements.

On the other side of the state line, Missouri homeschoolers took action during the 2025 legislative season to protest S.B. 190.

The bill would have created government funding of home schools and FPE schools – and our position is that government funding inevitably brings regulations with it.

HSLDA President Jim Mason wrote the following in the association’s January 2025 magazine edition:

Opponents of homeschool freedom are working in new and more coordinated ways to make the pendulum swing in the wrong direction. Which is why we all need to be prepared today for the new challenges that are coming our way. It is up to us to preserve the legacy we have been given so our children and grandchildren will have the liberty to raise, nurture, and educate their children through homeschooling.

We need you now like never before to help us

  • EQUIP homeschool families,
  • ENCOURAGE home educators,
  • PROMOTE home education, and
  • PROTECT homeschooling freedom.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available!