This article and video claim that “many states that require you to have some kind of teaching certificate to home school your kids.”

A Family’s Decision To Home School

That’s incorrect.

As far as I know, no state currently requires a homeschooling parent to be a certified teacher. I think the last state to have such a requirement was Michigan. The Michigan Supreme Court struck that requirement in the early 1990’s. Michigan v. DeJong, 501 N.W.2d 127 (Mich. 1993).

It’s a quirky misconception that parents ought to be certified to teach their own kids. Education is a parental right and duty that parents *may* delegate to private or state schools.

Certification for government school teachers is a way to promote safety and quality that is only appropriate to public administration. It is important because the state is stepping into the very private domain of raising children. Private schools typically set their own standards and may or may not look favorably on state certification for their educators.