I am absolutely NOT ashamed to admit that I just really started understanding what a co-op was about a couple of years ago in spite of homeschooling for over six years at that point lol. There are so many aspects and options for homeschooling that it is easy to be overwhelmed with all of the information that is out there, so I wanted to break it down to hopefully make it easier to understand.
What is a Homeschool Co-op?
A co-op (short for cooperative) is basically just a group of homeschooling families who come together for field trips, classes, extracurricular activities, social events or even play dates. These co-ops could be free, have a membership fee or maybe just a cost for each individual field trip, class or event that you attend.
Benefits of a Co-op?
A co-op can be structured various ways and therefore offer various benefits:
- Shared Teaching Responsibilities: Instead of one parent doing all the teaching, families within the co-op can meet regularly and take turns leading classes based on their expertise or interest. For example, one parent may teach math while another teaches science. There are even some co-ops that have licensed teachers that teach the classes. This allows kids to experience different teaching styles and subjects. It also provides the parent with an option to have another person teach their child a subject that they do not want to teach or feel confident in personally teaching themselves.
- Class Options: One of the co-ops that I toured rented out a building and offered a variety of classes, ranging from core subjects like language arts and math to more specialized areas like theater, art, and music. Some of the classes were geared toward specific grade levels, and some of the classes had mixed-age groups as well. Another co-op that I participated in met regularly to go on hikes or at a library where a parent or someone that works in a particular field would teach the kids about a particular topic.
- Community and Support: Homeschooling can often feel isolating and lonely, but co-ops give families the chance to meet on a regular basis to connect and build relationships with each other. There may or may not be any classes or structured learning involved. It could be just a meetup with other families to hang out.
- Flexible Schedule: Co-ops have varying schedules, some may meet once or twice a week and some might meet bi-weekly or once a month. The flexibility in schedules allows families to have plenty of time for independent learning. There are also some co-ops that allow you to drop your child off for class so that you can leave to go to work, run errands or just get some me time, and some require a parent to stay with the child the entire time.
- Curating Your Child’s Education: Joining a co-op allows a parent and child to be able to pick and choose exactly what classes they want their child to attend and learn with other homeschooled children. The ability to curate who, where, when and how your child is being taught outside your home is a fantastic privilege that is offered in a co-op setting.
How to Find a Homeschool Co-Op
If you’re interested in joining a homeschool co-op, here are a few ways to find one near you:
- Google is your friend: Hey, a simple internet search for homeschool co-ops in your area should bring up some results, or at least for the larger maybe more established co-ops. Finding the smaller ones may require a little more digging.
- Social Media Homeschool Groups: Ask around in the groups that you may be a member of. If you want to be more discreet for whatever reason, then you can ask anonymously in a Facebook homeschool group or search for that particular topic in the group and see what was said in previous posts from other moms.
- Ask Other Homeschool Families: If you already know other homeschooling families, ask them about their experiences with co-ops. Word of mouth is a powerful tool for finding the right co-op for your family. Just remember that everyone has their own unique experiences. A couple of moms that I know told me about their co-op that they loved, but I didn’t like it at all. I also heard about a different co-op from some other moms that no longer wanted to be members but I joined and my kids and I really love it!
- Start Your Own: Worse case scenario, if you can’t find what you’re looking for then start your own. Reach out to some of your homeschool friends or ask on social media who might be interested in starting a co-op. You can start off small offering a meetup or a play date, and once you start making connections you can work with other moms to get it up and running.
What I Wanted in a Homeschool Co-op?
Well, after a couple of years debating on whether we would join one or not I was finally frustrated enough and determined to try and find a co-op that met the criteria that I was looking for which was:
- Diversity: I wanted to find a group of homeschoolers that were more diverse. We were often the minority in many groups and it was important for me and for my children to be in a group that had people in it that looked like us. I also wanted one that had boys that were around the same age of my kids so that they could develop closer friendships by seeing each other on a regular basis.
- Community: There has been so many times that I have reached out to other moms from homeschool facebook groups to schedule play dates or meetups and they would often cancel or not be consistent. I needed to find my TRIBE! Mommas that were homeschooling there kids, looking to connect, and that would actually SHOW UP on a regular basis lol! I needed to be around other Moms that are experiencing the challenges and rewards of homeschooling like I am. I wanted to be able to have other moms to learn from and to share our experiences with. More importantly I needed to have my kids see and interact with other homeschooled kids like them. My kids have never been to public school so they often see the school bus and kids walking to and from school and they quite naturally often comment that they want to go too. I wanted them to not feel alone and see that there are other kids that are being homeschooled just like them.
- Enrichment: The co-op that we joined has “club days” at least twice a month for the kids to participate in. They are currently in three clubs: Lego club, Passport Around the World club and Game club. Each club is led by a parent and club days are our favorite part of being in our co-op.
- Field Trips and Group Activities: Come on, who doesn’t love a fun field trip? Going places with my kids alone is cool but going with other mommas so that we can talk while our kids play together is even better in my opinion.
Thankfully I finally found a co-op that has everything that I was looking for and we joined at the start of this school year! Our co-op has a membership fee that is paid when registering to be a member during their open enrollment. It is diverse with parents and children that are from various ethnic backgrounds and there are also a lot of boys that are my kids ages! We have a set calendar of events that are already scheduled at the start of the year like field trips to museums, parks, educational venues, and amusement parks. They also add many other events to the calendar as the year goes on. For enrichment we participate in their “club days” at least twice a month. My kids are currently in three of their clubs: Lego club, Passport Around the World club, and Game club. They also have “moms only” events so that we can get together without our kids and they have events for dads as well. I’ve already met some wonderful mommas in the group and have even met up with a few of them outside of co-op with and without our children. I absolutely love our co-op!
Final Thoughts
A homeschool co-op can be a wonderful way for families to enrich their homeschooling experience.
Have you ever considered joining a homeschool co-op or are already a member of one? What are some of your favorite aspects of being in a co-op? Let’s chat in the comments!
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