If you are in a co-op do you pay a registration fee? what is it?

[Prairie~Phlox]

Our co-op currently has a $25 registration fee plus class fees that the teachers decide. The $25's helps to pay for copies (that the teachers can then get at a copy shop) cleaning $400/year, we make a donation to the church at the end of the year and then any other expenses. We currently don't really have any "extra" at the end of this year, as we've used a lot in copies this year, $200 more than last year. There are several people that always ask for a projector, but we are not allowed to use one at the church, plus we are looking at purchasing physics supplies. If we keep the fee at $25.00 we will not really be able to do that. If we up the fee, to $30, we could maybe get a refurbished projector (someone in the co-op has a husband that can maybe do this) When I first joined, way back when 8 years ago it was $15, then several years later went up to $25. I don't know if people will get upset if we raise it to $30 or not, today is the first I've thought about it and I do need to talk to the other board members, but I'm just wondering how much people here would be willing to pay for outside co-op classes? Is that a reasonable fee or fairly low? I've only been in charge a year, after being on the board for about 6, but I hate making changes like this. We used to have about 90 families involved, but really do not have the space at the church for that many families (sorry I don't like classes of 25 kids) so this year I have managed to get it down to about 66 and it's gone a lot smoother, but that's less money coming in as well.)

 

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Phlox

[Dobela]

The most I have ever paid was $30 plus class fees. I know of some groups that charge much much more. If a family really couldn't pay that we always allowed installments. We also had scholarships for some families for some classes and field trips - which is part of the reason why we paid $30 to begin with.

[MaMa2005]

We do $25 plus class fees. Teachers are responsible for anything they need for their classes. Our students clean the church at the end of each co-op session. We bring donations for the church each time we meet for classes. At the end of the year, we do a major church clean - moms, dads and children all pitch in. As long as you have been an active participant in the co-op during the year, your money is refunded in May. It works very well.

[gardening momma]

Maybe put a limit on the amount the teachers can be reimbursed for copies, and then anything over and above that they pay (if they choose to spend more).

[Nakia]

The only co-op in our county charges $400 per student per year plus class fees. I guess you can imagine we have not joined that co-op.

[SonshineLearner]

We are charging $105.00 this year, per student. (Also, parents will help teach/help/set up/break down & clean) This will cover the money we pay to the facility, insurance and supplies. It's a ton if you're broke, but understandable if you pay the fees that we as the leaders have to pay. I think that around $1000.00 for the building.. little more ...little less.... and $350-$400 for insurance.... and then around $50 or so... depending on if you're doing things like.... detailed Science experiments... The upper grades are a bit more, as they are getting more Science supplies/equipment. I don't feel that this is out of line with doing it at a "nominal charge"..... It costs what it costs.... We are not trying to actually make money at it... rather to cover our costs... We will have classes that are taught by "Master Teachers" offered.... those the instructors will set the fee. I'm thinking that they'll be set between $250 and $400 depending on what is being offered. (But, for those I'm merely opening up space... they'll have to see how and if they fly :)

I'm excited!!! It's promising to be a fun, wild, learning kinda ride :)

[datgh]

Our coop charges $30.00 per semester (We have two). Teachers determine there own class fees. Our coop also owns it's own printer. Our major expenses are keeping up the printer, background checks for all the teachers and whatever is left over we give to the church.

 

We have had great success the last couple of years collecting the boxtops. We have about 50 families in our coop and we managed to raise almost $300.00. A department store near us also supports non profits. They have a sale day that we sell coupons for. You pay ten dollars for a coupon that gives you ten dollars off a purchase of ten dollars in merchandise. You can have a table out side the store for a couple of hours on the day the coupons are good to sell to people as they go in. This was our first year doing this and we raised over two hundred dollars. Another fundraiser to consider is if you have a big sporting event near you (we have a huge NASCAR track) check and see if they let non profits come in to clean up after an event and in return they pay your group. Our youth group does this twice a year and made $1400 this past year. I will warn you it can be pretty gross work but the time involved is minimal for what they pay. Just be prepared to reek of beer afterward! :tongue_smilie:

 

Hope this helps.

[Quad Shot Academy]

We pay $15 for registration and $100 for the co-op. It runs for 10 weeks, for 4.5 hours. It is art intensive, so there are lots of art supplies. We are also so big now, that we have to buy insurance.

[KarenNC]

:lurk5:

[luvnlattes]

Our co-op has a $50 registration fee. You pay this in May when you register for the following year. In October or November you pay another $40 fee that I think goes to cover the facility.

 

Each teacher charges monthly tuition and there is a separate supply fee charged for each class at the beginning of the year. The supply fee typically costs $15-25. Some classes charge an additional supply fee mid-year.

[Mommyof4ks]

We have a $50 registration fee plus class fees, but teachers provide their own copies and supplies.

[happypamama]

Our support group is very inexpensive to join the general group, and then you pay for whatever things you do with the group that have fees, whether it's bowling day or co-op. The co-op the past couple of years has only been a few dollars per kid per semester, and the teachers' children are free. The teachers can also be reimbursed for copies or other supplies, but mostly things have been donated or borrowed as needed. I do think the high school biology class is a bit more expensive, though, because of the supplies needed. Other local co-ops charge more like $60 per child but do heavier academic programs; ours is meant to be more of a gentle academic, gentle social sort of thing.

 

We also do fundraisers throughout the year -- boxtops, grocery store rewards, food sales (bake sales, subs, pizzas), running a booth at a local fair, car wash, recycling ink cartridges, a few non-food sales, Script cards. Some local restaurants do fun nights too. It sounds like a lot, but it's actually not been too bad, and there's absolutely no pressure to participate in any of them. Often, if there's a specific thing, like a bus trip, we'll earmark a fundraiser for that thing, and people can choose to participate in that one or not. We've made a lot of money through fundraisers, particularly the kinds where we aren't selling things.

[Mommyof4ks]

...........

[Chrystal]

We pay $60 per semester per family. You can get a $10 discount per class that you teach or team teach (up to 2 classes) instead of just act as helper. Our fees cover rent on the church and our liability insurance plus the bathroom and cleaning supplies that we use ourselves.

Each teacher determines the cost of their class (we only allow a small fee for the younger classes). There is a set amount allowable for copies made by teachers and we do not have use of the copier at the church. Our rent recently went up and we were faced with finding a new place or raising per family fees. We raised the fees $20. We felt it was in our best interest as it was hard to find a church willing to rent to us in the first place.

[J'Marie]

Is it per child $25 or per family. Our coop is free. We make donations to a can for the church we use, then each class has a fee per student from free to $8, maybe $10 at the most. My kids average $5 for 2 classes, two classes each. Ours is only spring. We do another at our church in the fall that is completely free.

[OnTheBrink]

IIRC, it was a $30 registration fee, and the class fees were $40 a semester, but that included a binder, atlas, colored pencils, copies of hand-outs, and materials for projects/activities. Parents do the cleaning and nursery work, and the co-op provides coffee.

[tex-mex]

Our coop charges $30.00 per semester (We have two). Teachers determine there own class fees.

We just joined one for 2011-2012 school year. We paid $65 for the application fee. Each teacher will charge their own supply fee at the beginning of the year. No monthly fees. HTH

[angela in ohio]

$25 per child

 

The copy fees come out of individual class fees. A class that needs a lot of copies charges more. It is just part of the supply fee.

[Dmmetler]

We do not. We are very fortunate in that the UU church our Co-op meets in considers us an outreach of their church, since there isn't another secular, and more than secular, non-denominational specific co-op in the area. It helps that the RE director for the church is a homeschool mom :001_smile:. So the only fees we have are those for a specific class-usually just books and materials.

 

We do a service project each semester for the UU church as our thanks for letting us use their building.

 

Some of the co-ops in our area are $400-$500 for a 1st grader, which isn't all that unreasonable compared to dance classes and the like, but it still seems like a lot when the parents are expected to stay and either teach a class or assist in a class. If I'm going to pay that much, I really want to be able to drop my daughter off and go run errands or sit in Panera and enjoy a cup of coffee and a good book without a little voice for a couple of hours!

[beccad777]

We pay $100/year/family. This covers everything except field trips. I think it is very reasonable and our kids love it.

[Pretty in Pink]

Our local co-op charges 25.00 per year, per family I believe. It's not an extremely academic co-op, mind you. It is just moms doing different activities with the kids -- arts & crafts, cooking, science experiments, etc. I can do those things at home and, since we are not lacking in social outlets for the littles, we do not participate.

 

I would pay more for an academically-oriented co-op for my eldest.