Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Would you (or do you) join a homeschool resource center with a membership fee? I'm not talking about a co-op exactly... more like a permanent location dedicated to homeschool "space". Hypothetically with a classroom or two that anyone could volunteer to teach a (free, except for supplies) class or series of classes. Lots of parent "sessions" like curriculum show and tells, support groups for various styles/situations, a lending library for books/cds/games/dvds, etc., maybe a rental set ups for lab equipment and other big ticket items... Equipment free for use for members - cricut machines, laminators, binding machines, etc... And to serve as a place to hold general homeschool social activities. I'm just fantasizing about what I'd like to have access to, and wondering if it makes sense in "the real world." If that does sound like something your family would join, what sort of semester or annual fee would you expect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 In a heartbeat, providing they were mostly secular and didn't require a faith statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Carrie, honestly, where I am at, with the experiences I've had face to face, person to person, you couldn't pay me to go/join anything like that. There's a lot of snark here in the HS community and I don't fit in well. (that's an understatement) I understand the daydream though, and it's very cool. I've lived in other communities where shared space for a fee is very common (Ann Arbor) and it works out spectacular and is very progressive and fruitful. They are everywhere...printer centers, business centers, artists space - pretty much you name the venue and there's some sort of group going on. The community makes a huge difference. What is the tone of co-op "everything" out where you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 In a heartbeat, providing they were mostly secular and didn't require a faith statement. Well, let's pretend I had the kimd of start-up cash one would need :lol::001_huh:... I'm an atheist. While I probably wouldn't advertize that fact, you would never see a statement of faith, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 You are describing, to a T, an idea that I had! I guess great minds think alike, LOL! So my answer would be yes, if the fee seemed reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Carrie, honestly, where I am at, with the experiences I've had face to face, person to person, you couldn't pay me to go/join anything like that. There's a lot of snark here in the HS community and I don't fit in well. (that's an understatement) I understand the daydream though, and it's very cool. I've lived in other communities where shared space for a fee is very common (Ann Arbor) and it works out spectacular and is very progressive and fruitful. They are everywhere...printer centers, business centers, artists space - pretty much you name the venue and there's some sort of group going on. The community makes a huge difference. What is the tone of co-op "everything" out where you live? Our "community" is very scattered. There is a nearby coop that borrows space once a week (I think it's once a week), and then people plan random classes sprinkled throughout a very large region, with parents making crazy drives in opposite directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 You are describing, to a T, an idea that I had! I guess great minds think alike, LOL! So my answer would be yes, if the fee seemed reasonable. :D What would you consider a reasonable fee for something on that order? I'm just wondering how many families it might take to make something like that work. I haven't won the lottery yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 We have something like this in NJ but it is not homeschool oriented. They are run by the NJ Department of Education but parents can join as well. I was a member for a couple of years. They have a ton of books, curriculum resources, manipulatives, DVD's, etc. They are obviously secular so they won't have some of the most popular homeschool curriculums but I have seen a few of the resources that are popular among homeschoolers (Usborne books, Spectrum workbooks, Handwriting without Tears materials, DK books, etc.) that can be borrowed for up to 5 weeks at a time. There's copy machines, binding machines, laminating machines, die-cuts, etc. that can be done for a small extra fee. The cost is just $2.00 per year and that would probably be a hard price to be competitive with. http://www.state.nj.us/education/lrc/services.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBear Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Carrie, I've bounced this type of idea around in my head for a while too....I honestly don't want a coop situation (none exists in our area anyway), but something, a place to go, where there are lots of neat supplies and equipment I can use for lessons, an art room for DS to do projects without making a mess in my house, perhaps someone offering a class I'd like DS to do over a few weeks, heck, I'd love to have curriculum show-and-tells too! I just can't figure out what someone would pay to be a member of something like that? The cost to start it isn't too crazy, but the monthly expense to keep it going could be much higher than membership would support. For example, if a space could be found, that was big enough to do it, for say, $1,000 a month, including utilities - at $25 a month, it would need 40 members. That doesn't seem like a lot of members, but when I've asked others, they balk at $25 a month, saying it's much too high. If it were $10 a month, then I'd need 100 members and that's something I'm just not sure, with a very big homeschool presence in our area, that I'd really be able to get committed to it.....and that doesn't leave any room for replacing things that'll get broken, worn or supplies that will need to be replenished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Carrie, I've bounced this type of idea around in my head for a while too....I honestly don't want a coop situation (none exists in our area anyway), but something, a place to go, where there are lots of neat supplies and equipment I can use for lessons, an art room for DS to do projects without making a mess in my house, perhaps someone offering a class I'd like DS to do over a few weeks, heck, I'd love to have curriculum show-and-tells too! I just can't figure out what someone would pay to be a member of something like that? The cost to start it isn't too crazy, but the monthly expense to keep it going could be much higher than membership would support. For example, if a space could be found, that was big enough to do it, for say, $1,000 a month, including utilities - at $25 a month, it would need 40 members. That doesn't seem like a lot of members, but when I've asked others, they balk at $25 a month, saying it's much too high. If it were $10 a month, then I'd need 100 members and that's something I'm just not sure, with a very big homeschool presence in our area, that I'd really be able to get committed to it.....and that doesn't leave any room for replacing things that'll get broken, worn or supplies that will need to be replenished! That's exactly it! Even at $10/mo (if enough people were interested), many might balk at paying $120 up front for a year, but a monthly fee would be way too unreliable. (Not to mention a pain in the butt!) I may consider putting together a local survey just to see the responses, but I want to spend some more time fantasizing, lol. There is a local space available that is $675/mo (water, sewer, maintenance included, not electric), which is slightly cheaper than average around here. There's also a 6,000sf victorian building for sale for $500k that I would totally kill to turn into a homeschool center. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 The only real world way I can see something like that working is by founding a non-profit. Someone says, "Lamination Machine" my mind goes straight to 4 yr. old with a burn and who's in control of the insurance policy. I can see a private non-profit in a community with a zillion benefits, but as a private collaboration, boy you'd really need some dedicated folks for the long haul and willing to up-front the investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 The only real world way I can see something like that working is by founding a non-profit. Someone says, "Lamination Machine" my mind goes straight to 4 yr. old with a burn and who's in control of the insurance policy. I can see a private non-profit in a community with a zillion benefits, but as a private collaboration, boy you'd really need some dedicated folks for the long haul and willing to up-front the investment. I kind of assumed going non-profit would be the best thing to do for the community, but how would it change the financial needs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Yes I would and when I lived in the city I did. 2 groups. 1 had a book lending library along with running track & field day, a science fair etc. and monthly support group meeting. The other had not only books but science equipment etc you can borrow. And occasional workshop days etc as well as the weekly park day during the summer. Membership in the first was $60 a year I think, the other was just over $100 for the year. Best memberships I ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 (edited) I kind of assumed going non-profit would be the best thing to do for the community, but how would it change the financial needs? Because access to non-profit grants comes along as the biggest perk. Free equipment, etc. This is a TED talk that's semi-related, it's a non-profit which works with PS, but if you could mentally just substitute HS every time he says PS it might spark some ideas for you. They have a website and stuff. http://blog.ted.com/2008/03/18/dave_eggers/ Edited April 17, 2012 by one*mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 (edited) There's also a 6,000sf victorian building for sale for $500k that I would totally kill to turn into a homeschool center. ;) Could it possibly be turned into something that isn't totally homeschooling-specific but homeschooling-facilitative? I'm thinking of something similar to http://www.artbeaststudio.com/ in Sacramento, but with a little more all-age/homeschool focus. It's in a converted Victorian-style house. They charge a membership fee, or a daily admission fee for non-members. You could have an educational/homeschool library/resource area. Rooms for classes could be open to the community (for a fee, if needed), with homeschool-focused classes during the day. Allowing use by the general community would help offset the cost somewhat and make it more accessible to homeschoolers, because a lot of homeschoolers are single income families and have to be pretty selective about where they spend money. I've also daydreamed about having a bookstore/toy store/coffee shop or something with a back room that could be used for meetings and classes. How much I'd be willing to pay would really depend on what was offered and how much I could afford (our philosophy is that it doesn't matter if it's the best thing since sliced bread if it doesn't fit our budget), Edited April 17, 2012 by ocelotmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I've had the same thought, but the problems I see arising are: 1. Everyone not getting equal access to the rooms-how would you determine a fair system? 2. What happens when someone breaks equipment (or it just breaks down); who pays for repairs? 3. How expensive would it really be, because you have to figure in rental fee, or property taxes, utilities, etc. I think considering #3, you would have to charge extra (see #1) for long term room use, as opposed to a single use, especially if a class were being taught for profit by a member. With that in mind, I would have no idea how much to charge members. I guess it would depend a lot on #3. I hope all of that made sense. It did in my head, but that's not saying much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 No. I have never met a homeschooling family who shares our educational goals and philosophies or any curriculum choices. My experiences with coop were an epic fail. I think there won't be enough people interested in the same classes and materials to make it worth it for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 http://www.state.nj.us/education/lrc/services.htm This is amazing... I sent it to our WESD :) (Our Ed Office) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBear Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I kind of assumed going non-profit would be the best thing to do for the community, but how would it change the financial needs? It doesn't, only the semantics of the money change; profit = surplus revenue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I probably wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I might. In fact, what you're describing is very much like what Mary Hood ("The Relaxed Homeschooler) has done in the past in her own community and would to see more of around the country. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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