Co-ops: How do you start one?

[m0mmaBuck]

I would like to start one for my kids, 7 and 11. DD7 asks to go to "real school" at least once/wk and DS11 just needs something different. Neither of the kids have friends (although a few acquaintances) that homeschool and I think it would be good for them to feel like they are a part of something. I am part of a local HS'ing group but am not connected because they seem to schedule their activities on the days that I work. Because of the age discrepancy, I'm thinking that something like art might work but quite honestly I am the worst about even doing art, let alone leading a co-op. What other subjects would work with a 4-yr age gap? And how do I go about putting a group together? Any other thoughts are appreciated.

[mom2att]

I highly recommend this book: Homeschool Co-ops by Carol Topp.

 

Our co-op started with an art class. It was for all school-aged kids, and we paid a teacher to come in and teach it. While the class was going on, the moms traded off doing preschool crafts and activities with the younger ones. I think we had a total of 20 kids, from the youngest baby to the oldest school kid (maybe 10 years old). One thing we learned was to have people pay in advance. It makes things easier on the teacher knowing how many kids to plan for, and it cuts way down on flaky parents who sign up for everything but show up for nothing.

 

Our co-op now has 200 kids and is in its 11th year. So you never know where this will take you!

[Tina]

We have had a science teacher come up and do 1/2 day classes once a week. I think ours started with a couple homeschool families--and that was 14 years ago. Perhaps advertising for one class with a hired teacher would be a way to find other kids to start a co-op.

[weaver_67579]

Put an e-mail out to the homeschool group and see if there is any interest, for what subjects, what ages... and go from there. We have a 6 week elective coop twice a year and a school-year long academic coop in our area. I have been involved in starting both.

 

Art and nature study are subjects that are pretty easy to do for a wide range of ages.

[freesia]

I highly recommend this book: Homeschool Co-ops by Carol Topp.

 

Our co-op started with an art class. It was for all school-aged kids, and we paid a teacher to come in and teach it. While the class was going on, the moms traded off doing preschool crafts and activities with the younger ones. I think we had a total of 20 kids, from the youngest baby to the oldest school kid (maybe 10 years old). One thing we learned was to have people pay in advance. It makes things easier on the teacher knowing how many kids to plan for, and it cuts way down on flaky parents who sign up for everything but show up for nothing.

 

Our co-op now has 200 kids and is in its 11th year. So you never know where this will take you!

I second this book. A friend and I started a co-op 3 years ago. We met and decided on a vision, invited 3 more folks into the vision. Then we opened it to the larger group.

 

We offer 3 classes each Friday morning. We have 24 families (around 75 kids). We could be larger but know we can't handle a bigger co-op (nor do we have space in our chosen venue, which we want to keep bc it's centrally located).

 

It is a lot of work but the kids really enjoy it.

[Lori D.]

I would like to start one for my kids, 7 and 11. DD7 asks to go to "real school" at least once/wk and DS11 just needs something different. Neither of the kids have friends (although a few acquaintances) that homeschool and I think it would be good for them to feel like they are a part of something. I am part of a local HS'ing group but am not connected because they seem to schedule their activities on the days that I work. Because of the age discrepancy, I'm thinking that something like art might work but quite honestly I am the worst about even doing art, let alone leading a co-op. What other subjects would work with a 4-yr age gap? And how do I go about putting a group together? Any other thoughts are appreciated.

 

 

 

A completely different idea here: What with you juggling homeschool AND working, I would gently suggest that heading up a co-op might be the straw to break the family's (or at least mom's) back... Instead, what about:

 

Who is with your children while you work? Could that person take them to the activities of your homeschool group? Or what about another mom in your homeschool group -- could you work out a carpooling and watching your DC arrangement with someone in the group you trust in exchange for gas money, or hosting their children for social things on a day you are off work?

 

Or can you talk with a few homeschool moms from your local group and see if you can make arrangements for regular get-togethers? Our homeschool group has a middle school girls group that meets monthly for social and community service activities; maybe you could get several other moms on board and once a month you each take a turn hosting something.

 

Is there a homeschool co-op already running somewhere in your area that your DC could attend? Is there a 1 or 2-day-a-week school for homeschoolers like these NAUMS that might work as a school AND homeschool option to fill that need/desire of your DD?

 

 

 

If you do decide to organize a co-op, go into it with very aware of all the potential pitfalls, and just HOW much time it will take on your part. I would also urge you to EITHER be the organizer OR be willing to lead SOME of the classes -- but don't try and take on BOTH roles, and don't try and be the sole teacher. (I am speaking from experience -- MASSIVE burn-out!)

 

Be SURE to make expectations clear; work out in advance how formal or informal this is going to be; is this a drop-off situation or a small group, all parents stay event; how to handle discipline; how to handle families who come late, or are no-shows, or drop out partway through...

 

Also, I would strongly encourage you to do SEPARATE things for your children -- partly because that is a big age difference to jump, but also to give them each their "own" special class. (We were in a great small co-op (6-8 families) that worked very well for the younger (kinder-3rd grade) students, but the older students (6th grade) were very bored and it was VERY difficult to find activities or a subject that worked for such a big age stretch. In looking at your students, the difference between 7 and 11 is huge...)

 

Also, just so you don't feel frustrated or disappointed if you do decide to start a co-op -- middle school tends to be the upper limit of what a lot of people feel they have time for doing a co-op that is just for social or "enrichment" or supplement purposes, so you may not have so many people interested in doing something with older students to match up with your 11yo. Also, many of the homeschoolers may already be involved in homeschool group activities on those days you are working and may not feel they can take yet one more morning or afternoon a week out of their schedule to do another homeschool co-op or activity.

 

Hopefully that would not be the case, and you'd find plenty of others interested who would fit in great with your needs! :) But I did think it was important to mention this, as it has happened to me before in trying to organize a group homeschool event...

 

Past threads on starting co-ops:

Starting a co-op

Tell me about your co-op

Advice for starting a new co-op

How to start a co-op

 

Plus, you might want to read through some of the many threads on the frustrations people have with co-ops. They can be a GREAT thing... But they also have so much potential for disaster and frustration. You would definitely want to be well-prepared and realistic in expectations going into it.

 

BEST of luck in filling those social and outside-the-home needs in the way that works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[mom31257]

I started an enrichment co-op that met 8 weeks each semester for one morning a week. It grew from 10 families to over 20 and had 65 kids last semester of last school year. All moms were required to stay and teach or help in a class, even if it was nursery. The only fees involved were supplies for classes and a donation to the church where we met. Most semesters were $30-40 per family. I found my biggest problem was getting teachers to commit to what they would teach in a timely manner. Each semester, I felt we were down to the wire on securing which classes we were actually offering. I also found that as my kids were getting older, I really wanted the time out to be part of our regular work and less "enrichment". In talking with several moms in my homeschool support group, I found that some who had been to the co-op and liked it but didn't continue felt the same way and didn't like the day of the week we met. The church required it to be on Mondays.

 

I decided to leave there and start a different co-op that would be smaller and involve at least some of subjects my kids needed to do anyway. We meet every other Friday from September through April, taking the month of December off. I have taught a class using IEW's SWI-A as well as leading Biology labs. It's been much more relaxed, and I love the every other week aspect. Even though we only met 8 weeks before, we met for 8 weeks straight (or a week off for a holiday). A lot of those moms liked that about it, but I prefer this.

 

Having done both kinds now, I have enjoyed it being smaller and more educational. The kids really prefer the other kind, though. I don't know if that love of it would have continued for my daughter because her best friend at that co-op graduated and wouldn't be there anymore. I had found a mom to take over that co-op, but she decided to change it to Fridays, so she had to change location. She ended up at a church much further away, so few of the families participated again. She got pregnant and has a very high risk pregnancy, so her husband is doing classes this semester with the older children, but the younger classes aren't meeting at all. I hate that it fell apart because the people who came really enjoyed it.

 

Here are some of the classes that were offered during the three years we met.

 

Around the World in 8 Weeks (continent geography study and Christmas around the world)

In-depth study of the Pilgrims

Constitution study class

Natural Spa (girls making homemade beauty products)

Hands-on Science for boys

Math Games

History Pockets studying Ancient Greece

America's Symbols

Pioneer Life

Five In a Row

Etiquette and Manners Class

Art classes

Mock Trial Class

Forensics Science

Fun with Logic

Money Management

Fine Arts Study

Generosity class

Hands On Earth Science

PE

Nature Photography

SAT Essay Writing class

[m0mmaBuck]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have a lot to think about. I love the idea of co-op classes but...

 

Lori D is probably right. Juggling HS and work and a co-op might just push me over the edge.

 

My husband is with the kids while I'm at work. We share teaching responsibilities but he often has to work on those days and the kids end up reading or doing workbook pages rather than what was actually planned. He definitely would not be able to commit to taking them to a co-op or class and he is definitely not going to go to a homeschool activity (because he is not comfortable being the only man with all of the moms). I don't know any of the other moms well enough to ask them to take the kids, but I could try to host something and see if we could make some connections that way.

 

I am not aware of any co-op'ish things in our area other than Classical Conversations and a public school-run "homeschool connect" program, neither of which interest me for various reasons.

 

Maybe I could try organizing some field trips within our homeschool group to get to know some of the other families. Maybe the kids could make some connections that way.

[Lori D.]

Maybe I could try organizing some field trips within our homeschool group to get to know some of the other families. Maybe the kids could make some connections that way.

 

 

 

This sounds very reasonable! :)

 

And if you organize just one thing a month, you know it will be on the day you are available. :)

 

It could also lead to getting to know other families better, and maybe at that point you could request that a few of the group's other activities be shifted to a day that you would be available for participation.

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[m0mmaBuck]

Now I just have to commit to a day. :)