Help me write this rule for my new co-op...

[Michelle My Bell]

I have been apart of too many co-ops and classes where students and parents are interrupted with small children crying, running around getting into stuff and parents are too distracted to help or even take care of discipline problems with their older children. So, as I am writing out the rules for the new co-op I am starting, I have decided that no child under of the age of 6 will be permitted to attend the co-op. I would like to see parents get babysitters for their younger children.

 

Another area I have seen again and again over the years, is the mom's will sit in the back of the room, completely unengaged with their kids and distracting with their chatter. My plan is that every parent (not having any little ones to take care of) will be required to participate and do the activities the kids are doing. For example, we will be doing a nature journal each time that includes drawing and painting. I want the parents to have their own art pads that they participate by also journalling. 

 

Any advice on wording these in my handbook?

[kewb]

Seems pretty cut and dry.

1. No children under the age of 6 are permitted in the classroom.

2. Parent participation is a requirement of being part of the coop.  Spell out parental involvement for each class.

 

Good luck with your coop.  I gave up on them because in my neck of the woods many of the homeschoolers I come in contact with are "all my kids or none of my kids".

[bolt.]

"The activities of the co-op require parental participation, therefore parents and students above the age of 6 should expect to be fully engaged in the planned activities for the entire duration. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted to attend."

 

(I expect that you have put a lot of thought into the number of families that are going to decide that this is 'not the co-op for us' based on those rules, right? It is quite a narrowing of your prospective participants.)

[Michelle My Bell]

"The activities of the co-op require parental participation, therefore parents and students above the age of 6 should expect to be fully engaged in the planned activities for the entire duration. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted to attend."

 

(I expect that you have put a lot of thought into the number of families that are going to decide that this is 'not the co-op for us' based on those rules, right? It is quite a narrowing of your prospective participants.)

 

Yeah, I have thought of that. But I just can't take another child who talks loudly and gets into everything while distracting the whole room; all the while the parent is chatting in the back just as loudly. I would rather have a few families who are serious about providing a beautiful, stress free learning experience that a whole bunch who make it miserable.  I also think once people get a taste of it, others will follow. "If you build it, they will come. " :)

[Miss Peregrine]

Our co-op has a nursery, and a preschool class.. No parent is allowed to be doing nothing. Have you thought about doing that?

[justasque]

Parents who stay in class with their children are expected to participate along with the students, modeling appropriate classroom behavior.  As an example, if the teacher has the students sketching in their nature journal, parents are also expected to sketch.  Parents may interrupt their own work to gently guide their child's behavior and/or participation.

Siblings not enrolled in the class may not be in the classroom.  

OP, is there a space nearby where parents and their non-participating children may spend the time quietly doing schoolwork and such while waiting for their participating children?  Or parents may chat together quietly?  Perhaps another room in the building, or a lobby area, or even a nearby coffeeshop?  This is often the best solution for parents who must drive enough of a distance that a drop-off doesn't make sense.

Are you expecting parents to stay with their children?  In other words, do you need at least one additional parent to stay to help the teacher?  If so, a rotating schedule is often best, so folks know when they need to stay and when they can drop off.

Very, very few stay-at-home moms can or will choose to use a babysitter on a weekly basis just so a child can take a class.  They *may* be able to swap child care so that one mom can stay in the classroom and help while another keeps an eye on their children nearby.
 

[happypamama]

"The activities of the co-op require parental participation, therefore parents and students above the age of 6 should expect to be fully engaged in the planned activities for the entire duration. Children under the age of 6 are not permitted to attend."

 

(I expect that you have put a lot of thought into the number of families that are going to decide that this is 'not the co-op for us' based on those rules, right? It is quite a narrowing of your prospective participants.)

I think the above wording is very good, although I agree that a lot of people will simply decide not to join because of that. No children under six would leave out a very large portion of our co-op. That's not necessarily a bad thing, if your area has enough people to support a co-op of older kids. Give it a shot!

 

We also have the rule that a parent is not allowed to be doing nothing, unless all spots are already filled for teachers and helpers. We do have both a nursery for under 3s (and since all parents have to teach or help, a parent with an infant can elect to be the lead nursery teacher and have that count) and a 3-6 preschool class, so if you find that you don't have enough kids attending because of the no littles rule, you might say something like, "No children under six are allowed in the main classroom; if you would like to arrange a nursery and/or preschool class, you are welcome to do so, but if no parent steps up, parents of young children will need to arrange for childcare elsewhere."

[Michelle My Bell]

This co-op is unique in that we will be meeting in different locations around my city. There will only be one room for the classes in which we will all work together in a multi-age setting. There will also be a lot of outdoor activities near bodies of water, in forests and such. It is not possible to safely have younger children involved. 

 

I should also mention that this is going to be only 2x a month for a total of 6 sessions in the fall and 6 in the winter. 

[sassenach]

Our co-op has a nursery, and a preschool class.. No parent is allowed to be doing nothing. Have you thought about doing that?

This. We assign the parents to classrooms and they're expected to assist, clean, ect. We have a nursery and preschool, with assigned parents. We do take requests, so if somebody has a particularly clingy toddler, they'll end up working nursery.

 

We also have a requirement of oldest child must be in first grade or above.

[Michelle My Bell]

Are you expecting parents to stay with their children?  In other words, do you need at least one additional parent to stay to help the teacher?  If so, a rotating schedule is often best, so folks know when they need to stay and when they can drop off.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I am preparing the lessons so that the parents will be fully engaged doing their own projects alongside the children or working with the children. We will not have a teacher in the traditional sense of the word. I am thinking more of a guide with the parents being co-learners with their children. The group will be a Charlotte Mason inspired group and I will be brining in naturalists and other guest speakers/teachers. Think of it as Suzuki music lessons style. 

 

The parents focus should be on the topic at hand and their children. It is not a time to catch up with friends. I will have parent nights where we can get together minus the kids for those purposes. 

[Matryoshka]

This co-op is unique in that we will be meeting in different locations around my city. There will only be one room for the classes in which we will all work together in a multi-age setting. There will also be a lot of outdoor activities near bodies of water, in forests and such. It is not possible to safely have younger children involved. 

 

I should also mention that this is going to be only 2x a month for a total of 6 sessions in the fall and 6 in the winter. 

 

I was also going to suggest a preschool class, but that wouldn't work in this instance!

 

But I think asking people to hire a babysitter will make few sign up.

 

How about this idea?  Make one of the coop jobs coming up with coordinating programs and running them (or those could be two separate jobs) for the under-6 crowd.  These would not have to be at the same location, just nearby and running at the same time.  You all meet up at the older kids' location, then an appropriate ratio of adults and younger kids heads off for their own adventure. You could have them take a trip to the library, to the fire station, police station or post office, or if you're all outside, maybe have them take a short hike nearby or run around in a field or head to a playground.  This would solve both the babysitting problem and the chatty adult problem.  Two birds, one stone. :)

[Laurie4b]

Is there a reason that you are not problem-solving as a group about the issues?

[Michelle My Bell]

Is there a reason that you are not problem-solving as a group about the issues?

 

Because as of right now, I am the lone member. lol I intend to bring in people after I have the framework set, but sometimes too many ideas lead to too many ideas KWIM?

 

I have been homeschooling for 14 years, spent a good majority of that on steering committees of groups and co-ops or at least participated as a member/teacher. Several years ago I started a homeschool group, (not a co-op) from the ground up and it is still going strong today. I wrote by-laws and set the general way of it in motion including a leadership team. I am not part of that group anymore because #1 I am a full time college student and I don't have time for it. #2 It doesn't meet my current needs. It is now mostly younger kids and they do not hold classes. #3 It has changed a bit over the years, and I find attending their field trips and such frustrating because of the two problems I mentioned above. 

[AmyontheFarm]

Our co-op has a nursery, and a preschool class.. No parent is allowed to be doing nothing. Have you thought about doing that?

 

This is what our co-op does.  There are classes based on ages from age 0 to grade 12.  Each class is an hour long.  We meet on Monday mornings from 9-noon.  Every parent must teach or help in two classes and the third period they get off to socialize.  So, some parents get 1st period off, some 2nd and some 3rd.  Children must be in their age appropriate classes.  So, the clingy 2 year old can't come into the grade 6 room.  It makes it soooo nice!

 

[momma2three]

Can you write a rule about how children must be accompanied by a parent or specified caregiver, who can be the parent of another co-op member?  Then maybe parents who have younger children can trade off childcare with each other.

[Michelle My Bell]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

[momma2three]

I don't.  My family all live far away, my friends are working or doing their own stuff, and it's nearly impossible to find a sitter for morning hours... easy in afternoon and evenings when teenagers can do it, but the people who sit during the day are full time nannies.  I once begged DD1 off on a neighbor so that I could go to a funeral... I don't think I could get away with that twice a month.

[Matryoshka]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

No, not in my experience.  I really think you're not going to get any takers unless you somehow manage to get a lot of people who just don't have any kids under 6.   Most people I know never had a 'go-to' sitter.  Not to mention that they're extremely expensive - probably way more than the cost of the coop itself.

 

On the other hand, I would have really appreciated a split group like I suggested when my kids were in those ages.  My younger dd never got to do the little kid field trips when she was the right age for them that I did with my olders with her in the sling.  It was almost always about the older kids, she just got dragged along.  Younger siblings want to socialize and get to do all those things their older siblings did that they don't want to do again.  I think that model would get you lots more interest.  You just need one mom with younger kids that has some energy to do the organizing.  I also have organized tons of coops and groups of many kinds, and served on the boards and written policies.  While I agree that complete democracy is a disaster - much better to have someone steering the ship - I found it was extremely helpful to have at least one at least mostly like-minded 'partner' to help on the organization and administrative end.

[SquirrellyMama]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

Not necessarily. Our parents live in different states than we do so that would not have been an option. Most of the homeschooled I know all have from 3-6 kids of their own they are schooling and wouldn't have wanted extra kids.

 

If you aren't looking for a large group you'll find people who fit the criteria. Go ahead and write your rules how you want them. When my kids were little that wouldn't have worked. I suppose it still wouldn't work since I run a home daycare. You can't meet the needs of everyone.

 

Kelly

[zoobie]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

I don't, and I wouldn't be able to sign up for the class, but that's life. It sounds like you are creating a co-op nature class that requires an adult to participate with each student, and the minimum age for attending the class is 6. Non-enrolled persons are not allowed to attend. At first, I thought you were talking about an entire co-op with multiple classes happening at the same location for multiple hours.

[sassenach]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

No.  If a person started a co-op in our area that had that rule, it would be a very, very small co-op.  You might be totally fine with that, so it's not a criticism, just a reality.

[Truscifi]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

No. My parents are an hour away and have health issues. They are happy to help when they can but this would be too much because they can't say that far in advance that they will be physically able. Few of the people I spend time with do either, whether because of health, distance, or the nature of the familial relationships.

[momma2three]

You know your population best, so it's entirely possible that it's fine.  Most of the homeschoolers I know only have 1 or 2 kids and they're close in age, so it would work if you got enough of them.  (Though most of them are also pretty academically rigorous, and try to keep the outside classes minimal so they can get more work done and concentrate on after-school extracurriculars).  In 3 years, I would totally be interested.  In other areas, larger families are the norm.  So it really does depend on your area.  

 

And it also depends on your age target.  If it's mostly for teenagers, and you're fine with elementary-aged kids tagging along, it's more likely to attract people than if it's for younger elementary-aged kids and no preschoolers.  The teenagers are a lot less likely to have pre-school aged siblings than the elementary students (especially since, as someone else noted, many homeschooling parents seem to gravitate to whatever programs are for their oldest child, and the younger kids just tag along).

 

It's your coop, and your rules, but I just think it's a little extreme to insist that parents MUST attend and MUST find a sitter.  I don't even know where I'd find a sitter... all the sitters we use are high school kids who are in school during the morning.  I think you might get more people if you allow a parent to be responsible for 2-3 other kids too, so that parents with younger kids can ask a friend to supervise their child at the co-op.

[xixstar]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

of all the folks I know, no, certainly not that often and not so regularly. And the only people we really have to watch our kids are each other - which maybe they'd take turns doing so but for most I know that much of an upfront commitment would be overwhelming.

 

 

But I don't knock the idea either, everyone should set up their groups exactly as they want. Your limitation is one way to deal with the problem you've described. There may also be other ways if this co-op is unsuccessful.

[Laurie4b]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

When my kids were young, no. Grandparents all lived out of state. Leaving with a friend would be a favor I'd request in a blue moon, not twice a month.

[Amy in NH]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

Nope.

 

[T'smom]

None of the moms I hang out with have a sitter regularly available. But it sounds like this class would work with only a handful of kids, so you might be able to find enough to make it work.

[Upward Journey]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

When my children were younger I wouldn't have.  All of my friends were also homeschool moms, my regular babysitters were in school, and I didn't live near any family that wasn't working during the day.

 

Now my youngest is nine so it wouldn't be a problem.

[Erica in OR]

We'd be a family that could not take advantage of a situation like that. No family nearby and our circle of friends available during the day is largely homeschoolers who would probably be involved in the group.

 

A friend and I stepped up in our local homeschool support group this school year to offer activities specifically for older students. We set the minimum grade level for each class and made it a parent drop-off situation. Any suggested parental involvement was done at home. I was able to get around my own babysitting requirements for while I taught the class—I paid my son, who was slightly too young for the classes, to babysit my toddlers in another room in the building we used for the class, so I was still available to help if needed. We had a great response. I think many parents and students were interested in having something geared toward just the older set. Hoping you get your "Field of Dreams" "If you build it" response. :)

 

Erica in OR

[LifeLovePassion]

It would have been a no go fo us as well. His parents work, mine have health issues/kind of far away.

 

Friends homeschool too so it would be an imposition or would be reserved for emergencies

[happypamama]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

I don't (and I don't leave infants under a year anyway); my relatives are all several hours away, and it would be prohibitively expensive for me to pay a sitter for my three under-sixes twice a month. As for friends who could watch them, maybe, but with three of them, that's asking a LOT, and my friends would probably want to come to the event too with their kids. Maybe DH could work at home for a morning, but that's never set in stone, depending on his meeting schedule; I save his "you really must not schedule a meeting for this date" for the absolute must-haves, and this wouldn't qualify. All that to say that I do understand why it would be really impossible in your situation to have littles included in any way, and it really does sound lovely. I also understand that I'm in a season of life where my bigs don't get to do everything they could because the littles prohibit that, and that's just the way it is. I wouldn't feel badly, but I wouldn't join your co-op right now either. But when my kids are all a bit bigger -- then, yes, I could see doing that, and it sounds amazing!

[momma2three]

Would you consider having this class in the evening?  I know then you can't necessarily get the outdoor component, but it would be easier for many families to have one parent stay home with the younger kids, or to find a sitter.  It would also discourage the younger crowd, anyway.  It might also be an easier sell as a "parent/child bonding experience," instead of a "homeschool lesson."  I dunno, I think that the reason lots of parents hang out with each other in the back of the room is because they're using it as a socialization opportunity for themselves, and a break from teaching, as much as anything else. 

[elegantlion]

As the parent of an only child, babysitting wouldn't be an issue and that may be part of the demographic you get. We rarely had a sitter available either, but wouldn't have been an issue for your class. My issue would be requiring to participate with the child. I understand why you want to set it that way, but again, as a only child, I spend all my time with ds. When he's taking a class, I like to step out of the way so he can have an individual experience if that makes sense. 

[momma2three]

I know a couple (like, literally 2) other homeschoolers that I could probably ask to watch my homeschool-aged child for a couple hours now and then... I'd send her with some work of her own, and she's a pretty quiet and well-behaved kid and I'm sure she wouldn't be a hassle.  She could do her work while their kids do their work.  And I would totally do the same for the other family in return, obviously.  But no way would I ask them to watch my preschool-aged children, unless it was "I'm on my way to the ER in the back of an ambulance, could you PLEASE take my kids and DH is on his way to pick them up?" 

 

Most of my friends all have kids in public or private school... they didn't get rid of their kids for the day so that they could take mine on.   :lol:

 

I will say that I am INSANELY jealous of people who do have family nearby who will watch their kids.  I'd give my spleen for that.

[justasque]

Schedules are often driven by the needs of the olders, with the youngers "along for the ride".  My observation is that most hsers join new things with their oldest in mind, then once they've put together a bunch of activities with similar families (who are also often seeking things for the oldest), there is a built-in community for their youngers.  People who want to do your activity are more likely to be seeking it out for their olders, and thus more likely to have youngers, if that makes sense.

I suggest 1) calling this a "field trip series" rather than a co-op, as I think that's a more accurate term, and 2) investigating the potential for parallel activities for youngers, and 3) enlisting a mom with a younger to organize them. 

You may want to put the basic info out there, then enlist the moms in brainstorming with you, explaining your concerns and challenging them to come up with solutions amongst themselves.

You are unlikely to find a full class of students who have a parent who is free enough and interested enough to essentially take the class with the child; most parents have more than one child.

That said, you may be putting the cart before the horse in writing rules for a field trip that as of yet has no participants.  

[MomatHWTK]

I would take advantage of an introductory paragraph or "About This Coop" page to explain some of the set up.  Indicate in the description that it will be parent-child projects with full participation of both.  Then you can clarify that set-up in the actual rules. 

[Renee in NC]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

I would say no.  I went YEARS without anyone close by to watch my kids.

[Entropymama]

I think what you're proposing sounds lovely, but it doesn't sound like a co-op. All the co-ops I've heard of or been part of involve dropping your kids off for classes and being expected to help out in the classroom at times. I have a feeling that around here if I said I was starting a co-op but the parents had to essentially take the class with the kids, and younger kids weren't allowed, there would be alienation but only because of preconceived understandings of what a co-op is. This sounds like a parent/child class. You might bill it as such to avoid confusion. There are plenty of parent/child classes offered by community centers and such that follow the same basic mold that you are describing. 

[Wheres Toto]

I don't have any under 6 any more but it sounds like your co-op might be hard to do with 2 on the young side.  It would be very hard for me to be assisting both my kids and doing my own project in an outdoor setting.

 

Most of the homeschool moms I know (like those I had in my 4-H group) had younger kids, often multiple younger kids and very limited choices for child care during the day.

[Word Nerd]

I just want to say I would love your co-op (by the sound of it!) and its rules :)

 

Not all moms will be put off by the requirements you mention here. Some will, but others will appreciate the clarity and focus.

I don't see what the big deal is with this idea either. There's nothing wrong with sharing the plans with the group and seeing who's interested. The worst that could happen is that there aren't enough families willing or able to participate, and at that point the OP could reconsider her expectations or just make it a family project. I wouldn't go overboard with planning or write a whole handbook at this point, but I'd put out feelers and see if others are interested.

[AimeeM]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

Not me. We live hours from family and my only best friend has her own children, in school, that she needs to tend to/go get/etc. I wouldn't be willing (and I do not know many who would, considering the number of other co-op options out there) to hire a sitter for several hours twice a month, when I already pay for a sitter for other, much more necessary, reasons. Going rate for a sitter in our area, and what we pay our sitter, is $10/hour for the first child, and around $5/hour for each subsequent child. So, assume I bring my eldest to your co-op, I would pay upwards of $60 each time I attend your co-op, just in sitting fees.

Most of my friends have no family in the immediate area.

 

Our co-op has a nursery for the babies/toddlers and a preschool class for the youngers.

[reign]

This co-op is unique in that we will be meeting in different locations around my city. There will only be one room for the classes in which we will all work together in a multi-age setting. There will also be a lot of outdoor activities near bodies of water, in forests and such. It is not possible to safely have younger children involved.

 

I should also mention that this is going to be only 2x a month for a total of 6 sessions in the fall and 6 in the winter.

This makes more sense. Sound less like a co-op And more like a class. Is this an all day thing or a couple hours? If it is shorter I'd just call it a joint child/parent class. Also might want to mention that parents and children must come with supplies for both. I've had classes like that and some parents always forget to bring two sets of supplies.

 

Babysitters... No we do not have a reliable daytime babysitter. I might be able to make it work depending on the day and time of the week. Most woman I know do not have daytime help available.

[AimeeM]

I just want to say I would love your co-op (by the sound of it!) and its rules :)

 

Not all moms will be put off by the requirements you mention here. Some will, but others will appreciate the clarity and focus.

 

I actually think it sounds lovely... just not realistic for me or the homeschoolers I know. In our area, most of the homeschoolers have 3+ children (with our hefty Catholic population, the numbers jump to 6+ quickly). I'm not willing to spend $60 on just sitting fees per co-op class, and I can't imagine many would be, no matter how nice the co-op sounds. I didn't *like* dragging my youngers everywhere when my eldest had something to do, but I reserved sitters for more necessary trips without the youngers - appointments, meetings, etc - not co op.

[Halftime Hope]

You've gotten a lot of "no, I couldn't do it because sitting is out of the question" responses.  But you might  find that if you are in a metropolitan area with Mothers' Day Out programs at nearby churches, they would be willing to do "drop in" care for families that want to do your program.  I would totally make that arrangement for my younger child, if I had an older one who got to do a specifically targeted program that was of high interest.   Can you approach several nearby MDO programs and see if that would be an option for the younger siblings, something at a group rate, perhaps?

[Matryoshka]

I actually think it sounds lovely... just not realistic for me or the homeschoolers I know. In our area, most of the homeschoolers have 3+ children (with our hefty Catholic population, the numbers jump to 6+ quickly). I'm not willing to spend $60 on just sitting fees per co-op class, and I can't imagine many would be, no matter how nice the co-op sounds. I didn't *like* dragging my youngers everywhere when my eldest had something to do, but I reserved sitters for more necessary trips without the youngers - appointments, meetings, etc - not co op.

 

This.  I also think her idea is lovely - I just seriously doubt it would be realistic for the vast majority of homeschoolers, unless they had only children, or children very closely spaced with none of them being under 6.  Kids with older siblings are more likely getting dragged along with the older kids and don't get do do fun stuff like this aimed at their ages - unless their older siblings are old enough to stay home and do work themselves or have a conveniently timed drop-off coop or something.

 

I just think a better way is to figure out a way to make it work for people with multiple ages of children, without making it more work for her (the organizer), but still making it better fit the needs of more homeschooling families, so that her lovely idea can actually come to fruition.

 

[KungFuPanda]

In our co-op, there is a class for every age group, every hour, and every parent must teach or co-teach a class AND remain on-site all day. We have a nursery for the children of teachers during the hours they are teaching. This set-up means that the kids are engaged all day and the moms get the occasional hour or two to chat in the common area while the kids are in class. Occasionally someone will make the mistake of thinking that they can not put their preschooler in a class and let him run wild disturbing the peace of the common area. This person is swiftly corrected and takes said preschooler to the nursery (and STAYS with him), keeps him quiet at a table, or chooses to leave the co-op altogether. This requires the use of multiple rooms, but it works for the people we want to attract.

 

I consider myself an involved co-op mom who participates and controls her children AND no longer has kids under six. Participating in a kids' art class would be a deal breaker for me. It feels demeaning. What you really want is quiet and respect. Requiring adults to do the lesson to keep them busy seems a very odd way to get the cooperation you want and could very well drive the more mature parents away. I think you really need a supervised place to engage the little kids AND a space where adults can talk without interrupting the older kids' lessons.

 

ETA: If I have to do the nature journal myself, there's no point in enrolling in a co-op :-/

[QueenCat]

See, I am wondering, don't people have grandmas or friends who could watch their kids for them twice a month? I realize that some might not, but wouldn't most?

 

Personally........... not really. I have never lived near family. My babysitters were typically available nights and weekends, not during the day. Friends are either working or homeschooling. I would ask a friend for an appt when the kids were too young to care for themselves but not for something like this.

 

[Berta]

This would be a no for me too. I'm 600 miles from my parents and two of my adult children, my 18 yr old that lives at home has school and other things of her own. Most homeschoolers by me (very rural area) have 4+ kids of all ages. Our old co-op used to have a nursery, which I worked in while my older kids were in their own classes. We are a one-income family and there is no room to pay for sitters. 

[Tap]

I think the co-op is a great idea and you may find some loyal families who stick with you class after class.  I used to work for a public/private hybrid.  There are lots of families out there who just wanted a chance to do something different, to work in a group setting and to meet other homeschoolers.  I knew plenty of families who were homeschooling a solo child or ones that were close in age.  My own kids were 4 years apart but we didn't start homeschooling until our oldest was in 5th grade so our youngest was in kindergarten at the time.  We ended up with another child along the way but there were several years where that would have been great. 

 

I think one reason that a lot of people here may think that most families wouldn't attend, is that the families who have older kids, are often the drop and go parents.  In coop settings these parents are not usually the ones sitting at the tables, chatting with other parents.  They feel confident in the child's ability to be at a class solo and use that time to get an errand or two done.  The families with younger kids, often don't want to mess with getting in and out of car seats, juggling a couple of littles, so they just sit and wait for classes to get out. 

 

 

I agree that a lot of parents are wonderful about managing toddlers, but working in the hybrid I spend a lot of time reminding parents to watch their little ones.  I was often appalled at the lack of oversight some parents. (I saw many toddlers jump on the elevator and close the door, and ride it down to the ground floor, while parents chatted)

 

 

I also like the idea of parent participation but do you have an option that they can drop off if they are not interested but have another adult who is responsible for them?  If so, then you may want the rules to say something about 'any child enrolled in the class must have a specified adult accompanying them who will be participating along with the student and offer the student(s) guidance as needed, help to clean work area, and provide transportation for those students.'   That way if one adult wants to bring a couple of kids, they can, but are also responsible to be with all of them, all of the time (obvious exceptions would be bathroom breaks).  

 

I think one important part of this will be the families enrollment form for the classes.  I can imagine it looking something like this

 

 

1st STUDENTS NAME .......  ADULT ATTENDING CLASS WITH STUDENT.......

2nd STUDENTS NAME........ ADULT ATTENDING CLASS WITH STUDENT........

If adult responsible for child is someone other than the legal parent/guardian a medical release will need to be on file with the office for this person to provide transportation and basic medical care while on outings with the group. 

 

 

I also didn't have daycare/friends/family.....but I also didn't need it for many years.  When we would have been interested in the class, we wouldn't have had a toddler at home to worry about.

[Soror]

I really like the idea but it wouldn't be feasible to most here either, especially the combo of no little kids and parental involvement, that pretty much means that only one child of each family would be able to participate. If you could ease the rule of requiring one adult per child that would be a great help. I would think it might work better to specifically seek out those who would be able to participate and would be interested.