HOW TO LAUNCH A
HOMESCHOOL CO-OP
By Heather Borntraeger and Heather Walton
REASONS TO CONSIDER CO-OPS
HOMESCHOOLING doesn’t have to be an
isolated pursuit. Just because you’ve been
called to educate your children at home
doesn’t mean you have to do it all at home
or all by yourself. While there are many
ways to make the world your classroom,
cooperatives (co-ops) are one of the most
popular and for a good reason: co-ops
appeal to our sense of community while
giving us a change of scenery and pace.
WHAT IS A CO-OP?
Homeschool co-ops are groups of families who connect
regularly to create an educational experience for their
children. Typically, each family has at least one adult who
remains on-site and assists. Co-ops generally offer classes
but may also provide nature study, field trips, social events,
and more. Most meet weekly for six to eighteen weeks per
session or semester.
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Many families choose co-ops because they want a group
learning experience for their children. Furthermore, some
classes are difficult to teach one-on-one. For example, public
speaking, journalism, drama, and robotics work better in a
group setting. Parents may max out on their ability in the
middle and high school years to teach math or science, or
they may lack the background to teach a foreign language or
music class. Because parents are on-site for classes, it’s easy
to keep costs low.
BEFORE YOU START
If you already have a co-op in your community, you may
want to see if it’s the right fit for your family by evaluating
their activities, schedule, and location. Most importantly,
are all subjects taught from a biblical worldview? If not, or
if there are no co-ops nearby, maybe God is calling you to
start a co-op. Prayer is important before beginning since
God will direct you to lay a good foundation that will bless
your community.
ASK THE LORD TO PROVIDE THE VISION
Co-ops vary in many ways, and if the Lord has called you to
begin one, He can also provide the details; prayer should be
emphasized at every juncture. Your co-op could be a small
group of three families that meet in a home or a large oper-
ation with 100 students that meet at a church or anything
in between. You may unite based on a teaching philoso-