What About Homeschool Groups?

• Homeschool groups and homeschool co-ops are groups of homeschooling families that work together to achieve a common goal.

• Homeschool groups can offer the opportunity for socialization, educational ventures, and parental/home educator support that your family may need.

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I know being a homeschooling parent can be hard at times. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, or you may wish that you had another homeschooling parent to bounce ideas around with. You may be concerned about your child’s socialization and their ability to work with others. If you are anything like me, you may be wondering if you are doing things correctly or if there are better ways to teach different subjects. If this sounds familiar, I have a great suggestion for you, homeschool groups.

What Are Homeschool Groups

Homeschool groups and homeschool co-ops are groups of homeschooling families that work collaboratively for a common goal. They are generally organized and led by a fellow home educator (or educators), but very large groups may have an entire board of directors. Goals will differ from group to group but generally include educational, socialization, and/or support. Some groups meet up as regularly as a couple of times a week while others may only meet once a month. When looking at joining a group you will need to make sure that the group is the right fit for you and your family.

 What Do Homeschool Groups Do?

Many different activities are covered in homeschool groups and basically every group will be different. Some are set up for children with specific disabilities, for a particular age group, or for children of a specific religion or ethnic group. However, most groups will fall into at least one of the following categories:

• Educational. This one is obvious, as it does pertain to a group of families who participate in home education. Some of these groups, especially the smaller ones, will have co-op classes taught by one or more of the fellow parent teachers. Generally, the parents will take turns teaching a different subject weekly to a group of different aged school kids. This again can range from any of the core classes to extracurriculars like art and music. This way everyone is involved and participates for the benefit of the children. Other groups may all pitch in to pay for a tutor or outside teacher to teach their children. This could be for a subject that is a little harder to teach for parents like calculus or chemistry or one that is for an enrichment class such as crochet. On the other hand, some gather for group projects or just to work on their own work but in a group setting. These may include art projects, literature discussions, or a group science project.
• Socialization. All group settings will bring socialization into your child’s life. However, some groups are set up specifically for socialization. This is for the benefit of the children as well as the adults. Some of these groups are set up as playdates, meeting at the local park or another community area. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is just play time. These meet-ups allow the children to play and interact while the parents can discuss curriculums, exchange ideas, chat, and make their own friends. Groups that set up activities for the children encourage collaborative skills as well as socialization skills.
• Field Trips. Taking educational field trips with your kids can make their school lessons come to life, giving them both a visual representation of their lessons as well as some hands-on experiences. However, some trips can be pricey and may not be as fun if it is only you and your child. Groups that field trip together not only get the advantage of a group price for admittance fees but also get to enjoy one another’s company and discuss ideas while learning.
• Support. This is mainly for the parent side of the homeschool experience. Homeschooling can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. Sometimes you may need someone who is more experienced or who has a different approach to bounce ideas off of, or to get ideas and information from. This is where the homeschooling group support system comes into play. Not only will you no longer feel alone in your struggles, but you will be able to talk to other parents who are either in the same boat as you or who have 15+ years of experience under their belts who can help you. The amount of information, resources, and engagement that you can get from a good homeschooling group may be what you need to help you continue on with your homeschooling journey.
• Service Work. Service or community work is a requirement for high school students to graduate in many states. There are some groups that have started with this one goal in mind. It helps high school students either find a place to complete their service hours or they work as a group to participate in things like park cleanups or nursing home holiday cards. This can be very helpful for teens who would rather work with others to complete these requirements or for those who are having a hard time meeting the requirements.

 How Often Do Homeschool Groups Meet?

This depends entirely on the group. Groups most commonly meet up once or twice a week with some only meeting once a month. Occasionally you may come across a purely online group who holds group chats and online meetings on a similar schedule. Generally, groups have a leader (creator) or co-leaders who are fellow home educators and who plan events and meet-ups. They will generally use a consensus with the group for how often the group will meet and the subjects or educational areas that the group will cover. They will be the ones to make a schedule if regular classes are involved. If you are just coming into a group, you will want to make sure that their schedule of classes and/or meet-ups will fit into your schedule.

 How to Find Local Homeschool Groups

I would say, honestly, that the quickest and easiest way to find homeschool groups is to do a quick internet search. Search ‘homeschooling groups near me’ or ‘homeschool groups in the ______ area’. This will inevitably bring up a long list of groups local to your area. Many will have social media accounts where they post about upcoming events and planned activities. And I have seen some that just individually ask ‘hey, who’s available to meet today’. You can always send a private message to request a meeting or to join the group at the next event to see if the group would be a good fit for your family.

For me personally, I met the majority of other homeschooling families at my kids’ sporting practices and events. Just in this setting alone I was invited to numerous groups and playdates, and it became a place for us parents to share ideas and even curriculums. Community events are another great place to casually meet other parents and kids who homeschool without really trying. Places like story time at your local library, block parties, or community holiday events such as Trunk-or-Treat at Halloween, or 4^th of July Fireworks. These are wonderful places where you will automatically talk with other parents and will most certainly find other homeschooling families.

 What to Consider When Joining a Group

There are a multitude of things to consider when looking to join a homeschooling group. I would heavily suggest giving any group that you are looking at a ‘trial run’. Ask if you can sit in with your children at the next meet-up. This will give you an idea of how the group works, how well everyone gets along, and whether or not it may be a good fit with your family. Make sure to ask questions and to include your child in the final decision.

• Timings – Does the timings of the meetings work well with your own schedule? Will you need to contribute by teaching a class, and if so, how much extra planning time will that make for you? Will you be expected to show up to every meeting? These are important questions that you need to make sure to ask. Then you will need to determine if the timing of the group’s meetings works well with your homeschooling plans.
• Younger Siblings –If you have toddlers or a baby, you will need to know if they are allowed to come to the group meetings and how well they will be received. If they are not allowed or if they will become a stress factor for you and the other participants, then that group may not be for you.
• Meeting Place – The meeting place of the group is an important factor. Some groups take turns meeting at the participants’ homes. You may not be comfortable taking your children into strangers’ homes (at least in the beginning) or you may not want others at your home. Others meet at community centers or lots, the local library, or a church hall. If the group meets at a place that needs to be rented, you will more than likely have to pay towards that rental.
• Teaching Styles – Everyone teaches a little differently, and that’s okay. However, when teaching in a group setting, you will need all of the parents and teachers to be on the same page. There will need to be a consensus on the strictness or relaxed nature of the teaching and the subjects that are to be taught and how they are handled (if sensitive or religious in nature).
• Personal Conflicts – Think of the homeschool group setting to be similar to a brick-and-mortar school. There are bound to be some personal conflicts, whether between a set of parents or between children. However, if these conflicts, even if they do not involve you or any of your family members, make you or your children uncomfortable then you should make the decision not to be a part of that group. You will want to find a group that includes like-minded parents and children who get along well. Bullying happens even with homeschoolers so make sure that your child or children get along well with the other children.
• Philosophical or Organizational Disagreements – Homeschool groups are essentially self-governed. And while this is generally not an issue with small groups, larger state-level groups may have political views that you do not share or have organizational rules that you do not agree with. Some may lobby for laws that have nothing to do with homeschooling or education or that benefit children in any way. Some may have views on children or on families that you do not agree with. You will need to make sure that your morals and views are aligned with those of the rest of your group members.
• Number of Members – Are you looking for a small group of 3 to 4 families to meet up with and become close to or are you looking for a large organization? While many homeschool groups only include 3-5 families, some can have hundreds. This may influence your decision heavily.
• Membership Requirements – Some groups may only require that you show up, other groups may require you to teach a class, and many groups require a membership fee. This fee is generally used to rent a space to hold meetings, to pay an outside teacher/mentor, or to purchase curriculum books and supplies. When looking at groups that use parent teachers, take into account whether you want to (or have the time to) commit to teaching a group class. As far as the membership fees are concerned, you will need to weigh whether the charge is worth it, especially if it is pricey.

 Looking for Something Different?

Not all cities and towns have homeschooling groups. And for those that do, sometimes you may not be impressed with any of the local groups, or maybe you are looking for a group that does something different. In that case, you may want to create your own. You can create a group for field trips, clubs (book, nature, anime, art), talent shows/dances, basically anything. Get the phone numbers of some of the homeschooling parents that you have met and just start with a playdate. When homeschooling parents get together, ideas tend to flow. Find out if any of the other parents are interested in joining a group with your goal in mind and go from there.

There may be subjects or areas of learning that you cannot teach at home. This may be due to a lack of knowledge or simply a lack of time. Homeschool groups can offer the opportunity for you to bridge that gap, as well as offer socialization for both you and your children. However, choosing the right homeschool group for you and your family is important. Homeschool groups and co-ops should be an enrichment for your journey, not a burden. And at the end of the day, if you are unimpressed with the local groups, or on the off chance that there are none, you can always start a group yourself.

Are you a part of a homeschool group? If so, share some of the activities that your group participates in with the community in the comments below.