Homeschool Co-ops: Roles and Responsibilities (Part 3)

This week’s guest blogger is Lindsay P. Lindsay lives in Asia in one of the largest cities in the world. She has been an education consultant with AERC for six years, and before that she taught in a one room school house for TCKs in the Himalayan foothills.  She loves the opportunity that working with AERC gives her to meet families who work in unique circumstances throughout Asia.  One of her favorite things is exploring and photographing old ruins–which are plentiful in Asia–and finding ways to make it enjoyable for others, too.

Over the last two weeks, we have discussed the benefits of homeschool co-ops and the phases of development. This week, we’ll focus on the roles and responsibilities of the families involved.

Certain commitments will be required from the families involved in the development of the Education Center to make it work:

Time

Especially in the initial stages of developing, a co-op will require a significant amount of time from parents—time for teaching, for organizing, for setting up a location, for recruiting any necessary teachers, etc. Time and patience are needed to see the development through to where the co op is something that benefits families instead of only requiring investment from them.

Schedule

Schooling together requires that the families involved commit to a yearly schedule. Most cross cultural families travel frequently and often it is for long periods of time, enjoying the benefits of flexibility. For a co-op to work, especially when there are only a few families involved, each family needs to realistically consider their travel schedules and how that affects a “school year.” Decide together what sort of time commitments for group activities are realistic.

Financial

There will be costs to a co op. While not every family has equal access to funds, each family needs to weigh what it stands to benefit from a co op with what they are able to contribute.

Another important aspect to keep in mind regarding commitments is that not every parent will seem “equally” involved. Some will not feel adequate or called to participate in teaching or volunteering in another such role. They need to be given the grace to hire a teacher to take their place, if that is the decision they make. It is a good idea to remember that though a co op may have equal importance and value to all involved, each person’s roles within its structure will look different.

It may also be necessary to make adjustments for those families who need less support from a co op, or have to travel a greater distance. Maybe they’d like to attend only one day a week, or join for only one subject. Find ways to include these families and not require from them more commitment than their need presents, and you may find the overall co-op community is enriched by their involvement.

An important role to consider in the organization of a homeschool co-op is that of an administrator. An administrator can take responsibility for the following tasks:

• organizing a schedule
• keeping parents informed
• keeping teachers informed, and introducing them to the system and how it works
• library administration, or delegation of such
• delegating any housekeeping needs
• taking charge of or delegating rental of a facility
• being aware of family travel schedules

An administrator’s job description might look like this:

A homeschool co op administrator needs to be someone who can keep track of the scheduling, the organization, the finances, and make sure everyone is informed of what they need to know. Overall, the administrator keeps things on track so that the system runs smoothly and parents and teachers are free to participate in the roles they have committed to.

A homeschool co-op, while initially requiring a lot of work and input, can be of great benefit to the families involved, enriching the educational experiences of children and assuring parents that they are providing a quality education. With a little bit of planning and discussion, it can be a meaningful experience for all involved.

As an education consultant, how have you been called upon to support homeschooling co-ops?

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