Small Groups & Co-ops

Create a Small Group

You may be asking what is a “small group” and how does that meet my home education objectives? A small group consists of 2-5 families who gather together to meet the educational needs of their children.

Here are some of the needs small groups can meet:

SMALL GROUPS: (2-5 families)

• Mentoring and support for parents,
• Motivation, inspiration, and friends for kids,
• Low cost: Homes, library or other FREE community resource
• Flexibility!
• Frequency-1/2 day a week; 1 day a week to 4 days week; every other week, etc.
• Model: drop off or cooperative
• Length: - 4 week workshop to full year class
• Focus: academic, character, art, writing, STEM, etc.
• Meet specific needs not met in large group setting,
• Provide positive peer pressure, accountability, and incentive as students share their progress and celebrate their home learning.

Examples of what small groups look like:

For Example: 3 families collaborate. They decide to meet twice a week from 10-1:00. They decide that every child brings their own school work from home. School begins with a structured opening followed by individual work, assigned by mom with the oversight of a parent (not necessarily their own) After an hour or so of independent work, the students collaborate to do a music appreciation, PE activity, math game or group learning topic.

Benefits: Children have extra incentive to perform well for this small positive peer group. Mothers have the flexibility of dropping children off at a host home or staying to help oversee school work. Multiple mentor parents become familiar with your child and his/her curriculum and learning style. After subjects are completed, playtime and socializing can occur. No special building is required. Small groups are home based.

Example 2: Several families collaborate, pick the curriculum they would like to use, decide which mother will teach what subject and agree to meet 3 days a week. Each mother carries the responsibility to teach a given subject, freeing other mothers to focus on the subjects they have chosen, thus providing for more expertise and deeper learning in each area.

Benefits: A positive peer group is created. Subjects that lend themselves to group activities have a group available. For the Parent, the burden of carrying all responsibility for all the subjects is alleviated. The small group helps children feel excited about sharing the learning experience.

Example 3: A small group registers to study a specific subject with a contracted teacher. (i.e. Sue Ellen Gold’s writing classes follow this model. She is a private instructor offering a high school/college level class (Humanities/literature/History) for a small group of students; tuition based.) One teacher presents all learning material and accepts responsibility for instruction, making assignments, and grading course work. Classes can meet with the frequency required to gain competence in the subject. Subjects for which this model may be appropriate are math, language arts, and high school level science courses.

Benefits: The Students learn accountability to instructors who are not their parents. Instructors can be contracted who have greater knowledge, skill base, and available time than parents.

For more information and to join the conversation on Small Groups click here.

Join a Large Group Co-op:

Homeschool isn't a one size fits all type of endeavor and as such the opportunities for cooperative support for co-op are as varied as the family needs. Large group co-ops take on the personalities of the members who build and sustain them.

The Family Learning Institute

The vision of The Family Learning Institute is a community of families seeking home-based, community supported, gospel centered learning. The mission of the institute is to:

1) Create learning environments that nurture the hearts and minds of children and youth;
2) Provide learning and leadership opportunities for parents;
3) Strengthen loving relationships between children/youth and their parents.

Learn more about what is available through the Family Learning Institute here.