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Starting a Homeschool Co-op – Setting up your Team

June 25, 2018 by Motheringwithgrace Leave a Comment

Starting a homeschool co-op is a daunting task. There are so many different things to consider as you navigate all the options. This is Part 2 of a 6-week series. Catch the series introduction, 10 things to consider before starting a homeschool co-op before reading on.

Today we are focusing on setting up your team, their job descriptions and expectations.

Homeschool Coop

I couldn’t imagine running our co-op without our leadership team. If you have already made the decision to start a co-op then you are probably a leader and have some ideas about what you think this group should look like.  Setting up a leadership team or board for your co-op is the first step to being successful.  If you are starting this on your own the first thing you are going to want to do is find a like minded partner who has the same goals and ideas. This person should ideally have different talents than you do. My assistant director and I work very well together because we both have very different strengths that we bring to the table while still having the same goals in mind.

Once you have your second person secured, you need a team. If your group or ideal group is small, then you probably only need a director, assistant director and a treasurer. If your group is larger, then you might have greater needs. I have included a list of all of the positions and job descriptions that you might need to consider as you begin to plan for your homeschool group.  After reading through the descriptions, decide which ones will be most relevant for your situation and then work on fulfilling those roles.

Co-op Job Positions

Director- Besides overseeing daily school activities, this person’s duties vary from preparing for each new semester by recruiting teachers to helping to set up registration, figuring out the logistics of classrooms assignments based on enrollment, and preparing for orientation. The director fields numerous emails and calls throughout the school year from prospective and current members. During the school day the director keeps the school running smoothly and delegates duties when necessary. This job requires a lot of behind the scenes work.

Assistant Director- This person works closely with the Director throughout the school year to assist him or her with the responsibilities of running the co-op. This person is responsible for helping to make needed changes in rules and policies and can step in when needed when the Director is not available.

Substitute Coordinator-This detail-oriented person is responsible for the smooth functioning of the co-op by ensuring that all parent assignments are covered when members are absent. This person fields messages from those who are going to be absent and makes the substitutes aware of their places to serve.

Treasurer-This detail-oriented person must be skilled at accounting, handling money, and record keeping. This person will handle all the co-op finances, including, but not limited to, collecting registration, portal, class fees, and informing members when all fees are due. This person is also in charge of keeping track of the co-op expenses and its budget.

Administrative Coordinator-This person is responsible for cheerfully greeting all members as they enter the building each morning and keeping track of daily attendance. The Admin Coordinator must also closely monitor and keep track of people entering and exiting the building throughout the day. Greeting visitors, providing visitor tags, and escorting them to where they need to be is also expected. This person will also need to keep up with and order the necessary supplies for the co-op to run smoothly. This person is also responsible to make copies and distribute information to members when necessary.

Early Childhood Coordinator-This Coordinator ensures that the youngest members of our families (nursery through Pre-K) are well cared for. This person will help recruit and support early childhood teachers, communicate with teachers and parents regularly, offer curriculum assistance as needed, and provide parents and teachers with support when conflict resolution is appropriate. The EC Coordinator will also make sure the classrooms are set up as needed, and that snacks and supplies are available. This person will notify and consult with the director regarding persistent behavior situations, injury to a child, or property damage.

Facilities Coordinator-This position includes working with a team to make sure the facility is set up for the day. This might include setting up tables, placing signs where needed, and setting out specific admin supplies. At the end of the day the Coordinator makes sure the facility is put back the way we found it. It includes vacuuming floors, cleaning table tops, sweeping tile floors, taking out trash, and making sure classrooms are left according to the facility floor chart posted on each classroom door. With the help of assistants, the Coordinator makes sure that the building is left cleaner than when the co-op entered the building and as if we were never even there.

Special Events Coordinator-this person is responsible for forming committees for all the special events held during the school year. These events might include (but are not limited to) Teacher Appreciation, Career day, Fall Festival, Thanksgiving Feast, Christmas party, Valentine’s Day Party, etc.

Academic -Coordinator- This person will work closely with the director as the parent liaison for determining classes needed for each semester. The Academic Coordinator will also be responsible for working with teachers as their resource for planning and supplies. Overseeing the supply closet and keeping it stocked is also a part of the academic coordinators responsibility.

If you are interested in receiving extra support in your co-op planning or just want some ideas as you move along, sign up for my Homeschool Co-op Newsletter.

Follow along in our series:

Week 1: 10 Things to Consider when Starting a Homeschool Group

Week 2: Setting up your Team, Job descriptions and Expectations

Week 3: Bylaws, Statement of Faith, Handbooks

Week 4: How to approach a church or other facility for use of their building

Week 5: Setting up your schedule for the Semester

Week 6: Registration and other Necessary Paperwork

Week 7: Wrap up with Q &A

Don’t miss a single week in this series, sign up to be part of my email family.

Filed Under: Homeschool Co-ops Tagged With: co-op, homeschool co-op

10 Somewhat Snarky but Real Reasons to Join a Homeschool Co-op

October 13, 2017 by Motheringwithgrace 3 Comments

We have been part of a homeschool co-op in some form from the beginning. If you are on the fence about joining one, maybe this post is just what you need.

Homeschool Co-ops

1.       Yes, Yes, Yes. I get it. You’re smart. You graduated at the top of your class in rocket science (or something of that nature) I too have a B.A. in “no one cares anymore.” The beauty of placing your children in classes someone else is teaching is that they may actually be taught by another adult who gets to use that degree in nursing to teach microbiology.  There are just some subjects that my degree or lack thereof isn’t going to cover sufficiently with the passion that someone else might.

2.       Maybe all your children are borderline geniuses, and super duper intuitive of your explanation of quantum physics. But if they are  just beautifully average children {like mine} you may have to explain it to them a few times, or a few thousand. If they still don’t get it maybe it’s you. And if that’s the case, instead of pulling your hair out or allowing it to go all “in vogue” gray- maybe a co-op class is for you. Sometimes our kids just need to hear it from someone else.

3.       Show of hands. How many of you have actually completed any, all, or even some of those Pinterest  arts and craft projects you have pinned? You know all those cutesy fall or Christmas handprint trees or homemade play dough? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else that LOVES crafts would just play with your kids for a while? 

4.       Despite what the world says you really can’t have it all or do it all. There are So. Many. Things. I want to teach my kiddos but so little time. Let’s not discount the energy I lack to re-create a re-enactment of the revolutionary war.  But that can totally happen in a co-op class.

5.       Forget about Un- socialized homeschoolers! What about Un-socialized Moms?? I ranted lots more about that here, but It can get lonely day after day with no other adults to talk to. Who else can I complain to about long division and how my 8th grader still struggles with MULTIPLICATION! { sorry, did I yell that? I’m just a little frazzled over that one}  Other parents just don’t get it. We have the opportunity to be around other parents who are in the same trenches as us and it gives us the chance to encourage and minister to one another. 

6.       Okay lean in close for number 6… Sometimes you join a co-op because you just need a break! Now hanging with a bazillion other kids may not be your idea of a break, but I call anytime I’m not fighting over math or convincing my kindergartner that she has to wear underwear a break. And if you play your cards just right… you could get one of those fancy jobs as a hall monitor. Then it’s nothing but freedom from there my friend.

7.       You need to know that your kids are normal. Or at least as normal as homeschoolers get. This is your people. Look around, you can always take comfort that there will be weirder kids than yours. And that is the beauty of homeschooling- no one has to conform.

8.       Oh, about that conforming thing. I lied just a little. There is a place to conform, and your children need to know how to function in society. They need their peers and maybe other adults to let them know that nose picking is not a socially acceptable practice here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. ( if it is in your neck of the woods, I apologize… sort of)  They also need to know that they can’t live in their pj’s and that time is an important concept.  And while we are at it, being part of a co-op offers them the opportunity to have to conform to rules and different authority figures that they wouldn’t get at home. And that’s just good practice for real life. 

9.       Your kids need friends! Sibling relationships are important, we can all agree on that. But they also need to be around kids of all ages and have the opportunity to interact and be exposed to varying opinions and ideas. No-one grows without a little adversity. This might be the very reason you chose to homeschool but being in a homeschool co-op offers your child the ability to experience this in a “safe” environment and then you have opportunities to talk with them about it.

10.   You can give up your Chauffer’s license. If you participate in a co-op program that offers sports, music or dance then that is time that doesn’t have to be taken away from family time in the evening. It’s a one stop shop. 

I will admit, co-ops aren’t for everyone. (Watch for a follow up post with a few snarky reasons you shouldn’t join a co-op) But if any of these reasons resonated with you, go ahead and take the plunge, what have you got to loose?

If you are part of a co-op, what were your reasons for joining? 

 

Joining a homeschool coop

Filed Under: Homeschool Co-ops, Uncategorized Tagged With: co-op, homeschool, homeschool co-op, homeschool group

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