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We are a homeschool cooperative, or "co-op". Our focus is primarily on enrichment.

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That's exactly what we were going to do! However, in Ohio, it is illegal to have certain words in a business name, like "cooperative", "co-op", "coop", "corp.", etc.

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Homeschooling Co-ops can look different from each other, but the basic concept is usually the same. All families volunteer, or cooperate (hence, co-op) to make it work. Usually a co-op consists of a leadership team, some committees, and parents as teachers and helpers for classes or nursery. Some co-ops meet a couple times per week, weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. Our co-op meets weekly from about 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

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There are many advantages to being in a homeschooling co-op!

• Just like any homeschooling group, one huge benefit is the friendships that your children will form with other homeschooled children that they may not have known before. We have found that the parents appreciate the friendships they have formed with other homeschooling parents as well.

• A co-op also gives you an opportunity to share your time and talents with other families, while other families share their time and talents with you and your children. For instance, if art isn't your strong suit, but science is – your children can have the opportunity to be taught by another parent who is extremely talented in art, while you get to share your science brain with her students. It's a win-win for everyone!

• There are some classes that are difficult to do at home because they tend to work better in a larger group, like phys-ed, drama, or hand bells. Being in a homeschooling co-op gives your children the opportunity to participate in those kinds of classes with a larger group of children.

• Another benefit is the opportunity for your children to learn in a group setting and learn from other like-minded adults.

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Our Website Maintenence Fee is $10 per family per year. This non-refundable fee pays for your family to access our member-only website. This fee does NOT cover the cost of registration.

Registration will cost $75 per family per semester. This helps to cover operating expenses like rent (or donation to the facility hosting us), materials that the co-op can keep for current and future classes, cleaning supplies, insurance, and supplies for extra events. This fee is also non-refundable.

Some classes, like art or science, may require an extra fee to cover extra materials or parents may be asked to pitch in by donating a few items for the class. This will be communicated to you before classes begin. Every effort is made to make this as low as possible. 

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To be considered a member of the H.O.P.E. Christian Homeschool Co-op, a family must: 

• Sign-up their family on our website. 

  • Current Members must update their information on our website each school year to retain membership. A due date will be communicated each year. 

• Watch the potential member orientation video (if it is the member's first year) OR the yearly orientation video for current members that will discuss any changes or important reminders for the coming school year.

• Attend a short family Meet & Greet with the leadership team with children ages 3 and up (first year only).

  • After sign-up, the Leadership Team will set specific dates for these Meet & Greets. If a potential family is unable to make themselves available for at least one of these dates, it is possible that they will need to remain on the waitlist until the following semester. Exceptions for extenuating circumstances may be made, but are not guaranteed.

  • These Meet & Greets will typically take place on a Tuesday, which is our regular co-op meeting day.

• Pay their website maintenance fee, registration fees, and class fees. 

  • The due date for the website maintenance fee will be communicated each year or semester. 

  • Semester Fees ($75) are due before the Planning Meeting each semester.

  • Class fees for specific classes are due by the second class for which the fees are due.

  • If these fees are not paid before the due date, the member risks having their membership terminated.

• Acknowledge that they agree, understand, and will submit to all the following when registering on our website: 

  • Statement of Faith 

  • This Handbook 

  • Liability and Consent Waiver 

• Be able to pass a background check (to check for violent crimes and sex offender search).

• Be legally homeschooling, legally public schooling at home, OR if child(ren) is/are not compulsory school age, intending to use one of these options when child(ren) become compulsory age.

• Be willing and able to join our main Band page and participate regularly so that communication stays open.

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Yes. If this situation pertains to you, please be aware that legally homeschooling and doing public school at home (through a program administered by the local school system, K12, ECOT, etc) are not the same. Homeschoolers follow a different law and are not held to the same state standards or testing that public school at home students are held to. Additionally, public school students at home do not have to report annually as homeschoolers do. We will permit public school at home students to join our co-op if they agree to the following:

• The H.O.P.E. Christian Homeschooling Co-op will not be able to change its programming in any way to accommodate a standard or requirement that needs to be fulfilled for the public school program.

• They are aware that any discussion about the legalities of homeschooling at co-op refers to legally homeschooling families and does not pertain to their situation. Any legal questions regarding their schooling should be directed to the administrator of their public school program.

• They are aware that by using the public school at home method, they are not legally homeschooling

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Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

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We meet at a facility in Stow, OH. In order to maintain safety on our co-op days, we have refrained from sharing our exact location on our public website. We prefer to share this with you after you have signed up, but if distance is a possible concern depending on where something is in Stow, contact us by email at [email protected]. 

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Our semesters are 13 total weeks - one week for a trial run/intro to the building, and then 12 weeks of classes.

Fall semester will be from the end of August until just before Thanksgiving.

Spring semester will be from the end of February or beginning of March through the end of May.

We take a break between semesters from the end of November until the end of February in hopes that we can reduce the number of cancellations due to weather and/or sickness.

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Once we know who has joined and plans to attend the semester we are planning for (either fall or spring), we will close membership sign-ups and will hold a planning meeting. During this meeting, we will determine what classes are desired by members, which classes parents are willing to teach, and what classes we can potentially offer our members for that semester. 

After the planning meeting, we will hold pre-registration. This looks a lot like registration, but it is to get a feel for which classes have enough interest to make the final cut and which (if any) classes are so popular that we need to consider offering them during more than one class period.

After pre-registration, the leadership team will make the final schedule and registration will open. At that time, the pre-determined registration fee will be due along with any class fees (which we try to keep to a bare minimum).

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No. Once sign-ups have ended, anyone wishing to join for the following semester will be placed on a wait list until sign-ups open again. 

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If we are full, anyone who signs up goes on a Potential Member List. They will also be placed in our Potential Member BAND so that we can easily communicate with everyone on the Potential Member List in one place.

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Not necessarily.  Unfortunately we have to limt the size of our co-op due to the size of our facility.

Before the end of each semester, the Leadership Team will assess how many families we will have room for the following semester. Your family will only be contacted for a Meet & Greet if we have determined that we could potentially have room for you to join.

However, we have also seen it a few times where families drop out at the last minute before the semester starts. When that happens, we go to the Potential Member List to see who else we can admit in their place.

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We have infants all the way up to age 18.

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On any given semester, we typically have between 25 and 35 families with a maxium of 150 total people (including infants). 

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Yes. It is required that you read it thoroughly, understand it, and fully agree with it in order to be a member of this co-op. Because parents will be teaching other people's children, it is important to us that those parents be like-minded in these core areas. There are many issues that we, as Christians and members of this co-op, may disagree – but on these core values, there must be unity and agreement.

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Yes. In order for a co-op to work, everyone has to work together and teach to make it happen. Each member must be willing to teach at least one class each semester and must be willing to serve as a helper, floater, or nursery helper during the other class periods. 

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Yes, parents must attend co-op with their children. Dropping off and leaving is not permitted.

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We offer all kinds of classes! Much of what we will offer depends on the needs of our current members, what parents are willing to teach, and having resources needed for any particular class. Most, if not all, of our classes are supplemental or enrichment in nature, like music, art, science experiments, etc. The class schedule will be made after our planning meeting each semester.

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We don't want to go as far as to say that it's mandatory, but it is extremely helpful to our planning if everyone makes every effort to be there. This co-op belongs to all of our members, and this is their chance to make their voices heard about what they would like to have offered and what they would like to contribute to the group.

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No way! We welcome all of your children to come to co-op classes! We have a nursery for your younger children. Each member may have to serve on a rotation to staff the nursery, but we try to assure that there are enough moms in there that they can still fellowship while they are taking care of the children. 

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Yes, we do! As long as we have parents willing to coordinate field trips and special events, we will continue to have them! 

Right now, we have monthly field trips, moms nights out, teen events, tween events, and elementary events. We also have an open house at the end of each semester, Kick-off Party, Christmas party, Valentine party, Field Day, and a Graduation Ceremony if we have graduating seniors in the spring. 

It is worth noting that these extra events and field trips are OPTIONAL. The only mandatory commitment is our Tuesday co-op class times.

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No. Attending the weekly classes is a requirement to be in our co-op.

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The purpose is to make you aware of any changes that we will be making or to go over things that need to be gone over for the following year. Because you've already been in the co-op, there is no need to go over the things you already know. Typically, orientation is pre-recorded and you can watch when you are able from the confort of your own home.