What questions should I ask about a new co-op?

[Cadam]

Thursday night I am going to a meeting about a new classical co-op that may be starting in the Fall.

What information do I want?

What questions should I ask?

I have never done a co-op before. Advise from those of you who have done this before would be great.

What do you wish you had known before getting involved?

[dragons in the flower bed]

Ask about discipline processes and child behavior policy, if there will be homework and if kids or parents will be considered responsible for having that done, if there will be a price cap on supplies that will need to be purchased for classes, and whether or not parents will be expected to sit in on classes.

[Closeacademy]

You might want to clear up the whole secular or religious and if religious--what is wanted in the statement of faith.

We had a what could have been a wonderful co-op dissolve before it got started because there was not statement of faith and some of the teachers went to churches others did not consider "Christian."

Also is it drop-off, help out and how much do the parents need to do.


We had a wonderful co-op where each family taught 1 class. It was a literature co-op and each class was designed around 1 book.

Costs--will you need special books, supplies, etc. And how much will the parents need to chip in?

Hope this helps.:)

[Peek a Boo]

the Christian/faith aspect has always been the killer for me.

"...and some of the teachers went to churches others did not consider "Christian."

this is it exactly. my kids wearing Harry potter T-shirts brought on questions of their salvation. ugh.

and secular co-ops tend to have the same judgmental attitudes: either you are not progressive enough or you're too lax or too strict or any hint of religious leanings labels you as a fundamentalist.

*sigh*

yeah, the fees and parent participation are easy. The child discipline can even be pretty easy. It's combatting the attitudes and lack of TOLERANCE that drives me up the wall.

good luck!

[angela in ohio]

(1.) Discipline. It's not even worth going to a co-op if a discipline policy will not be enforced (not just written.)

(2.) Class offerings. Will it just be whatever a mom decides to teach, or will there be some thought to the class choices offered?

(3.) Your responsibilities. Co-op means a lot of things no, not just a cooperative effort among moms. Find out what you will be required to do, what will be required of others. I was in one where I would tach a clas and offer it for a $3 supply fee and someone else would fill their "teaching" requirement by lining up a professional teacher who charged big bucks. It hardly worked out fairly.

(4.) The other parents' homeschooling styles/ goals. It is hard to mesh families with very different academic expectations into one co-op setting.

[Lori D.]

I guess I would say: have clearly in mind in advance what your expectations or desires from such a co-op are, so then when you go to the meeting, you will be able to see how much (or how little) the reality of the co-op matches up. Then you can decide to participate, or not, or to change your expectations.

In the end, you have to decide whether or not the co-op benefits outweigh disadvantages. Some questions to ponder:


- How much parent participation is required?
The more participation, usually the better the co-op -- not all the work falls onto just a few overworked parents.


- Who is teaching?
Are these knowledgeable parents and people from the community, or just parents who "have to teach so that their children can be in the co-op"? Will the people teaching do a better job than you could teaching the same material? Will they be able to offer a class you can't? (For example: one year our local homeschool class offered sewing; another time, cake decorating. These are more specialized classes that not every parent could teach, and can be very worthwhile.)


- How much does it cost -- will you get your money's worth?
Often, the more it costs the better the instruction, as often that money is going to hire GOOD teachers. However, that is not always the case. Calculate out the cost per hour, and decide if the instruction in the co-op setting is worthwhile or not; for example, you may find you get more for your money by signing up for individual music or art lessons from someone in the community, rather than at the co-op.


- Will it be worth it time-wise?
Will the classes being offered be of high enough quality, be unique enough, or not reproducible at home, to make it worth giving up instruction time at home? Will the classes be it worth the gas money and driving time?


- Will ALL your children be able to participate AND benefit? And if not, what will they do?
For example, for babies, toddlers, or pre-schoolers: will a daycare be provided for these children at the co-op? Do you WANT your young ones in a group setting (germs, behavior, disruptive to nap schedule, etc.)?


- Is the trade off on time worth it for your high schoolers?
Will they be challenged by the material? Will it be material that you wouldn't be able to offer to them? Will it be worth squeezing more time out of these children's already busy schedule? Would they get more out of a community college course (which also often provides dual high school and college credit -- which a co-op will not).


A co-op can be a wonderful and enriching experience -- but it can also be stressful or even disappointing. BEST of luck in deciding! Warmest regards, Lori D.