Starting a cottage homeschool co-op can be a great way to provide your children with a quality education while also building community and making connections with other homeschooling families. If you’re interested in starting a co-op in your home, here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Start with a vision.
Before you start reaching out to potential members, it’s important to have a clear vision for your co-op. What do you hope to accomplish? What types of activities and classes do you want to offer? How often will you meet? Having a solid vision in place will help guide your decisions and attract like-minded individuals.
2. Find interested families.
Once you have a vision in place, start reaching out to your network to see if there’s interest. Share your vision and see if others are interested in joining you. You can also reach out to homeschooling groups in your area or post on online forums to gauge interest. Be patient! We found that this takes time to develop. When creating a space as intimate as a cottage co-op, you want to be sure that the families are a good fit. You need parents who are willing to put in the effort to plan engaging lessons and children who are interested in learning.
3. Establish guidelines.
As you start bringing members onboard, it’s important to establish guidelines and expectations for participation. This may include how often you’ll meet, what activities will be offered, and what fees may be involved. Make sure everyone is on the same page from the beginning to avoid any misunderstandings down the road.
4. Determine the focus of your co-op.
What will your co-op focus on? Will you cover a variety of subjects, or will you specialize in a particular area, such as science or literature? Having a clear focus can help to attract families who share your interests. We have based our class offerings on the skills of the mom's who are teaching as well as the interests and needs of the students. Currently, we have one mom focusing on social-emotional learning, one focusing on social studies/Black History, one focusing on research skills and one on science experiments.
5. Decide on a schedule.
Once you’ve found interested families, you’ll need to decide on a schedule for your co-op. Will you meet weekly or bi-weekly? What days and times will you meet? Try to find a schedule that works well for everyone involved. We meet once a week (on Wednesdays) from around 10 PM - 3 PM. This usually includes 3-4 lessons per week. We are loosely structured and have made spontaneous changes to fit the needs to the children (and the mommas!).
6. Assign roles and responsibilities.
Once you have a core group of members in place, divide and conquer the planning process. Assign tasks to different members based on their strengths and interests. This will help ensure everyone feels invested in the co-op’s success and that the workload is evenly distributed. Before your first meeting, make sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. Will someone be responsible for organizing activities? Will someone be in charge of snacks or cleaning? Make sure everyone understands what is expected of them.
7. Plan your activities.
Once your cottage co-op is up and running, you’ll need to plan your activities. Will you follow a particular curriculum, or will you create your own lesson plans? Look for activities that will be engaging and fun for the kids. We have done this organically over time and made adjustments as needed. You may want more structure. Our cottage focuses on enrichment classes, so we have more wiggle room to make changes.
8. Evaluate Progress
Finally, be sure to evaluate the progress of your co-op on a regular basis. Solicit feedback from participants, and adjust your curriculum and activities as needed to make your co-op a success. This is something we take seriously, and we have occasional meetings to talk about our "glows and grows." By taking the time to assess what's working and what needs improvement, you can ensure that your co-op is a valuable experience for everyone involved.
Above all, remember that starting a co-op is a team effort. It takes a commitment from everyone involved to make it work. With a clear vision, a strong network, and a willingness to work together, you can create a thriving community for your children and others.
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