New and prospective parents often ask similar questions. Here are the most frequently asked questions about participating in our Homeschool Coop, our Waldorf-Style Enrichment Classes, and our Unschool Studios.
Q: Do parents have required volunteer hours to perform?
For our Tuesday Enrichment Program, our current design for the membership is freedom from specific volunteer duties for parents.
Within our Unschool Studio, parents can serve as class helpers in rotation with other parents and receive a discount for helping.
Q: If I only enroll as a Member for $60, what can I expect?
Membership is required for every participating child over two years. For example, if your family enrolls one child in programs but plans to bring another child to field trips, parties, and events, that child must be a member. Membership benefits include:
- Parent-driven clubs such as Geocaching, ASL Sign Language Club, or Book Clubs
- 4-6 field trips or guest speakers
- Coop-wide events (examples may include Lemonade stands, craft fairs, and parties)
- Parent resource meetings, such as curricula share events, guest speakers, and parent appreciation night where we buy dinner.
- Access to Mindful Nature Summer Camps
- Discounts to local venues and DE State Park Passes
Q: Are instructors certified teachers? What process do you use to hire instructors?
Many of our instructors are certified teachers. We value teachers with expertise in areas that best support our programs. All instructors must submit a safety background check. Some instructors may be considered if they do not have current teaching certificates if they possess the expertise we desire and/or have experience teaching the subjects we are looking to fill. For example, subject experts could include Yoga or Music who are not “certified” by a board of education but have other credentials. We may also consider retired teachers. As a private organization employing scant teaching hours, we use our best resources to fill each role.
Q: Why do your programs cost so much?
Our staff costs and our facility rental add to overhead significantly. But our core membership feels that the value is exceptional. One of the most valued aspects of this Coop is our concurrent, whole-family programming — one-stop shopping for all grade levels at the same time and with specialized instructors and volunteers.
Q: What size are your Enrichment Classes?
We limit enrollment for most of our classes to 10 students and two instructors.
Q: How will I know what is being taught?
You can visit the program overview pages for each group to see the plan or general instruction method:
Kindergarten through 5th-grade Enrichment Classes
Enrichment Lab and classes for 6th-8th
Outdoor “Forest School” Learning
Unschool Studio
Technology Program Studio
High School
Our instructors create summaries of what was done in class and include photos. The summaries are saved to a shared drive for future access. These summaries are intended to help parents create a clear record of their homeschool portfolios. Additionally, all work products created in programs are stored in a Main Lesson Book that parents can review, borrow mid-year, and keep at the end of the year. The Main Lesson Books stay at Coop for continued use through a program year but are a valuable resource to parents in states that must check in with their local homeschool officials.
Q: What Curricula are used in Tuesday Enrichment Classes?
We present Unit Studies from which each instructor customizes for each class based on how the learners prefer to receive it.
The model for this program includes multi-graded class sets that each serve three grade levels. The Unit Studies we’ve developed in-house also cycle every three years. For example, a child who starts Kindergarten will cycle back to the first year of work when she reaches third grade. However, that child’s experience of the content will change as she sees it from a new perspective and with different lesson techniques.