How to Find a Local Co-Op
One of the first things I did when I began homeschooling was do research. I researched everything. How to homeschool, where to begin, what to teach, the legalities of it in our state, and so much more.
The other thing I did pretty early on is find a local co-op.
We were traveling full time when my daughter became of school age, so our first dance with evaluations, notifying the state, and finding a co-op was done in two different places over a single school year.
Now that we’ve settled in Florida, one of the first things we did when we got here was find a new co-op.
It can take some time to find the right fit, but it’s so worth it to find your community.
So how do you find a local co-op?
Determine what you are looking for in a co-op:
The first thing is to ask yourself what you are looking for in a homeschool community. What is important to you about a co-op? Questions to consider: Do you want a faith-based co-op? Do their meet ups work with your schedule? What do you have the capacity for as far as adding events to your schedule? Would your children enjoy the activities? Are you looking for strictly socialization or a tribe? All of these are important questions to consider.
What size of a co-op do you want to take part in and how often do you want to take part?
Do you want something small and more intimate or are you fine with big groups with numerous families? Does the co-op in question meet weekly? Monthly? How often do you want to meet with a co-op?
Where to look?
You can do a Google search or search on Facebook. Many homeschool groups will have a Facebook group that you can join. You could also check your local library to see if there is an active homeschool group that visits there. If you have a church community, that may also be somewhere to check. If you can’t find one, maybe it’s your time to start one! If you’re looking, I’d be willing to bet others in your area are, too.
Need help finding a local co-op? Reach out and I’ll do what I can to help you find one.