Co-operatives and Hybrids

On Wednesday, I received two letters from parents asking me to do a post on co-operative arrangements A-SAP. Registrations have arrived in the mailbox and some parents are experiencing price-shock and some are wondering what options might be out there.

From the information I have gathered, cooperative schooling arrangements range in formality as well as price. There are many developed cooperative pre-schools throughout the nation. A quick google search for cooperative preschools will likely lead you to an already existing model in your area. Pricing structures may be based on level of parent participation. E.g., a parent who participates in the school on a bi-weekly basis will pay less than a conventional school. A parent who participates in the school on a weekly basis will pay significantly less than a conventional school. Cooperatives normally provide training to parents who assist in the classroom. The cooperative will hire an administrator, teachers, and some contracted specialists for music or dance.

The same model can be carried into the grade school and secondary school years. On occasion I heard of frum parents arranging a school with paid staff/tutors for their own children. Due to spare enrollments, there is little economy of scale and participation in such a school does not come free. However, in the cases I'm aware of, the price of such schooling has been competitive and the education is tailored to the individual students. Without greater participation it is difficult to sustain an arrangement like this. And such an arrangement may only be available for girls or boys.

Homeschooling Christian families have developed a number of cooperative arrangements for homeschoolers that are worth researching. I have found a number of these programs on line and I am only presenting two just to get the brains churning. The Heritage Homeschool Cooperative in Washington State has over 100 participating families. It meets every Wednesday from 9-2pm where four classes are offered. There is a tuition and materials fee. There are a variety of parent taught classes offered (here is a sample and interested readers can look at all the offerings on the website). Some classes are academic and homework is assigned. Other classes are more extracurricular. The school is K-12, but preschool classes are also offered which is nice for larger homeschooling families looking for a bit of a school experience.

A more formal and intense school experience can be had at a school such as Granite Classical. This school comes with a larger price tag, still a bargain. This particular schools meets twice a week where students are given a classical education (grammar, logic, rhetoric in all subject matter). The schooling days begins at 8:15am with chapel and core subjects end at 2PM and elective courses conclude at 4PM. Unlike cooperatives, where classes are parent lead, this school has a staff drawn (mostly) from outside its parent body. Staff members might be professional lawyers or engineers who look to share their knowledge. This particular school starts at the 3rd grade when children can read. Like other cooperatives, parents must participate in their children's education. I find this hybrid schooling model to be very attractive personally.

There are numerous sources online on parent participatory schooling models. It appears that many churches have been at the forefront of supporting the development of homeschooling and cooperative schooling models. I would recommend that any parents interested in such a model contact churches that host these groups and speak with founders and parents who are interested in sharing their knowledge first hand (perhaps in a neutral location such as a Starbucks). The internet has numerous articles and resources, but there is nothing like a face to face meeting to explore an option. On occasion I run into homeschooling families and have found them to be very willing and interested in sharing. Many of them belong to umbrella organizations which provide some extracurricular opportunities. You would be surprised to find out that many rec centers, gyms, and even businesses have extracurriculars geared towards homeschoolers in the early hours. I imagine that cooperative schooling parents would also be willing to share their experiences and thoughts on cooperative arrangements. I have discovered there is just about every type of cooperative and support model out there. There are homeschooling associations for African Americans, unschoolers, secular homeschoolers, Catholic homeschoolers (my good friend from growing up is a Catholic homeschooler and mom to many). Speaking of development, there are even buyers co-ops for materials.

For those ready to jump in with two feet who want to look at a Jewish model, there is a Los Angeles Yeshiva for boys which has Rebbes and offers a formal sedarim and supervised homeschooling through a charter school program. There is a group of Florida parents who formed a Jewish co-operative preschool and will be expanding their programming to the early elementary grades. The contact email and phone number for more information is in the linked post. The parents have been so kind as to share information with the readers of this blog and I'm sure they would be thrilled to be contacted. Both the Los Angeles Yeshiva and the Florida Cooperative are full time schools, rather than part time cooperatives. In the Florida cooperative the parents take care of the behind the scenes administration as well as some classroom support. Parents involved with the Florida cooperative are dual income in many cases.

Readers, the readers who wrote me regarding cooperatives would like the advice of all who have participated in cooperative agreements. They would like you to share your experiences, pros and cons. Additionally, they would be interested in some of the nitty gritty. Please participate if you have been a part of any cooperative arrangement from a cooperative camp to a cooperative preschool to a cooperative schooling arrangement. This is your chance to share your experiences.

In a future post I will hopefully present from pros and cons I've gleaned from different articles online, etc.