I use the term “homeschooling” because it is the most familiar term for education outside of schools. In reality, homeschooling ranges from school-at-home, in which parents play the role of the teacher, to unschooling [link to http://www.unschooling.com/] or self-directed learning, in which learners control their own learning, and parents or other adults may act as advisors or facilitators. Democratic homeschool support groups are common, and some become or form co-operatives. These co-ops may be formed to create a formal learning situation, or they may provide support and a variety of co-operative activities for homeschooling families. There do not yet seem to be co-operatives formed by the homeschoolers themselves.

The information on individual co-ops comes from their web sites. I included it in order to give readers a sense of the way homeschooling co-operatives can be run, but the schools were chosen because they have web pages, not because they are necessarily representative of homeschool co-operatives around the world.

Co-operatives

Sancta Familia Home Education Co-operative
Melbourne, Australia
http://www.sanctafamilia.com/hscoop.html

Sancta Familia Home Education Co-operative is a co-operative that offers classes to homeschooling children. Parents can either volunteer or be paid as teachers. As the name indicates, the co-operative has a religious orientation. Co-op dues are $5 (US) per month.

C:HOICE
London, Ontario, Canada
http://members.rogers.com/c-hoice/

C:HOICE (Co-operative: Home Options in Childhood Education) provides support for homeschooling parents and children. It has a playgroup for young children, and organises field trips, celebrations, projects and activities for older children.

Eastside Explorers
Phoenix, Arizona, US
http://www.eastsideexplorers.org/

Eastside Explorers is a homeschool co-op that supports approximately 200 families (over 500 children) in northeastern Phoenix. It provides networking opportunities for parents, homeschooling information, and activities for children within a Judeo-Christian framework. It has a board of directors made up of parents.

Believers’ Home Education Co-operative
Metuchen, New Jersey, US
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~au/bhec.htm

Believers’ Home Education Co-operative also provides support for parents and activities for their children. The co-op is open to anyone, but those who wish to teach must agree to the principles in the Apostle’s Creed. Parents are encouraged to help plan field trips, set up meetings, teach classes, and attend the monthly members’ meeting.

Medina County Homeschool Co-op
Medina County, Ohio, US
http://users3.ev1.net/~coppermck/

Medina County Homeschool Co-op is a Christian teaching co-op that was developed through the Medina County homeschool Association. Parents must either teach or assist in a class.

Wasach Home Educator’s Network
Utah County, Utah, US
http://www.geocities.com/whenweb/

WHEN provides support for homeschooling parents and activities for their children. All member parents must serve on a committee.

Resources

A Simple Approach to Organizing a Learning Co-op
http://www.creatinglearningcommunities.org/book/additional/lushin.htm

An article on starting an unincorporated co-operative “group focused on autonomous learning, dedicated to alternative social values, and run by and for participating individuals or families.”

Homeschool Co-operatives and Support Groups http://homepages.tesco.net/~littlebears/co-op.htm

An article on some of the benefits and problems associated with homeschool co-ops.

How Does Your Co-op Grow?
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/Oct01coop.html

One mother’s story of setting up a Christian, co-operative, one-day-a-week school for homeschooling children.

Starting a Homeschool Co-op Overseas
http://www.educatingourkids.org/Advice_Small_Cooperative_Overseas.htm

Information for expatriates on starting homeschool co-op, and an example of a small homeschooling co-operative in Mongolia.

Is Homeschooling Relevant?
http://temporarysanity.org/archives/000016.shtml

While this article is not specifically about homeschooling co-ops, it incidentally shows the important role they can play in homeschoolers’ lives.