Military families who homeschool face unique challenges: frequent moves, deployments, disrupted support networks, and the stress of military life. Homeschool co-ops can play a pivotal role in helping these families not just survive but thrive. As civilian leaders, your intentional efforts can give them a place to belong through hospitality, flexibility, and understanding.
1. Understand the unique challenges of military homeschoolers
Begin with empathy and a desire to understand. Every two to three years, many military homeschoolers move to a new duty station, where they rebuild their community and face significant logistical challenges. Assist your leadership team to align their expectations with these realities.
The specific educational and homeschooling-related challenges that military families deal with include:
- Transitioning between the laws and homeschool regulations in different states
- Reestablishing friendships and academic support after moving to a new location
- Managing their kids’ education when a parent is absent for deployments or long trainings
2. Prioritize welcoming and inclusive practices
Military homeschoolers often enter new co-ops and support groups fully aware that they might be outsiders. Be careful to intentionally welcome them into your spaces. Some suggestions:
- Assign a “welcome mentor” to each new family, ideally another military homeschooler.
- Host informal gatherings like park days designed to help military families get connected before co-op classes begin.
- Include military families in leadership positions when possible. This helps them feel they belong, even if they will likely relocate within a few years.
3. Build flexibility into policies
Military life is unpredictable. Orders change. Deployments happen. Policies that allow flexibility demonstrate compassion:
- Consider allowing fees to be waived if a family receives orders midyear and needs to leave the co-op.
- Allow remote participation in classes (where feasible) during transitions.
- Permit rolling admission for newly arrived military families.
4. Encourage peer relationships for military kids
Military children constantly adapt to new relationships. The process of finding new friends can be draining and a bit intimidating. Ensure your co-op is a safe place for them to establish new friends. Here are a couple strategies to try:
- Model welcoming military families in so the children see how it should be done.
- Organize clubs and field trips that allow for informal connections.
5. Offer spiritual and emotional support
Military homeschooling life can be stressful. It often involves periods of single parenting, finding new community, and deployments—all of which take an emotional toll. Ways to minister well include:
- Check in with the families to ensure they are OK.
- Openly recognize deployment seasons, offering meals, childcare help, and prayer.
Key takeaway: Welcome sojourners
Military families are sojourners. Co-ops located near military communities have an amazing opportunity to offer stability and welcome to families living an uncertain and unpredictable life. Through policies and practices that are flexible, warm, and full of care, you can help ensure every military homeschooling family in your co-op feels understood and at home.