At HSLDA, we’ve always considered homeschooling a team effort. Joining a community of homeschoolers just makes sense—it delivers access to more resources, provides encouragement and support, and unites families in defense of the right to guide their children’s education.
Although your kids may be happy to just play outside with friends, we encourage parents to also consider connecting with other homeschool families as you homeschool. Here are some benefits of being part of a local group!
1. Building Friendships
While involvement at church, participation in sports, and friendships in your neighborhood are all great for socialization, there is something to be said about kids being able to build friendships with other homeschooled kids—and for homeschooling parents to build friendships with each other!
As one homeschool veteran says: “If I had to do homeschooling over again, I would probably put more emphasis on relationships: relationships with each other within our own family, and then with those outside our family, and foremost our relationship with God. You can never put too much effort into relationships.”
2. Sharing Academic Goals
Homeschool co-ops are a great resource for academics, especially when it comes to advanced classes that require materials and study aids you don’t necessarily have at home. And, learning together can make school more fun!
Some co-ops choose to focus solely on difficult core subjects, such as math and science. Groups like this are a great way for parents to keep their homeschooled students on track for college without having to teach calculus or purchase everything needed for chemistry labs.
Other co-ops include fun extracurricular subjects to build students’ resumes and life skills! Some have done plays and musicals for their students to participate in. One co-op offers cooking classes for all ages (Little Chef, Junior Chef, and Master Chef) to supplement core courses. Other extracurriculars that may be offered include public speaking, debate, sports, music, robotics, chess, coding, web design, SAT prep, and more.
Participating in a co-op can help parents if they feel unqualified to teach a certain subject. They can focus on teaching using their strengths, while knowing their child is receiving quality instruction from another parent who is strong where they are weak. The children also benefit from classroom experience and can build confidence in group settings.
3. Receiving Community Help
Some groups focus less on helping with education and more on supporting educators. For instance, you may need assistance filling out paperwork required by homeschool regulations, choosing curriculum, or finding therapy for a student with special needs. Your local homeschool group is full of homeschool veterans who have been handling your state’s laws for many years, and their wisdom can be beneficial.
With an established homeschool community, families can provide (and receive) practical support, share curriculum with other homeschoolers, and come alongside each other when a helping hand is needed.
4. Attending Special Events
Homeschool groups also enable families to participate in a variety of large group events. When a group has nonprofit status, the number of available opportunities is even greater.
Groups may do activities like homeschool field days, field trips (some examples include a homeschool day at the state fair, trips to candy factories, state/national parks, or the local symphony or performing arts theater), a spelling or geography bee, a science fair, and many other things.
Many state homeschool organizations offer a Day at the Capitol, where families can assemble at their state’s capitol building and engage with legislators, tour the building, and learn about their state’s history. Statewide organizations often host yearly events, like a statewide convention or a fall kickoff to start the school year.
5. Staying Connected
Another advantage of being part of a homeschool group is keeping up with homeschool happenings. Whether it’s legislative updates, events and activities, or prayer requests from other homeschoolers, groups enable families to keep in touch with what is important.
So, how do you find groups like these?
A good place to start is HSLDA’s group search feature to help you locate homeschool groups in your area. We also have a reference list of all the statewide groups to help you connect to your state's homeschool organizations. (HSLDA strongly encourages you to join them, too!).
You can also check your local library or community center to see if any groups meet there.
Each group has its own way to join, and local leadership can guide you on the specifics of joining their organization. Requirements can range from an application and personal interview to simply joining a Facebook group.
But what if your area doesn’t have the support or group you’re looking for? You can check out our Starting a Group page in case you want to consider starting a group of your own!
And remember—we’re all in this together!