How to Start a Homeschool Group

The education of children within the home setting, or homeschooling, is becoming increasingly more popular. When my husband and I made the decision to home-school our children back in 1993, there were probably only one tenth the number of homeschooling families. In fact when I was hospitalized with the birth of our fourth child, the nurses kept peeking into my room, saying that they had to see what a home-schooling mom looked like.

When we decided to home-school, we also felt we needed a support network. We weren't so much looking for like-minded people as much as we wanted healthy group dynamics for our children to explore social relationships and for myself to receive and later provide some mentoring and companionship. If you wish to begin a homeschooling community, there are some basic considerations and steps to take.

-Identify within yourself what you are seeking. Do you seek a group with a particular religious affiliation? Do want to 'pow-wow' with other professionals or educators who have chosen to home-school as well? How much, if any, of your child's education do you want this group to fulfill? Is this group centered around a theme or activity? Will this home-school community be your only source of friendships and social interaction for your children? Do you seek a social outlet for your children? For yourself? For example, when my two friends and I began the homeschooling group in our parish, it was because we felt the need for a Catholic homeschooling group in our area. The nearest was too far away to feasibly participate.

-Explore some Internet and community resources to find out if such a group already exists. Instituting a group of any kind requires a great deal of commitment as well as people willing to labor with you. If a group exists that meets your criteria, save yourself the work and give it a try