How to Find a Homeschool Community
One of our absolute favorite parts about homeschooling is our amazing community. From the support and inspiration of homeschoolers around the country to the 18 families in the co-op we created, we have a beautiful community in which to raise our children. Continue reading for some helpful tools, or purchase our Co-Op Pack to give you a step-by-step process to starting your own co-op.
Community can be hard to find, whether from a place of being hurt in the past or just trying to find “your people.” We want to help you find (or create) the perfect homeschool community for you.
Where Do I start?
First, you need to have an idea of what you are looking for. We explain more in a separate post about different homeschool community options like Co-Ops, Micro Schools, or Pods. To help you narrow down your search, you can ask yourself a few questions:
Are you looking for playdates and casual friends?
You might be looking for a meetup or community group
Are you looking for organized events and field trips?
A meetup group or a co-op may meet your needs
Are you looking for cooperative learning opportunities and regular meetings?
You are looking for a “co-op”
Are you looking to work with a small group of families to outsource some educational responsibilities to a credentialed teacher?
You are likely looking for a micro-school or homeschool pod
Your answers to those questions should help point you to the type of community you want. If you just want playdates and casual friendships, no big commitments, then you are probably just looking for a more casual community.
How Do I Find Existing Community?
You will find a lot out there searching “homeschooling” on Facebook, Instagram or Google. While you may get lucky and find what you want, we have a few more specific ideas:
Search for Facebook pages/groups using your location and the keyword “homeschool.” You will find results in your area and then start plugging into the meetups and events for homeschoolers in your area. Some locations have so many homeschool groups that you find ones that also fit your lifestyle or interests!
Check out Home Tribe for easy access to homeschool resources and communities. They even have a convenient app!
Search on Meetup.com for homeschool groups in your area. You will find a range of groups serving different interests and commitment levels.
Finding online homeschooling community groups in your area will help you locate opportunities to join existing groups. Joining an already organized group can be helpful if are new to an area or prefer not being in a leadership role right away.
How Do I Create a Group?
If you’ve searched for groups and can’t find the perfect fit, consider creating your own! It can be hard work, but it’s perfectly doable. In fact, we created our very own casual co-op 5 years ago and are still passionately leading it. Here are 4 steps for you to work toward creating your own homeschool group:
Define what you are looking for in a group - a community, co-op, micro-school, etc. This is a good time to be specific if you are looking to form a religious, nature, gaming, or other group.
Reach out to your personal network or a local, online homeschool community in search of people who want to commit to the same. Don’t worry, we see mamas posting these inquiries often in the Facebook groups we belong to!
Elect a leader or two to ensure organization and communication, which may need to be just you at first. Over time, other leaders may rise up to share the load or even take over.
Plan events! This step is crucial. You have to start planning meetups, gatherings, and events to start building a community.
Even with a great community surrounding you, homeschooling can still feel lonely. We find that having group events on the calendar is fun and rejuvenating! Our Coop Group also sets up regular mom’s nights out to ensure we are investing in our friendships. Our group is such a blessing to us, and we hope that you find the perfect group to fit your needs!