by Katie Redding, July 26, 2022
A friend and I created this non-profit, alternative education group 4 years ago and it is very different from most of the other groups in the area. We have space for a few new families this fall, and I wanted to share some information with you about who we are.
-------------------------
We are a non-sectarian, 501(c)3 non-profit, alternative education group that meets in Elgin, IL and the surrounding areas.
Non-sectarian: We are not a religious group, and we are not an atheist group. Our members come from all backgrounds. Our group includes members of varying religious, racial, political and socio-economic backgrounds, etc. Kindness and respect for others is expected.
501(c)3 non-profit: We are a public charity group, meaning our funds come from public support and membership fees. Our organization is run by a board of at least 3 officers who are 100% volunteer and cannot receive financial remuneration from the group in any way.
Alternative Education: We align with self-directed learning. Students are not forced to participate in activities and we do not have a mandated class schedule. Parents work with their children to support their learning. See “How Children Learn” by John Holt, “Free to Learn” by Peter Gray, “Changing Our Minds” by Naomi Fisher, “Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School” by Blake Boles, etc.
At Co-Op: You must be comfortable letting your students choose what to do all day at co-op. Even when it appears that students are “doing nothing” or “just hanging out”, they are learning valuable life skills such as independence, decision making, being responsible, teamwork and emotional intelligence (EQ). These are all skills that are valuable in daily life and the workplace. If interpersonal issues come up at co-op, your students need to be able to talk about it with the other students and the help of mediation via the student judiciary committee (JC). Parents may need to help younger students with this process as they grow in maturity.
Co-op Mission:
To create a community of Self-Directed Learners.
Implement processes that enable the students to take ownership of the co-op.
Maintain an environment where students are able to easily access supplies, resources and assistance if needed.
We primarily meet on Tuesdays, but we do plan activities on other days of the week as well. Over the past two years we have added many day trips plus several family camping trips during warmer weather. While many of the activities are planned by the leadership, all members are able to plan activities and set them up in our private Facebook group. The students set up their own discord server for socializing outside of in-person activities.
Community is important: And to that end, it takes time to develop friendships. When students and parents meet regularly, they are able to develop deeper relationships. As students age, they become more interested in “who is going to be there” than “what the activity is”. Having a base group of students that know each other well, enriches the activities that we engage in. Keeping the group small and active helps this a lot.
Membership Levels:
SILVER Membership (annual): This level provides access to all of our outdoor activities and meetups such as Park Days, Nature Preserves, and Field Trips. Events will be posted on our website (with general info) and in our private FB group (with location for members only) and members can rsvp accordingly. This option is low cost and helps cover the cost of our group insurance and operating costs. Some field trips may have separate fees and will be listed on the event page. Some of these events occur on days of the week other than Tuesday. The annual cost of Silver Membership is $20 per family. Children 3 years old and under are not covered by our group insurance and the attending parent needs to be responsible for them at all times.
GOLD Membership (billed per semester) :This level covers participation in our indoor co-op space and everything that Silver Level covers. We meet in downtown Elgin at First United Methodist Church. The cost for this option is higher because we rent space from the church. We currently have access to our own wing of classrooms. We have 6 rooms the students can use freely plus a parent room. On the main floor we have access to a lunch area, preschool room and children’s library. We have a lot of resources the students can use such as art supplies, games, books, Legos, some musical instruments, and toys. Students can move about and use the space and resources as they see fit in a responsible way. They need to pick up after themselves. Parents and students can arrange workshops or activities in advance for other members to sign up for. Parents are not required to teach, but this is a co-operative effort, so if there is something you want to see at the co-op, you can make it happen. We do not have a class schedule. We all help do a final clean-up at the end of the day. This does not usually require a big effort since we encourage the students to pick up after themselves as they go through the day. We do not currently have any food restrictions in place.
If you are interested in joining us for the 2022/2023 school year, please fill out the pre-admission form on our website www.fvfl.org. Someone will get back to you and let you know what some upcoming events are. Once you have attended an event, been approved to join, signed waivers and paid, we can add you to our Private (& hidden) FB group where we post our detailed event descriptions. Until that time, we will email event details to you as each event approaches.