Participation rules

We are an Evangelical Christian homeschooling group, therefore we only accept families who are homeschooling their children and hold the same basic doctrinal beliefs that we do. These guidelines are set to outline expectations of behavior within our group that represent Christian beliefs and provide safety for our children. This Guidelines Form and the Statement of Beliefs Form must be signed and returned to a leader or submitted electronically via our website. We will contact you to arrange a time to meet before we approve your membership. While we understand your desire to post pictures of your family’s journey, please be respectful of other HCH families and do not post any pictures online of others. Please only post pictures of your family.

Dues

Our yearly dues are $25.00 per family to join and are due each August (specific date will be announced by the Board of Directors each year). New members who join in January or later will be charged a prorated fee of $15.00. Fees will not be prorated for late payments from established members. If payment is not received within two weeks of the due date, we will assume you no longer want to keep your membership and will remove you from the group roster. Dues paid are nonrefundable for any reason (we use part of the dues to pay for your family to join the website). Dues are for membership only and cover items such as our website fee, party supplies, and event supplies. There may be additional costs for field trips and other events. The annual dues do not cover any co-op fees. As a 501-c3 organization, membership dues paid to HCH are tax deductible in accordance with IRS Publications 526 and 1771. Questions about HCH finances should be directed to the Treasurer.

Dress Code

At all of our events, we ask that modesty prevail. No mid-riff bearing, tight, or low-cut tops, or fish-net clothing. Shorts and skirts should be fingertip length. During water play, girls should wear a modest one-piece bathing suit or tankini, and boys should wear modest swim trunks. These rules apply to kids, teens, parents, and other family members that are attending events. If in doubt, please don’t wear it!

Teens and Tweens

As the years go by, our kids grow up and become young men and young ladies. Our desire for the group is that it is a safe place for friendships to grow. If you allow your children to date, please be discreet. There is no hand-holding, kissing, sitting off alone together, hugging, etc. at any HCH event, park day, party, etc. As a Christian group, we want our children to have boundaries and encourage each other with purity by actions and not conform to this world. At teen and tween events, a parent must always be present in the area/room, so they can see and hear what is going on.

Field Trip Rules

As we are an example of Christ and an example of homeschooling to those around us, it is imperative that we have well-behaved children and parents on our field trips. Therefore, we have the following rules: • Honor posted deadlines – if you have not signed up and/or paid by the posted deadline, you will not be able to attend the field trip. • If you must cancel your attendance, please try to do so with a minimum 24 hour notice. • Most field trips have a limit on the number of persons attending. If you cancel (less than 24 hrs.) or are a no-show without an emergency reason, you will forfeit the opportunity to attend the next field trip. • No refunds will be given after the deadline date. (If the event requires prepayment.) • If you notice a child who is misbehaving and the parent is not addressing the matter, please notify one of the field trip leaders. They will speak with the parent. If the situation continues, the field trip leaders will notify the Board of Directors who will then discuss the situation further with the parents and child. • Please contact the Field Trip Coordinator if you are interested in suggesting field trips and other events. Once approved, please coordinate any dates with the Field Trip Coordinator or other HCH leaders prior to announcing them. Attendance to events may be reduced if too many outings are planned for the same week.

Birthdays

If it is your desire to include group members in the celebration of your child’s birthday, please do so in one of two ways – either invite the whole group or bring cupcakes (or the like) to the park to share. If your child wants to invite only a few of their special friends, please do so in a discrete manner like through personal calls/texts or email.

Website Guidelines

Our website address is www.homeschool-life.com/nv/hch. Some information on the website is viewable without logging in. Your membership grants you access to log in to view additional information, such as forum discussions and event details on the calendar.

Respectful Speech

Our conversations should be Christ-honoring and edifying. All children, parents, and other participating family members should refrain from foul language, swearing, and gossip. Intentional belittling, name-calling, bullying, sexual references, and threatening are serious offenses and will not be tolerated.

Respectful Behavior and Play

All children are expected to behave in a respectful manner at all times, both to other children and to adults. Just like our speech, our behavior should be Christ-like in all situations. Any type of bullying (emotional / physical / mental / cyber), and physical or sexual aggression will not be tolerated. Excessive rough housing is not permitted (reasonable playing is allowed and encouraged!). Any behavior / action that creates divisiveness, as well as creating another group within our group with the perceived intention of excluding other group members is not permitted.

Disciplinary Actions

When a guidelines infraction has occurred, HCH encourages early parental intervention and expects that parents will discipline their children in an appropriate manner. Also, we are a community of believers and can help remind each other and each other’s children to make positive choices in accordance with the HCH Guidelines. The goal of any HCH disciplinary action is restorative, with hopes of encouraging the recipient to grow closer to God and submit to His will. The following guidelines will help HCH leadership develop a discipline plan. They may be altered to meet the needs of individual circumstances. • When a minor violation occurs, if the person is corrected and the behavior is fixed, no further action is needed. • If the minor violations persist, parents will be notified and a warning will be issued that the guidelines have been violated. • If the minor violations continue, HCH leadership will meet with the parents. The goal of this meeting will be to develop a disciplinary plan to teach the value of the guidelines and encourage compliance and unity. Discipline options include the child having a 1 month suspension from HCH activities and the child needing to stay in close proximity to their parents for a period of time. • Further minor violations could warrant removal from HCH. • For major violations, the Board may take more drastic measures including removing the family from HCH. It is never our desire to remove families from HCH and this is the last course of action. Our goal is to bring unity, forgiveness, and restoration for individuals, families, and the HCH group.

Conflict Resolution between Members

We encourage our members to treat each others the way they would want to be treated, with love, grace, and forgiveness. While we strive for unity and friendship to prevail in member interactions, HCH recognizes that conflicts will occasionally arise. If you or your child have been offended/hurt by another HCH member/child, please take a “Matthew 18” approach when working to resolve the conflict. The first step for conflict resolution should be a meeting where the offended person goes directly to the person who offended them or their child. Having a “formal” meeting ensures that the purpose of the meeting will be clear. Ideally, we hope that when an HCH member is offended by another HCH member, meeting to discuss the offense will have a quick and easy solution and positive change and forgiveness will occur. If, after discussing the offense at a preliminary meeting, a member feels that the conflict has not been resolved, the next step would be to choose one or more objective mediators to assist in hearing both sides. Ideally, a mediator can help both sides voice their concerns, understand each other’s perspective, and come to a peaceful conclusion. Finally, if the member still feels that the conflict/offense has not been resolved, they may ask the HCH Board to get involved. The Board will work to try to help the two parties come to a resolution and decide if disciplinary action is warranted. The goal of the leadership’s involvement is ultimately to try to help each person do their best to follow the Lord and treat other people they way they want to be treated.

General 

Youths are expected to keep phones put away unless absolutely necessary. Generally, parents are expected to bring their own children to events and stay, unless it is a drop-off event. All of our parents have gifts and talents to contribute to the other parents and children. If you feel called to serve the group through teaching a class, leading a Bible study, etc., please contact the board members by emailing hendersonchristianhomeschooler@gmail.com with the details and potential days/dates. After consideration, the activity will be added to the event calendar. Calendar events are for HCH events only. Non-HCH events can be shared by posting a thread in the forums. Sometimes the events posted on our website change or are cancelled without us being able to give a timely notice. Please be aware of this possibility and check the website and your emails before heading out to an event. If you would like to advertise a business owned by an HCH member, please do so on the website under the Business Directory.

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