Frequently Asked Questions
Reaching for Excellence
Among Christian Homeschoolers
- Who is REACH Co-op for?
- Who teaches the classes?
- What is the teaching commitment?
- What are the expected meetings?
- What is meant by 'student need'?
- What is the teacher-student ratio at REACH?
- What ages of students does REACH Co-op serve?
- How are the age-ranges grouped for classes?
- When do you begin planning classes for the coming year?
- When do you publish secondary (Int, 6th - 8th and HS, 9th - 12th grade) classes and hold class sign-up requests?
- When do you publish elementary (EE, 1st - 2nd and UE, 3rd - 5th grade) classes & hold class sign-up requests?
- How much will it cost?
- Membership Fees
- Where and When does REACH Co-op meet?
- How does my family join REACH Co-op?
- Does membership roll-over from year to year?
- Should I pay when I apply?
- When is the best time to apply?
- When you are sure ....
- I have a friend who will not have children in the program but is interested in teaching. Can they teach at REACH?
- I have a friend who wants to put her children in REACH, but cannot teach. Is this possible?
- Is there a waiting list and how do we get on it?
1. Who is REACH Co-op for?
Christian homeschooling families who:
- are looking for supplemental help for their own homeschool and
- are willing and able to teach in the co-op where needed and
- will make a year-long teaching commitment to the other families and
- will attend our mandatory meetings for a quality program and
- will agree to all of our policies.
REACH accepts families of all races who:
- homeschool at least 1 ‘school-age’ child,
- agree with:
- -our statement of faith,
- - our teaching commitment,
- - all our other policies and
- that we have room for.
REACH Co-op admits students of cooperating families. Generally, the co-op can only support the number of students that come with each teaching parent. Appropriate student-teacher ratios are important for a quality program.
2. Who teaches the classes?
As we are a cooperative effort of parents, member parents teach the classes.
Parents are placed in the co-op’s area of greatest need. Many of our parents are experts in the areas in which they teach. We do our best to place parents as teachers in their area of education, passion, and ability.
3. What is the teaching commitment?
Each family serves:
- 54 minimum total hours present at REACH. (42 actual teaching hours + 12 on-call hours - this does not count Kick-Off or Close-Out days)
- On-Call requires you to check in with your DCo on your scheduled day and be prepared to stay and serve.
- Planning time for your classes in addition to your 54 service hours
- Every department and every class will require an appropriate amount of planning time depending on:
- the age of your students,
- the nature of your class and
- the length of time you will be with the students.
- Every department and every class will require an appropriate amount of planning time depending on:
Teachers can expect to teach 2 different classes each year, some departmental differences apply. Parents are placed based on student need and to the best of our ability, in their area of education, passion, and liability.
Note: Joining REACH is making a commitment to the other families to teach for the school year.
4. What are the expected meetings?
In order to have a quality program of this size, we need to have parents attend a few meetings during the year to communicate and organize. We have 3 mandatory meetings as follows:
2 Fall Meetings for Preparation
- Fall Semester Teacher / Parent Meeting in early August
- prepare for the Fall Semester
- receive your class roll
- turn in your syllabus
- receive Kick-Off Day instructions
- walk-through Fire Drill
- break-out sessions
- Kick-Off Day for Students & Teachers in mid to late August
- Meet & Greet for teachers & students,
- learn class rules, get your syllabus,
- conduct a silent Fire Drill,
- secondary Student photos &
- Fellowship Lunch
Individual departments may hold a mandatory spring meeting if it is determined to be needed.
Other Possible Meetings
Planning Day in late spring for returning and new teachers / parents.
- finalize your registration & membership
- view prospective curriculum,
- complete a student class need survey,
- learn the teacher expectations for your prospective position and department,
- finalize class needs and
- finalize available teachers for the coming year.
- break-out sessions
Family Fellowship & Service Day
Fellowship combined with giving back to our generous host.
- Morning service & afternoon fellowship for families of younger children,
- Morning fellowship & afternoon service for teens and their families,
- Free Family Lunch Fellowship with Brief, but Important Co-op Announcements,
- Parents will work along side younger children,
- Service Certificates for students on request.
5. What is meant by “student need”?
Generally, a minimum of 5 students are needed for a class to “make”. If your class does not meet the necessary enrollment, it will most likely be “closed” and you will be asked to teach a different class.
6. What is the teacher-student ratio at REACH?
Our general rule is 1 teacher for every 10 students. There are appropriate adjustments made based on the age of the students, type of class offered and common sense. For example, preschool classrooms have 2 teachers at all times. Our preschool student-teacher numbers are much better than 1:10.
7. What ages of students does REACH Co-op serve?
We serve families who are:
- homeschooling their kindergarten through 12th grade children and
- any younger children in their immediate family, birth through pre-k4 and
- willing to cooperatively serve in the co-op.
REACH Co-op admits students of cooperating families. Generally, the co-op can only support the number of students that come with each teaching parent. Appropriate student-teacher ratios are important for a quality program.
8. How are the age-ranges grouped for classes?
We have 5 educational departments grouped as follows:
Secondary
High School serves your children in 9th through 12th grade.
Intermediate serves your children in 6th through 8th grade.
Elementary
Upper Elementary serves your children in 3rd through 5th grade.
Early Elementary serves your children in K through 2nd grade.
Preschool serves siblings from birth through Pre-K4.
All classes within a department are grouped age-appropriately.
9. When do you begin planning classes for the coming year?
We begin planning January - March. If you are interested in a High School or Intermediate level teaching position, apply during this time.
10. When do you publish secondary (Int, 6th - 8th and HS, 9th - 12th grade) classes and hold class sign-ups?
Final Secondary Class Schedules & Descriptions will be published by early June under the appropriate year in the left side bar on the home page.
Secondary Class Sign-ups will be in early to mid June under "Class Registration" with the appropriate year.
11. When do you publish elementary (EE, 1st - 2nd and UE, 3rd - 5th grade) classes & hold class sign-up requests?
Elementary Class Descriptions will be published as soon as possible after July 1st, but no later than August 1st.
Elementary Class Sign-ups will be held for 2 weeks following Descriptions on the member calendar.
12. How much will it cost?
Our program is very low in cost because of the servant hood of our parents.
Family membership divides out to less than $10.00 per Friday, per family, and we are thankful!
Note: Other costs may be applied to classes that require special supplies. (Ex: $25.00- $30.00 annual for a biology lab)
13. Membership Fees:
Consist of a Building Use Fee, a Child Registration Fee and a Administrative Fee.
- Building Use Fee is $85.00 annual per family.
- Registration Fee is $25.00 annual per child, depending on the age of the student.
- Administrative Fee is $25 annual per family.
14. Where and When does REACH Co-op meet?
We meet on Friday mornings, between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm, at University Baptist Church.
Our students meet for 29 weeks during the “school year”.
- The fall semester is 15 days - a Kick-Off Day plus 14 more weeks.
- The spring semester has 14 weeks.
15. How does my family join REACH Co-op?
There is an annual application process for membership in REACH Co-op. Families apply each year online. There is a link in the side bar if you are interested. Click on it and follow the directions.
New members
After your application has been reviewed, a Head Coordinator will contact new applicants
to attend an Information and Interview meeting. If you are accepted to REACH Co-op
you will receive an acceptance email and your membership check will be cashed.
Please remember that joining REACH Co-op is making a commitment to the other families to teach for the year.
16. Does membership roll-over from year to year?
No. There is an annual application process. Applications are reviewed for both
- a teaching position and
- space for all children in the family.
Most of our members are welcomed back, but
- prior commitment level and
- member-standing will also be reviewed and considered.
17. Should I pay when I apply?
Yes, but your check will not be cashed until after acceptance. You may pay it all at once or if you prefer, the first $125.00 with your application and the remainder of your membership by the first day of coop.
Your application is not complete until we receive at least the first $125.00. This $125.00 is the material evidence of your commitment to the other families of REACH to teach for the year and is not refundable after May 1st. We have this policy because planning takes time and we desire to have a quality program for all members.
18. When is the best time to apply?
The best time to apply is when you are sure that you can commit for the coming year. If you are not sure, please wait to apply, trusting that God will provide an opening for your family when the timing is right.
Please remember that joining REACH Co-op is making a commitment to the other families to teach for the year. If you need to break that commitment, you will most likely need to live with that decision for the remainder of that year. Any drop after May 1st is difficult for the co-op to recover from.
19. When you are sure...
When you are sure you are ready to make the commitment, we begin taking applications online beginning in March for returning families, and April for new families.
20. I have a friend who will not have children in the program, but is interested in teaching. Can they teach at REACH?
Occasionally we are blessed with a teacher who is not a parent of current students, willing to give our children their time. We will gladly consider having a teaching-only member. Usually these volunteers are member grandparents.
We would also be honored to consider other highly respected, well-known mature Christian adults to teach our children.
21. I have a friend who wants to put her children in REACH, but cannot teach. Is this possible?
REACH Co-op admits students of cooperating families. Generally the co-op can only support the number of students that come with each teaching parent. Appropriate student-teacher ratios are important for a quality program.
There are many wonderful programs available in the local area that do not require a parental time commitment. Links to these educational classes and support groups are listed in our side bar under Home School Links. Ex: HEP, Selah Arts, Machiara Math, GCCHS
22. Is there a waiting list and how do we get on it?
Yes, there is usually a waiting list for membership in REACH Co-op. The waiting list consists of the applications we have received that are waiting for both a teaching position and openings for all children in the family.
Please apply!
Don't be too discouraged to apply. We are usually able to place many families from the waiting list into the Co-op each year. But you must apply so that we can consider your family when we have an opening.
We look forward to hearing from you!