Support Group Management: Starting & Running a Support Group
Learn how to start and manage a homeschool support group, including how to stay organized, how to handle conflict, and ideas for your support group.
Starting & Running a Homeschool Support Group
Forming a Homeschool Support Group
This webpage has a list of articles detailing many of the issues and ideas surrounding starting a homeschool support group. You'll find discussions of everything from why you should form a support group, to choosing a leader, to delegating and handling tough situations.
Why and How to Get Connected
In this day and age, homeschoolers represent a market. There are many businesses catering to homeschoolers' needs--or perceived needs. When first starting out it can be especially tempting to sign up for a multitude of classes or experiences that are being sold to you, rather than putting your energy into a grassroots network such as a local homeschool support group. Before you know it, your days are filled with activity and you don't look back.
The intangibles you'd be missing out on--real connection with other homeschoolers and personal empowerment--might be some of the best kept secrets of homeschooling, as well as what would sustain you on this path in the end. This article includes some examples and ideas of rituals and social events you can organize.
Creating African-American Home School Support Groups
In order for home schooling to be successful in the African-American community, it is imperative that local and state support groups and organizations be formed. There are several ways that African-American homeschoolers can reach out and create support groups either on the local or state level. This article gives tips and ideas for starting a homeschool support group.
The Leader's Manual: A Guide For Christian Home School Support Groups
This practical guide to starting and leading a support group covers such topics as how to start a support group, how to structure your leadership team, practical tips on managing a support group, ideas for support group meetings, what to do when your group gets too large, how to prevent leader burnout, and much more. You'll also find over 25 reproducible, ready-to-use forms for use in many organized activities, check-off lists for seminars and field trips, time-tables for planning support group activities, certificates, testing enrollment form, and much more.
Homeschool CPA
As more parents choose to homeschool, homeschool support groups and co-ops find that they are no longer the small group of moms they were when they started. Perhaps your homeschool organization is growing and you need help. You may be wondering how to manage a larger group or how to establish a budget for your group, or even becoming a formally recognized nonprofit. Do you know what 501c3 means and is your group ready? Here you’ll find helpful articles on the steps to take, answers to your questions and products and links to guide you. This website was created by a homeschooling mother and Certified Public Accountant, specializing in not-for-profit management and accounting.
Home education support groups
There are many home educators' support groups around the world, particularly in the USA and UK. These can be a good way of getting to know other families, finding out about local regulations or facilities, and for your children to mix with others of different background. This article discusses reasons for wanting a support group, how to start a home education support group, and possible group activities.
The Social Connection--Making a Support Group Work in Your Community
This article is the transcript of a talk given to the National LDS Homeschooling Organization convention in 2001. Diane Hopkins tells how she started a homeschool support group and the strategies she used to make it a success.
Starting a New Support Group
One of the most persistent criticisms of homeschooling is that the children will have no social life. Though homeschooling parents may know better, many parents are more secure knowing a number of other homeschoolers in their area so children can get together with other kids who are being homeschooled. You may find, however, that there is no group in your area. As you (and any interested parents you may know) consider forming a group, you may want to consider some questions first.
Web Presence for African-American Homeschoolers
Creating a web presence of African-American home school support groups will do much to organize and network families across the country and internationally. This article the basics for creating a personal home schooling website or site for a home school support group or organization.
Field Trip Guidelines for Homeschool Groups
This letter can be used to establish an understanding about homeschool groups when you organize a field trip.
Support for Homeschool Group Leaders
Roots and Shoot Homeschool Leaders
This listserv is for Roots and Shoots leaders who lead a homeschool or community group. Here you can share ideas on projects, service activities, fundraising, and general topics about your group.
Homeschool Editors
Homeschool Editors, an email list sponsored by NHEN, was created for editors and publishers of homeschooling newsletters, magazines, e-zines and journals. Whether your homeschooling publication is large or small, you're welcome to join this group. Discussions cover the dilemmas faced and discoveries made trying to bring information to the homeschooling community.
LDS Homeschool Leaders
LDS Homeschool Leaders is the official email support group for LDS homeschool support group leaders across the nation and beyond, sponsored by the National LDS Homeschool Association. All LDS homeschool support leaders are encouraged to join as well as those planning to start a group soon. This list provides an opportunity to share information about your group, discuss leadership problems, and find support.
HSGLS - Homeschool Group Leader Support
This group is for homeschool support group leaders to discuss the challenges of organizing, running, and leading their local, national, or international homeschool support groups, and to share ideas and information about facilitating homeschool support groups. HSGLS is open to all homeschool group leaders.
The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Nation Leadership Group
The TOS Homeschool Nation Leadership Group is sponsored by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and links together state coordinators of Homeschool Nation and those in homeschool leadership from the US and around the world. This list is geared for sharing news, information, exchanging ideas, networking together, and offering encouragement from leader to leader. Welcome to join are leaders within national or regional homeschool organizations, leaders of support groups or co-ops, board members, or those who serve the homeschooling community as authors, speakers, or conference organizers.
Christian Homeschool Leadership
The purpose of this group is to form an information and support network for fellow spirit-filled Christian leaders. This is a place for fellowship, comfort, support, assistance, encouragement, ideas, brainstorming and resources. Here, you can share in the joys and trials of being a support group leader, exchange timely world news affecting Christian families, share resources to bring back to local groups, assist one another in developing goals for individual support groups and so much more. Christian Home School Leadership is for Christians involved with local and state wide support groups in any leadership capacity. Those wishing to join this group should already be active and involved in a home school group. Leadership, for this list, includes both those who are appointed or elected to a position (such as board member, newsletter editor, co-op leader)as well as leaders of more informal groups.
Homeschool Leaders Support
This is a group for those who lead homeschool support groups, co-ops, or other groups for homeschool families to connect and talk about their common (or unique) issues and challenges of organizing, managing, leading, and growing groups are organized for homeschool families.
NHEN-NewSG
This list is for those people seeking to start homeschool support groups in their area. The list hopes to provide encouragement, advice, and support to those working hard to foster connections between homeschoolers via support networks.
Leader Support
This is a support list for all homeschool group leaders, regardless of religious beliefs or homeschooling philosophies. Here you can give or receive input, ideas, and support from other homeschool leaders.
CMmamas - Leader support group
A support group for homeschool group Leaders, with the Charlotte Mason literature-based homeschool method as a primary focus. Leaders of other types of homeschool or parent's groups may participate. Topics include group organization, problems, setting up studies and discussions, activities, speakers, conventions and conferences, books, email and websites.
Tools for Homeschool Support Group Leaders
Field Trip Planning Form
Helpful form for getting organized when planning field trips. Free and printable.
Calendars Net
Free online web calendar hosting. Calendars Net is designed for webmasters who want to integrate interactive calendars with their websites. Use this online calendar to make organizing your support group functions a snap.
Field Trip Report Form
This handy printable form lets your child record a written record of your field trip visit.
Featured Resources
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Don't Waste Your Time Homeschooling: 72 Things I Wish I'd Known
Traci Matt, a veteran homeschool mom helps you make the most of your homeschooling efforts. She takes a look back at 20 years of successes and challenges, offering tested strategies to assist you on your home education journey. This book will help you learn ways to keep a peaceful home, stay out of the isolation trap, practice self-care, learn how to live with teens, and respond to the questions of others.
Life in America
Life in America was designed by home schooling parents to meet the needs of families. Features unit studies in a box, with all resource material supplied.
Organizing Plain and Simple: A Ready Reference Guide With Hundreds Of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges
Desk drowning in papers? No room for the car in the garage? Santa still sitting on the roof in May? A less-is-more philosophy is great, but we all still have way too much stuff. The home office swallows up whole rooms, as does the family computer station. Then there's the home gym, the TV room, and the playroom, not to mention our collections - books, CDs, toys. Time management experts agree that when the minor things that take up space in the mind are eliminated, there is room to think about th...
How to Drive: Real World Instruction and Advice from Hollywood's Top Driver
Want your child to be the best--and safest--driver possible? This book is for you! Ben Collins is a professional driver and is a former Top Gear Stig driver. He offers strategies for increasing control and safety and to encourage fun and efficient driving for all skill levels.
The Absorbent Mind
In response to the crisis in American education, more than five thousand public and private schools across the nation have adopted the timeless Montessori Method of teaching, of which this book is the cornerstone. Written by the women whose name is synonymous worldwide with child development theory, The Absorbent Mind takes its title from the phrase that the inspired Italian doctor coined to characterize the child's most crucial developmental stage: the first six years.A new foreword by John Cha...