Guest Author - Meg Grooms

There are many reasons why parents choose to form their own homeschooling support group. In many cases, the parents simply have trouble finding a group that meets their needs or that they feel comfortable in. Whatever the reason, there are some very important items to consider before announcing your new group to the public.

What’s in a name? Everything! A name can specify your location, your purpose, and your values. Consider the following names: Christian Home Educators of Devon County, East Devon Homeschool Cooperative & Devon County Alternative Educators. Think of the connotations associated with each name. Many groups use the word inclusive in their name, however I caution against its use. Too often inclusive is interpreted as “we will bend over backwards to make sure your family fits“. One group cannot possibly fill the needs of every family.

Identify your needs and tailor the group to meet them. After all, if your family has one particular need chances are other families do too! Determine group policies. Will you be religiously affiliated? Will you be sectarian? Will you accept kids of a certain age only? How many families will you accept? Will younger siblings be allowed to attend events?

Determine what activities your group will provide, when they will be provided, where they will be held and if you will need volunteers. On occasion finding volunteers can be a bit like pulling teeth, so be patient and firm. This is a good time to establish your field trip policies, behavior rules, and a dress code. Create a mission statement and print up an information packet to hand out to all members.

Advertise your group once all the above considerations have been made. Sometimes a flyer in a library is all you will need. Consider placing ads online, in the paper and in church bulletins. Hang flyers where homeschoolers are likely to hang out.

Make it a priority to stay in contact with your members, every single one. Popular methods of communication are newsletters (some groups charge a small fee to cover printing costs), email, and phone trees. Don’t depend upon word-of-mouth, people often forget things if they don’t have them in writing.

Be prepared to deal with the unexpected! As a support group leader you can expect a lot of phone calls, so determine how you will handle them. Be prepared for the following conversations:
-reporters asking to interview you and your family
-people assuming you run a private school that provides a full curriculum
-students who no longer want to attend school but their parents won’t allow them to drop out
-parents who have had a child kicked out of school asking you to homeschool their child (it may seem extreme but I have had this conversation more than once!)
-parents who have no intention of homeschooling looking for a playgroup
-arguments among group members - They will happen and leaders can’t afford to take sides.

Remember that you can’t please everyone all the time. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, it’s incredibly hard to make thirteen clocks chime at the same time. The best you can do is provide an array of activities at varied times and places, and encourage members to attend what is convenient for them.

Lastly, keep a notebook handy to take to meetings and document phone calls. Perspective members won’t respect you if you cannot recall their name. Keeping all of these points in mind will help ensure a smooth-sailing support group!