General Information
2025-26
Place and Time
- Freedom Church, 2797 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308
- Tuesdays 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
- Meet outside under the breezeway on the north side of the church
- August 26–information meeting
- September 9, 2025—First regular meeting of the school year
Primary Goals
- Provide a positive atmosphere for families to make friends and build relationships
- Supplement at-home education with engaging group learning that can be useful to any family using any curriculum at home
Our Values
- Our founding families are Christians from varying backgrounds with the same desires to honor God and teach our kids well. We respect each other’s different opinions and beliefs. We don’t get offended easily. We never require participants to be Christian, but we feel free to speak about our faith in the group.
- We try to be a group that is friendly to special needs. We understand that some have different abilities or learn on different timetables, and we try to be flexible and maintain a positive, friendly, respectful atmosphere. Please let us know in advance if your child has special needs of which we should be aware.
- We all help lead/teach/assist the co-op in some way. This is not a drop-off group.
- We respect our facility, which has been offered to us at no cost, by treating it gently and cleaning up after ourselves.
- We try to keep costs for families low. Families will sometimes be expected to share the costs associated with running the co-op, like lesson supplies.
- We like to start most weeks with playtime or “hang out” time with friends, because building relationships is one of our primary goals. We are a relaxed, laid-back group, but we also make sure that the education happens!
- We try to remain vigilant about making sure our kids are behaving well and being kind. Bullying, violence, harassment, or insults are not tolerated.
- We understand that all families have different scheduling, social, and educational needs. If you try out our co-op and decide it’s not for you, that’s okay!
Who Can Join?
- Anyone who is willing to respect the values of the group
- Children of any age, from babies to high school
- Moms, dads, grandparents, or guardians of children
- We accept new members any time throughout the year, and families can come “try us out” at any time with no obligation to return
- We do not currently have a cap on how many people can attend, so we always have openings.
What is the Cost?
- We ask for a $25 contribution per family, per semester. We use this to purchase supplies and teaching materials for the group.
- Families who can’t afford the $25 can be sponsored privately by another family; just send an email and let us know.
- Funds are kept in a dedicated PayPal account, and members have access to a shared Google document for accountability.
- Leftover funds at the end of the year can be used to help fund field trips for families in need or can be given as a donation to Freedom Church in appreciation for the use of the building.
Schedule
10:00-11:00— Arrive and have activity time with some yard games, toys, or board games
11:00-12:00— Divide into groups for class time
Education
- For the upcoming school year, our Littles and Elementary groups will be doing hands-on science activities. Our Middle School/High School group will be reading and discussing Shakespeare as a group…with a little informal acting for those who enjoy it!
- We divide into three groups for our educational hour:
- PreK/K/1st Grade
- 2nd-5th Grades
- Middle/High School
- Each group is taught by a parent teacher and an assistant, and other parents are expected to assist as needed. Parents sign up to teach or assist.
Middle/High school kids will be asked not to use phones/devices during class unless they are using them to access class material. - We have a “Snack and Share” day at the end of most months when kids can bring food to share and show/tell/present something for the group.
Special Events
- October 28- Fall Party
- December 9- Christmas party and cookie exchange (no more December meetings after this date)
- January 6- Resume meeting after break
- February 10- Valentine’s Day party with cards and treats
- March 17- No meeting (spring break)
- Month of May- Field trips and park days
Communication
- Our Facebook Messenger group is our primary means of discussion. If you would like to be added to the group, let us know.
- We try to send emails for important announcements.
- We will be using Sign Up Genius to schedule teachers.
- Please make sure we have all your contact information if you would like to join us.
- Contact: friendsandscholars@gmail.com