The new school year is fast approaching, with the latest guidance for schools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remaining unchanged since April. Many parents are waiting on news and updates from their states, counties, and school districts before they choose between homeschooling or returning to schools either via distance learning, reopened classes, or some combination thereof.
While some families are comfortable with (or must do so due to work and other circumstances) sending their kids back with social distancing and hygiene measures, others are not.
For the families considering keeping their kids at home, some are considering homeschooling in the form of a microschool, pandemic pod, or school co-op. Microschools and pandemic pods resemble the one-room classrooms of old and focus more on the individual learner to pursue their own interests. Homeschool co-ops are a collective of families who want to homeschool with each other, with parents teaching or hiring a teacher for all their kids.
Ivan Kerbel is planning to set up a microschool – he calls them "nano schools“ — for his kids. "If you think of the coronavirus as a natural disaster, like a tsunami that has swept over the land, it’s actually left a lot of things intact. The only rule is, you can’t bring a lot of people together in one enclosed space," Kerbel told The New York Times. "The teachers are by and large available, the content and the curriculum weren’t destroyed,” so the Seattle dad thinks kids can still go to school, in smaller groups and in a different environment.
If you're considering a microschool, pandemic pod, or a homeschool co-op for the upcoming school year, here are some things to consider.
What are microschools and homeschool co-ops?
How to start homeschooling in a microschool or co-op
First, check your state or territory’s homeschooling requirements and laws for withdrawing from public school (if needed), filing and maintaining a private school affidavit (PSA), affiliating with a charter school, testing, mandatory subjects, and resources.
When forming a microschool, pandemic pod, or co-op, you'll need to check to see if you need additional insurance or other legal protections, such as establishing a corporation and other issues pertaining to the other families you're considering teaming up with.
Next, decide whether you want to partner with other parents, hire private tutors and teachers, or if you want to delegate some classes to online sources like Outschool and Khan Academy. For questions about curriculum or other resources, consider joining local and homeschooling groups.
You can find other families and teachers to team up with in the following places:
- Your child's previous school and class
- Local friends and family
- Local homeschooling, microschooling, or home-based pod groups on Facebook
- Online services that match families with professional teachers and tutors (e.g., Selected for Families, Schoolhouse)
Remember, too, that you can always change your mind. Nothing is ever set in stone, and it’s OK to make mistakes. Don’t forget: Educating our children is lifelong work — and much of it is outside a classroom.
