FAQs
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A letter from our Director: |
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The Free-Range was formed out of a need for a quality secular homeschool co-op in the Jacksonville area that is open and accepting to all. We do not discriminate based on race, religion (or lack of), gender, sexual orientation, educational philosophy, political views, etc. We ask that political opinions and religious beliefs be kept as personal and private to your family. We also ask that you are open and accepting of others whose opinions and beliefs may be different than your own as we are a wonderfully diverse group. We meet most Tuesdays at the Lake Shore United Methodist Church on Blanding Boulevard. Our year is divided into two semesters. Semester 1 (Fall) runs August through December and Semester 2 (Spring) runs January through May. Each semester offers 10-12 weeks of classes. Additional Tuesdays are filled with optional field trips and parties scattered throughout the year. Some classes run year long and others run a single semester. Our day begins with a welcome gathering at 9:45 with our first class session beginning at 10:00 and our last class ending at 3:00. Families are not required to stay all day and may come for part or half of the day. Our annual family membership fee is $150. All families are required to volunteer in some way. Volunteer positions include teacher, co-teacher, assistant, toddler area, baby snuggler, committee member, coordinator, and any other way your family is able to make a voluntary contribution to the co-op. We are a community where everyone pitches in for the betterment of our community and our children. Our fees are kept minimal and cover facility rental and basic operating expenses. Without each family contributing this would not be possible. All of our classes have a $5-$7 class fee per semester. Many of our classes have no additional fee while some classes have a minimal material fee or require the additional purchase of materials. We welcome all educational philosophies. Some of our classes are structured and others are not so structured. We also have a Free-Range Room (FRR) available for children that aren’t taking a class during a session. Baby snugglers are available in the Nursery to care for infants while parents fulfill volunteer obligations. If you wish to join our community, please email frlcboard@gmail.com and we will start the application process with you! The process includes the website application, additional online application, and a meet and greet. Once approved, you will be able to register your family and pay the membership fee. Then, you will be able to register your children for classes when registration begins. A volunteer coordinator will contact you to discuss volunteer opportunities if you haven’t already made a commitment. Volunteer commitments can be for one or two semesters. We simply ask that you honor your commitment. Compared to some other co-ops, we may seem to have a relaxed or laid-back attitude. We do not feel the need for rigorous institutionalized learning, although we do offer some traditionally structured classes. Age ranges or grade levels are approximate and left up to the parent. It is the parents’ responsibility to make sure their child is a good fit for the class. Children learn at different rates so we do not attempt to put all of them in the same box. We do ask that you are respectful of the other children in the class when placing a child outside of the suggested age as maturity levels are just as important as a child’s knowledge and physical levels. Thank you for your interest in our learning community! Elizabeth D'Angelo |