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PATCH is a collective group of homeschooling families that meet once a week. We offer education enrichment classes from 10:45am to 2:30pm taught by parent volunteers. On class days we have occasional potlucks, dress-up days, celebrations and showcases. We also offer monthly field trips and periodic parent nights out!

PATCH classes rotate each semester and are chosen based on requests and ideas from families.  They often include classes with a focus in science, art, performing arts, cooking, life skills, and more!  

The PATCH community is what keeps so many families coming back.  We work hard to make sure families are welcome, seen and supported.  Kids will find friendships, learn skills, get to participate in a classroom environemnt, enjoy recess and field trips and many say that PATCH Tuesdays are their favorite day of the school week.  Parents that participate gain friendships, support and a judgement-free space to connect in.

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Before enrolling, please be aware of the responsibility of volunteering as part of your membership. Parents are required to partcipiate in, at minimum, two class hours during co-op day, including the possibility of teaching for one. The second hour of participation varies from class helper, serving on the board or other area as needed that semester, as determined the the board.  For any questions about participation, you can email patch.coop@gmail.com.

You can request membership through this website by selecting the "Join" tab at the top of the page and submitting it for review.  We keep all new family requests on hand until open enrollment begins.  You can view our website calendar to see the next open enrollment period.  You will receive notification during that time when your request for enrollment is approved and from there will be able to join our Facebook group to get notifications on events and PATCH planning details.  Class registration typically follows a week or two after open enrollment.

If you want to see what a PATCH day looks like, consider visiting one of our open houses.  We offer 2-3 per session.  Email us to find out the next date and sign up or if you have questions at any point during enrollment!

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You must have at least one school age child that is age 5 by Sept 1st. Preschool classes for students aged 3-5 years old are for younger siblings of active participating school-age children only.

We do not offer a nursery at this time.

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PATCH charges fees for each session.  We have a Fall session running from September-December and a Spring session running from January-April.  Each session is 12 weeks long.  

Each session costs a family registration fee of $100, insurance fees of $8 per person in your family and class fees.  Class fees vary based on the classes you select for your children and range anywhere from $5-30 per class.

The class fee covers supplies needed in that class for the duration of the semester.  Classes that require more supplies, such as baking, art or makerspace classes, will have a higher class fee as a result. For an idea of what classes we offer as well as associated fees, please see the classes page on our website.  Insurance fees are per person in your family.  For example, if your family is 1 adult and 2 children participating at PATCH, the insurance fee for your family would be $24.

Registration for Fall semester typically occurs in the preceeding July and registration for Spring semester typically occurs in the preceeding November.  Class sign-up occurs a few weeks after registration, once we have a head count of participating students.  To assist your family with planning, please note that the registration fee ($100) is due within 72 hours of your family's acceptance to the next semester.  Class fees and insurance ($varies) are due within 72 hours of class selection.  Special arrangements due to exceptional life circumstances should be arranged and agreed upon prior to the start of the semester by emailing the board at patch.coop@gmail.com.

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We require every parent to volunteer in at least two positions in addition to helping with chores to clean up the facility after a busy co-op day. These voluneer roles may including being a class teacher, class helper, admin, or other on-site position that you may be assigned to. This is a parent-led co-op and volunteering is required for PATCH to function and keep costs low.  

On a typical PATCH day when most families are in attendence, this often looks like teaching one class, helping in another, taking a few minutes to tidy a space and then having the final classroom hour free.  All parents should anticipate needing to teach a class each semester.  New families may be paired with a co-teacher the first semester or assigned another space, but this is not always a guarantee.

Here at PATCH we embrace the adage that "many hands make light work" and support each other and our kids by stepping up!

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PATCH is 100% parent led and relies on everyone managing their roles to keep co-op day running smoothly for the kids.  While we understand the occasional day of sickness or family emergency, chronic absences are felt deeply and the vacated volunteer roles are shouldered by the remaining families that are already assigned and actively working other roles.  There are also classes that have teamwork and skill building built-in each week that affect the other students negatively when absences become routine.  The PATCH student play is one example of this.

If your family is unable to commit to 75% or more attendence during a semester due to other committments or life circumstances, we ask that you defer your registration until a semester when life will allow you to attend regularly.  

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No.  This is not a drop-off program and parents are required to be in the building for the entirety of co-op day.  Our insurance requires a parent/legal guardian on site and in the facility at all time.

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Yes!  We try to offer an optional field trip each month during the semester.  Field trip costs vary based on what has been arranged by the field trip coordinator and are at your family's discretion to attend.  We also offer periodic parent nights out, park days between semesters and camping trips.

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On occasion we add questions or find there is missing information that the administration needs to better serve the members. If we add a question we set the system to force you to update your profile so we can have the most up to date information in offering classes, field trips and social events. 

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PATCH meets on Tuesdays from 10:45-2:30pm. Our current location is in Tacoma about a mile east of the Tacoma Mall. We do not publish our exact meeting site for safety and security reasons. 

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No, PATCH is an all inclusive group.  

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We are an inclusive Co-op and respect and celebrate all of our kids! We will honor whatever name, pronouns, or identity you or your child prefer.

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PATCH does not use any specified curriculum. Our classes are thought up, organized and planned by the volunteering parents and based on the interests of the children and parents. The volunteers can utilize many resources in their classes. There is no curriculum or standard achievement measurement used or given for the volunteers. These classes are meant to enhance and enrich homeschool education, not replace it. Each class is approved by the PATCH board but curriculum is not specifically reviewed. It is the parents job to inquire with the teacher volunteer for information on class resources being used. 

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Refund Policy, In an effort to keep costs down we only charge fees that are directly related to our costs and therefore we do not offer refunds. 

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Fees at PATCH are collected before the start of the semester because we are required to pay costs associated with running the co-op in advance, including our website fees, insurance and facility rental fees.  As such, we can not offer refunds if classes are cancelled for events outside of our control including, but not limited to inclement weather, sickness, city or building emergencies, building closures or other events that may affect us but are not managed by us.

If an emergency does aries, while not a guarantee, the board does make effort to reasonably offer an alternative option for meeting day, depending upon the circumstances.  If one can not be found then co-op day is cancelled.

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PATCH was founded in the spring of 2014 by two homeschool moms looking for a group that wouldn't exclude them based on their beliefs. At the time, there was no local co-op they could find that fit that requirement so they decided to form one. Since then, Patch has grown to meet the needs of the students and parents that participate.  Today it is a non-profit run by a board of PATCH parent volunteers who are passionate about their kids and continuing the legacy of a welcoming, inclusive environment for families to build relationships within.