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Home Educators for Excellence (HEdFEx for short!) is a secular educational co-op for homeschoolers.  We offer classes for students ages 5-16, as well as social opportunities.  The main classes that are offered each year are art, science, and physical education.  We also offer electives that change each year and each term. Our classes are offered a la carte-- sign up for all the classes, or for just one or two!

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It’s very easy!  Fill out the Membership Request Form, agree to the Policies and procedures, and Pay the annual membership fee.  The yearly fee covers our biggest expense (rent), plus insurance, website, copying, and other important supplies. Members are assigned jobs that keep the co-op running smoothly.  There are several leadership positions open each year that members can volunteer to fill.  The weekly jobs are set up, clean up, and room parent. There are no paid positions aside from the instructors.

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Membership is required to register for fall and spring term classes. Non-members can, however, register for May term classes after paying a nominal registration fee.  Tuition for each class is an additional charge; check Class Info and Pricing for current tuition pricing.   

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All our teachers are professionals. Either they are professional teachers, or they are professionals in the field they are teaching. This makes for quality classes!

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HEdFEx is a co-op, which means that everyone who benefits must also help out to make it work. Unlike some homeschool co-ops, HEdFEx hires professional teachers, so parents do not have to do any of the teaching!

Each term, each family will be assigned one job, which might be room parent or helping with setup or cleanup. Volunteering for the leadership team (co-leaders, registrar, membership liaison, secretary, treasurer or scrip coordinator) means you would not be assigned any other job, though you may be asked to help out on days where multiple families are absent and we need extra help. We try to accommodate job preferences, including matching drop-off parents with off-site jobs, but are not always able to. If you are not able to attend one week, post on the forum to find a replacement.

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Class sizes vary based on interest and limits set by the teachers, but a typical class has 5-12 students.

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Yes! We understand that part of the benefit of homeschooling lies in being able to accommodate your child's unique needs, and we want to offer as much flexibility as we can. However, we have to consider how the age exception could affect classroom dynamics and the other students.

To request an exception:

1. Email the co-leader at hedfexcoleader@gmail.com. Explain the reason for the exception, which class, and the age of the child. DO NOT contact the teacher directly! Our leadership team has a much better understanding of why parents request exceptions, and can negotiate much more flexibility if the teacher has not already come to a decision.
2. The leadership team will discuss and may request to meet with the parent, and possibly the child.
3. The majority of the leadership team, plus the teacher, must all approve.
4. If for some reason the exception does not work out and the parent drops the class, no refunds will be given after the standard drop date.
5. If there are any behavioral concerns, the parent must remain in class with the child per our existing behavior policy.

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No, we're not anti-religion. Some of our families are religious, and others are not. Secular means that our classes are taught from a non-religious perspective, and (despite renting classroom space from a church) we are not associated with a particular religion.

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We try to accomodate severe food allergies, but do not guarantee that we will be able to. For example, if we end up with several children with different allergies, avoiding all dangerous foods may make it too difficult for families to pack their lunches. If this is a concern for your family, Contact Us.

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HEdFex does allow children ages 12 and over to be dropped off. Both parent and child must agree to our Drop-Off Policy. If you are interested, please Contact Us.

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This means that your HEdFEx account has been placed on hold. This may be because your family is not registered for any classes during the current term, because you requested that your membership be cancelled, or because you have not paid the membership fee for the current year.  The website charges per active family, and we don't want to be charged for families that are not actively participating.

If you wish to reactivate your account, you do not need to go through the membership request process again; simply contact hedfexregistrar@gmail.com for assistance.

We look forward to having you back!

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Our standard age policy is as follows:

For the younger age range, children must be 5 at the start of Fall Term. For the older age range, a child may take classes if they are, or will turn, the minimum age during the term. 

There is a built-in overlap in the age ranges to accommodate differences in ability, maturity, or attention span. The youngest age range is typically 5-9, and these classes require no or very minimal writing.

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The answer is probably yes, though it depends on the class and the teacher. Because of their content, some classes are harder for a student to jump into part way through a semester, but it doesn't hurt to ask!  Email hedfexregistrar@gmail.com with the list of specific classes you'd like to sign up for, and we'll let you know what's possible.

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Yes. Many families homeschool at least in part to accommodate their child's unique needs. However, we need you to help us make this a positive experience, both for your child and their classmates. If there is anything the co-op or teachers can reasonably do to make the experience better, please let someone on the leadership team know ahead of time. Also, please be aware that if there are behavioral challenges that make it difficult for other students to focus or participate fully in class, or for the teacher to teach, you may be asked to be in the classroom with your child to provide additional assistance or coaching.

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The teachers still have to show up, whether your student is there or not, and offering reduced pricing may affect HEdFEx's ability to run the class, so pro-rated pricing is not always available. However, if you have an exceptional situation and will be missing at least 3 weeks of class, contact the registrar before the registration deadline to discuss options. No pro-rated pricing is available after the registration deadline for that term has passed.