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Yes, we are a registered non-profit organization, this means we can accept donations and they are tax deductible for donors, here you can find our charity standing with the SC Secretary Of State.

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-No, we are a support group not a 3rd option accountability group, if your're looking for a 3rd option accountability group, we recommend SC-TOP or any other registered accountability group that you can find here, additionally if you're searching for other options for homeschooling legally you can learn more here. There is option 1- homeschooling under the auspices of the public school district, and option 2 - SCHAIS here!

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Yes, we strive to welcome and include everyone. We do not enforce any specific approach/agenda.

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HERO functions as a co-op all year round! We have two 6-month terms, one from August through January and the other from February through July. Even though our classes are offered in 12 week blocks (from September through November and then from February through April), we have programming and events that carry on through the other months. We are really a community of homeschool families and provide so much more than just our amazing and diverse class offerings.

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Absolutely! We would love to show you our space and introduce you to our community. Send us an email at heroofirmo@gmail.com and we can set that up.

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No, we are not a drop-off program. We expect all parents to remain on site, in the building, while their children are here. Parents are expected to manage their own children's behavior and to be available if needed. Parents are also welcome to stay in classes with their kids. We do offer drop-off, for a fee, for some of our events.

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Preschool classroom: ages 0-3

4-5K classroom: ages 4-5

Lower Elementary: ages 6-8

Upper Elementary: grades 3-5 (ages 8-11)

Middle School: grades 6-8

High School: grades 9-12

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Yes we do! Several of our High School classes can count toward the requirements for credit. For more details email heroofirmo@gmail.com. 

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We do! We have a wonderful preschool and kindergarten program. The preschool classroom is geared for ages 0-3 and the 4-5K classroom is for kids ages 4 and 5. This includes younger kindergarteners. 

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We offer field trips, special events, clubs, and meet-ups. We have a student expo at the end of each semester including a drama production, art show, science fair, music recitals, dance recital, and more. We have yard sales, a family spaghetti dinner, snowball dance, and the list goes on!

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We have a wonderful outdoor learning area including mud kitchens, sensory bins, garden beds, and outdoor classrooms. We also participate in Green Steps, which provides us with local mentors to come along side us as we work on sustainability projects for our co-op. 

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Yes, all members volunteer in some capacity. We are 100% volunteer-run and depend on everyone pitching in. There are many ways to do that, from teaching, to assisting in classrooms, to helping with fundraising or events, etc. Right now we are using a cleaning schedule that involves each family joining 2 other families on a co-op day (1-2 days total per semester) to jointly take care of the cleaning needs for the day. We encourage children to help with their family's cleaning tasks as well!

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We do not require all parents to teach. However, we depend on many parents to do so because we don't hire teachers. Many parents end up teaching the bulk of the classes so we encourage all parents to consider teaching to help share the load. We love it when parents teach based on their experience, job, knowledge, passions, etc. The biggest perk for teachers (besides free coffee) is first dibs at class registration for their kids.

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We do not have any requirements regarding potty training or reading level. Parents are expected to be present with their children to attend to their needs. And as homeschoolers we understand that learning is on a spectrum and each child progresses at their own pace. Teachers do their best to make classes adaptable and accommodating to various reading and learning levels, within a specific age range. 

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We have two terms: August through January and February through July. The cost of membership for the term covers things like rent, utilities, and materials for classes, and these costs are spread out over the 6 months. At the beginning of each term, members are required to sign a payment pledge. The pledge is a promise to pay for the 6-month term. We do allow members to request to pay in installments, and this has to be set up with our treasurer. When a family chooses to leave HERO before the term is complete they are still expected to pay for the full term, and need to understand this when joining.

For more questions about this, email heroofirmo@gmail.com.

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It costs $55 per child per month to be a member of HERO. There is a family cap of $165 per month to better accommodate larger families. When the semester begins each family receives an invoice with the entire 6 month amount due. They have the option to opt for monthly payments instead. The expectation is that members will commit to paying for a 6 month term with the understanding that the cost of classes is spread out over the 6 month period. You are required to sign a payment pledge when joining.

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That is totally fine! Members can decide how little or how much to attend of our classes, events, and activities. But the monthly price stays the same at $55 per child (family max of $165). Just be sure to only register for the things you plan to attend, and let us know when you can't attend them. 

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We offer classes for children from preschool all the way through High School. We aim to offer at least 2 options for each hour that we have classes, for each age group. Class registration is available on a first come, first serve basis, and teachers are allowed to register first. We can't ever guarantee a slot in any specific class, so for this reason it would behoove parents to teach!

We recently had a big surge in membership and are at capacity for many of our younger age groups. We can't guarantee space to new members, but always do our best to accomodate. 

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While many of our classes are offered consistently every semester, like our music classes and Lego Challenge, most classes change each semester. This is because the parents choose what to teach each semester and they generally seem to enjoy changing things up for variety and keeping things interesting. 

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When you join HERO you will create an account on our website. If you decide not to pay your 6 month term up front, you will receive invoices for your monthly fees in your account and will be responsible for logging in at the beginning of each month to manually pay your fee. We offer the monthly payment option to make things easier and expect members to fulfill it in full. The monthly fees are due at the beginning of each month for that month.

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The family activities pass is a special membership that does not include classes. This allows families to be part of our community and participate in things like field trips and events. The family activities pass is good for 6 months, and goes for the fall term (August-January) or for the spring term (February-July). 

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If you are joining HERO as a member, you will request membership through our site. The Join tab at the top of the Home page will take you to our membership request form. After you are granted membership, you will receive a welcome email that will include some important information. You will be required to review the orientation slides (if you missed orientation) and complete the orientation quiz. You will also need to complete 3 forms. These can be done electronically on our site. They include a media waiver, a financial agreement (payment pledge), and a liability waiver. You will also need to make your payment for the month (or term, if you are paying all at once). Once these things are complete, if class registration has opened up, you'll be able to register for classes. 

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The membership fee covers most classes, clubs, and parties. Field trips vary in cost. A few classes require a class fee, and this is usually when the child will need their own text book or will be using supplies that they will get to keep. (For example a drawing set for art, an instrument for music, or food supplies for cooking class.) But in general this is rare and most classes will not have an additional fee. We currently do not require a membership fee!