Frequently Asked Questions About THINK

WHAT IS THINK?

THINK is a secular homeschool group that emphasizes community and offers classes and other events such as park days, field trips, and special events. THINK is also a non-profit corporation that files an annual tax return with the state of Florida. THINK was incorporated in order to have a business bank account, and to legally enter into rental and insurance contracts. THINK's corporate structure includes a board of directors, as required by law.

WHO RUNS THINK?

THINK has been run cooperatively, by homeschool parents like you, since January 2007. We are a true co-op, where each parent plays a role in the day-to-day operation of THINK. Whether you are setting up chairs for classes at Think-Day, or organizing a field trip on our member calendar, we need you! Without the time and energy that our members provide, we would not be successful. Our kids look to us to model what it is to be an active member of a thriving community! Join us!

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Annual Membership Fee of $21.23
Every family pays an annual membership fee of $21.23, due by May 31st each year.

THINK Membership Fees are used to pay for business expenses, website hosting, and domain name expenses.

Semester Registration Fee of $36.77 per family, per semester
THINK Day Registration Fees are used to pay for the daily operating expenses incurred at THINK Day.  These expenses include rent, insurance, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc.

Individual Class Fees vary
Tuition and material fees for Think-Day classes vary by class and instructor and these fees are collected and paid, in full, directly to the instructors, as compensation for teaching classes. THINK collects these funds as a convenience to THINK members and teachers. Class fees can range from free to over $150 for a 12 week semester. Sibling discounts sometimes apply.

Field trips are organized by parents and may be free or have a fee associated with them according to the event.

WHAT ARE THINK DAY CLASSES?

Mondays are THINK-Day! There are 5 periods of classes held for a 12-week semester in the fall and again in the spring. You can choose to take one or more classes, or just join us for lunch! Classes start at 9:30am and end at 3:30pm.

The cost of participating in THINK Day is determined by the classes that you take. These fees are determined by the individual instructor see the “What Does it Cost?” section above.

All students enrolled in THINK-Day are responsible for the annual fee for THINK membership of $21.23 per family. This gives you access to our website, where you will find a list of classes offered and registration instructions.

THINK-Day students also pay a per-semester, per-family fee of $36.77, which goes towards rent, insurance, and supplies used on THINK Days.

WHAT FIELD TRIPS AND EVENTS DOES THINK ORGANIZE OUTSIDE OF THINK DAY? THINK is a true cooperative and all families work together to plan events for our community. Many of our events take place on THINK days during the lunch period.

Our annual events are organized by the events committee, here is a list of THINK annual events:

• Fall Meet and Greet (after registration, prior to the semester starting)
• Monthly Author's Share, held outside of THINK days
• Halloween Celebration
• International Tasting Day
• End of Fall Term Ice Skating Party
• Spring Meet and Greet/Movie night (after spring registration, prior to classes starting)
• Valentine's Celebration
• Plant Swap
• Field Day
• Fall and Spring Subject/Theme Based Fair (ex Geography fair, Science fair)
• Spring Showcase
• End of Year Pool Party

WHAT ABOUT PRESCHOOLERS? We are NOT a preschool program. We are a homeschool group for homeschool families. On occasion we have classes for preschool ages proposed, but there is no guarantee classes will be offered for children under 5.

CAN MY CHILD REGISTER FOR A CLASS IF THEY ARE OUT OF THE AGE RANGE?  When registration opens, first priority is made to children within the age range. You must then wait until the Wednesday of registration week to:

1) See if there is space available in the class roster.

2) If your child is out of range for a class, you must obtain permission from the teacher directly.

3) Confirm with administration by forwarding acceptance email from the teacher. Requests will be manually entered by administration. Invoices will be sent out on Sunday.

Is nursery care provided? No! Your whole family is always welcome at THINK-Day. There is a small nursery room, a playground, and lots of open space. However, please plan to supervise your children at all times.

Is this a drop off program? No! Please plan on staying on the property and supervising your children at all times. While you do not need to attend each class with your child, you will need to be present. Our rental agreement and insurance policy does not allow for any children to be dropped off! There are many friendly parents you can spend time with, or read a book, or bring your laptop and get some work done.

Can I teach at THINK Day? Yes! We're always looking for new ideas for classes, and energetic, enthusiastic teachers.  If you have a specific idea for a class that you'd like to teach, please submit a written proposal to the THINK Team.  We do have a limited number of classrooms and time slots available, so classes will be offered based on the amount of interest expressed by our membership.  Please remember that since we welcome all home educating families, THINK Day classes do not include religious instruction, shared prayer or faith-based content.

DOES THINK OFFER FAITH-BASED CLASSES?

No. To ensure all families feel welcome and are able to participate fully, we do not have classes with any faith basis. Please note that classes may reference faith. For example, a history or world cultures class might mention various religions, but no faith will be proselytized. Students will never be led in prayer at THINK Day.

Can I talk about my faith at THINK Day? Personal conversations between members are fine about any topic, as long as it's not during a class. Please remember to show tolerance and understanding when others' convictions differ from your own personal views.

Is THINK secular? Well, that depends on your definition of "secular", which can have various meanings to different people. Using the definition "secular - not pertaining or connected to religion", yes we are secular. Using the definition "secular - against faith or anti-religion", no we are not secular. THINK is secular in that we are not for or against any faith. We're just about homeschooling!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN ALLERGY SENSITIVE GROUP?

Thanks for asking!  We do have children in the group with life threatening allergies, children with celiac disease, and other food related issues. We are a completely nut free organization. We also encourage food alternative treats at special events (e.g. valentines or Halloween celebrations).

Please read package labels to make sure that the food products you are bringing to THINK Day and THINK related activities do not contain peanut or any other nut product (including tree nuts, almonds, pistachios, etc).

Please do not bring in any form the following items:  peanuts, tree nuts, peanut butter, trail mix, granola or granola bars. These items are never safe for our allergy sensitive kids. 

We'd like to give you a list of "safe foods," but unfortunately, the ingredients in packaged foods can change at any time, so a list would be almost impossible to maintain.

On the occasion of food sharing events, we require ingredient lists to be posted for all foods. Teachers will also disclose ingredients in foods that may be in the classroom or give notice before any food is brought in. 

PHOTOGRAPHS AND SOCIAL MEDIA AT THINK

Part of the Membership Agreement includes a photography release statement. Your child’s photo may be used on our website, yearbook, photo slide shows, or closed Facebook group.

Can I take photographs at THINK events and at THINK Day? Of course! Please feel free to take pictures and share them on our private THINK Facebook page.

MORE ABOUT OUR HOMESCHOOL-LIFE.COM

How do I make changes to my family's information, or my email address or password? Click on "Edit My Profile" located near the bottom of the menu on the side of the webpage.  Make your changes and then click on "Update" at the bottom of the page.

Why Homeschool-Life.com? We chose homeschool-life.com because it was an affordable way for our homeschool group to have a more interactive website. Our website's platform, which is specifically bulit for homeschool groups, allows members to easily view and register for class, schedule all our group activities, and stay in touch with each other.

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER OF THINK?

Click here to become a member of THINK  ($21.23) Click "Join" at the top-right of the page.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THINK DAY CLASSES?

THINK members (see above) are invited to register for THINK Day classes. An additional Semester Fee ($36.77) is due for participants of THINK Day that goes to rent, insurance, events, supplies, etc. THINK Members can click here for a registration step-by-step guide!