FAQs

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Branches is a homeschool co-op community that offers academic and enrichment classes, sports activities and clubs, once a week to families in the metro Phoenix area. We also seek to create a close knit community where families feel they belong and are supported. We do this through a co-op (cooperative) model, where each family contributes in some way.

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A homeschool cooperative, often called a "homeschool co-op," is a group of families who come together to share resources, skills, and responsibilities to enhance their children's education. These cooperatives can vary widely in their structure and offerings, but they typically involve parents collaborating to teach classes, organize activities, and provide social opportunities for their children. Here are some key features of a homeschool cooperative:

1. Shared Teaching Responsibilities: Parents or guardians in the co-op may take turns teaching subjects based on their expertise or interests. For example, one parent might teach science, another art, and another history, allowing children to benefit from diverse teaching styles and knowledge.

2. Group Activities: Co-ops often organize group activities such as field trips, sports, science fairs, and other educational events that may be difficult to arrange individually. These activities provide valuable social interactions and learning experiences.

3. Support and Community: Homeschool co-ops create a sense of community among families. Parents can share resources, offer advice, and support each other through the homeschooling journey. This network can be particularly beneficial for new homeschooling families.

4. Structured and Flexible: Some co-ops are highly structured with formal classes and a set schedule, while others are more informal, meeting occasionally for special projects or social events. The level of structure depends on the preferences and goals of the participating families.

5. Faith-Based or Secular: Homeschool cooperatives can be faith-based, incorporating religious teachings and values, or secular, focusing solely on academic and social activities. Families can choose a co-op that aligns with their educational philosophy and values.

Overall, a homeschool cooperative provides a collaborative and enriching environment for both children and parents, enhancing the homeschooling experience through shared effort and community support.

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Growing at a tremendous rate, there is estimated to be 40,000 homeschooled children in Arizona. The need for homeschool community co-ops has never been higher. Isolation is one of the biggest problems for homeschool moms and their children. By creating Branches, we hope to connect homeschool families to a support system and a local church.

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Branches Southwest meets on Fridays at a church near Litchfield and Camelback for two 14 week semesters throughout the year.  There are five other Branches locations across the valley - Central, Chandler, North Valley, Surprise, and West Valley.

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Branches offers a variety of academic and enrichment classes.  Some classes are taught by outside teachers and others are taught by members of our community.  These classes will change over time based on the talents of our members.

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Registration Fee per child per semester:

• Ages 6 and up: 100 dollars

• Ages 3 to 5: 50 dollars

• Ages 0 to 2: No fee

In addition to registration fees, there are individual class fees. The classes we offer range in price depending on who will be teaching the classes. Classes taught by outside teachers will be higher, ranging from $60-$200 a 14 week semester depending on what they charge us. Classes taught by our members will be low and just cover the material fees.

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All registration fees and class fees are non-refundable. Due to the nature of Branches operating on a tight budget, funds are committed immediately to support semester expenses. Registration fees reserve and secure a student’s placement for the semester, and class fees are allocated and spent beginning on the first day of classes to cover supplies, materials, and instructor obligations.

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You sign up for classes for your children and parent jobs the same way.  After you are a member you will be able to sign up for classes and jobs on the website.  You pay for these classes through our online platform.  

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No, your family does not need to stay all day.  However, staying all day will be much more fun!  

Please note that attending half days still requires full registration fees. 

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On an emergency basis yes. Please plan your appointments and errands on non-Branches days if possible.  Also, you will need to have a responsible friend who is caring and keeping track of your children.  Keep in mind that this really should be the exception, not the rule.  The purpose of Branches is to create a community of families who really get to know each other.  This can only happen if we stay on campus and spend time together.  Make sure to till out a Temporary Guardianship form and drop it off at the snack bar if you must leave campus.

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YES! 

You can use Direct Pay in Classwallet to pay for your semi annual registration fees and class fees, Here's how:

Paying Branches through Direct Pay in Class Wallet

Note this is only for Class Fees or Registrations Fees. Please pay all other events directly through your campus website.

You will need to create a consolidated invoice to upload to Vendor Pay in Class Wallet:

1. Login to the website.
2. Navigate to your Accounting Page by clicking on your balance at the top of the homepage (in mobile it looks like a credit card).
3. Click on Invoice and Payment Details.
4. In the Invoice Summary Section check the box next to the individual invoices that you want to appear on your consolidated invoice. Make sure these invoices have not already been paid or refunded. If an invoice has been refunded because the class was cancelled before the deadline you will see “ADJ” in the “Paid?” column. For registration fees there will only be one invoice per student but for class fees there will be one individual invoice for each class.
5. Once all invoices have been selected click on “Create Consolidated or Printable Invoice” at the top of your statement. This groups those invoices that you chose together.
6. Now you will see a new consolidated invoice number next to an arrow above each individual invoice that you chose. Click on the arrow to open the invoice in a new tab. (You might need to make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off).
7. Note that if you chose individual invoices for multiple students their invoices will be on separate pages. Please scroll down to see them.
8. Make sure you print or save each invoice individually so that you have one per student to upload into Vendor Pay in Class Wallet.
9. If you need to unconsolidated the invoices, click on the recycle icon to break them apart again.

10) Note that if you are paying registration fees late you might have to choose Prior Year from the dropdown next to Fiscal Year in order to see those unpaid invoices from the prior year.

Now that you have your consolidated invoice you can login to your Class Wallet Account:

1. In the Direct Pay section of Class Wallet choose Branches Homeschool Community – All Campuses and upload the invoice that you created above. The new AI tool will pull in the information from the invoice. Note that User Name is your student’s name.
2. For each line under Direct Pay Details choose Tutoring and teaching services – Accredited Facility/Business for the category and Arizona – ESA for the purse.
3. Make sure that the Total Amount field in Class Wallet matches what you owe Branches on the invoice.
4. If you run into the error “You must complete all required fields” and you don’t see anything blank, it’s possible that the descriptions that were pulled in by AI are too long. Try editing the item description fields and see if shortening that text will let you continue.
5. Once you have submitted your payment request it takes about one week before you will see the payment reflected on the website since we must wait until the funds are deposited into the Branches bank account.
6. If you make a mistake such as paying under the wrong student account contact Class Wallet right away to see if you can cancel the payment. If it’s too late to cancel email melissa@branchessurprise.org with your student’s name, order number, and amount of payment that needs to be refunded. Note that it can take a month or two for funds to be returned to your account since they need to be refunded via check mailed to the ADE.