The Foundations Academy is a farm-based homeschool cooperative serving families with students in grades K–8. We provide a structured, four-day educational experience where students learn alongside other homeschool families in a shared community, while parents remain the primary educators and maintain responsibility for their child’s home education.

Our program combines academic instruction with hands-on learning, agriculture, animal care, practical life skills, workshop experiences, the living arts, and outdoor education

No. The Foundations Academy is a home education cooperative, not a private school. Families remain enrolled in their chosen home education pathway and are responsible for meeting Florida’s home education requirements. Foundations provides the cooperative environment, educational programming, instruction, materials, enrichment, and community that support families in carrying out their home education

No. Foundations is more structured than a traditional parent-led co-op.

Students attend the cooperative Monday–Thursday from 9:00 AM–2:30 PM and participate in organized academic and enrichment programming led by educators and professionals in their fields. Parents are an essential part of the cooperative community and fulfill volunteer and service responsibilities, but they are not expected to teach every class their child attends

Parents remain the primary educators and retain responsibility for their child's home education.

Foundations serves as a cooperative educational environment that provides instruction, curriculum support, enrichment, community, and hands-on experiences. Families continue to manage their child's overall home education requirements and annual evaluation process.

Foundations currently serves students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Our learning environment is organized into grade-level learning communities while allowing students to participate in shared enrichment experiences across age groups.

The cooperative meets Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM–2:30 PM.

Optional after-co-op extracurricular opportunities may be available from 2:30–3:30 PM.

Students experience a combination of:

? Core academic instruction
? Literature and living books
? Mathematics and language arts
? Science and history
? Nature and outdoor learning
? Agriculture and animal husbandry
? Practical life skills
? Workshop and makerspace experiences
? Handicrafts and the living arts
? Physical movement and outdoor activity
? Community experiences and collaborative projects

The day is intentionally varied. Students are not sitting at a desk for six hours of traditional classroom instruction.

Foundations is Charlotte Mason inspired and uses a combination of established curriculum resources, living books, hands-on materials, and teacher-developed experiences.

Our academic program draws from resources such as Simply Charlotte Mason and Laying Down the Rails, while incorporating slower rhythms and nature/agriculture based elements where they support the developmental needs of our students.

We are not a curriculum-in-a-box school. Curriculum is one part of a broader educational model

We are Charlotte Mason inspired, not strictly Charlotte Mason.

Charlotte Mason's educational principles significantly influence our approach to academics, literature, narration, nature study, habits, and the use of living ideas and living books. We also intentionally incorporate Montessori rhythms, nature-inspired environments, and hands-on learning.

Our goal is not to replicate one educational method perfectly, but to thoughtfully apply approaches that support the kind of education we are building.

Foundations provides families with educational documentation and progress information to support their home education records.

Because Foundations is a homeschool cooperative rather than a traditional school, students are not enrolled in a conventional private-school grading system. Families remain responsible for maintaining their child's homeschool portfolio and completing their required annual evaluation

Yes.

Student material fees cover the curriculum materials and shared educational resources used throughout the year. These may include ELA and mathematics materials, literature, science and history resources, and materials for our enrichment programs.

Families also receive a personal student supply list for items their child will use individually throughout the year.

Material fees cover educational materials provided by Foundations for classroom and cooperative use.

Student supply lists cover personal supplies each student brings and uses throughout the year, such as organizational materials, notebooks, folders, and portfolio supplies.

The two serve different purposes and are both part of preparing students for the year

Yes, during the regular cooperative day, students participate in their scheduled programming while parents fulfill their cooperative responsibilities separately.

However, Foundations is not intended to function as a childcare or babysitting program. Families are joining an active cooperative community and are expected to participate through required volunteer/service commitments and community involvement.

Yes.

Foundations is a cooperative, which means families contribute to the operation and enrichment of the community.

Each family has a required volunteer commitment, generally around 30 hours per year, with opportunities across areas such as agriculture, life skills, workshop/makerspace, events, administrative support, projects, and other cooperative needs

We understand that families have different schedules and strengths. Volunteer opportunities are structured across a variety of areas, and some responsibilities may be completed outside of regular cooperative hours.

The expectation is not that every parent does the same thing. The expectation is that every family contributes meaningfully to the community.

Yes. Foundations is a Christian, faith-based cooperative.

Faith is integrated into the culture and community of the program and informs the way we approach relationships, stewardship, service, character, and education.

Families considering enrollment should understand that Christian faith is part of the identity of the cooperative rather than an optional add-on

No. Foundations is not a private Christian school.

It is a Christian home education cooperative. Families retain their homeschool status while participating in a faith-based educational community.

A significant amount.

The farm setting is an intentional part of the educational environment. Students may learn in the barn, gardens, agricultural areas, equestrian spaces, outdoor learning areas, workshops, and other spaces throughout the property.

Families should be comfortable with children learning outdoors and participating in hands-on activities.

Yes.

Agriculture and animal husbandry are integrated into our enrichment programming. Depending on the program and season, students may participate in experiences involving gardening, small-scale farming, chickens, goats, sheep, and other farm-based learning.

Animal interaction is educational and supervised, with an emphasis on appropriate care, safety, responsibility, and respect for living things.

Foundations offers Foundations of Horsemanship as an enrichment area focused on developing knowledge, skills, care, safety, and partnership with horses.

Riding is not automatically part of the regular cooperative experience. Opportunities for riding may be available for students who are appropriately assessed and meet the requirements of the program and partnering facilities.

The Workshop is our hands-on makerspace where students develop practical skills through building, making, repairing, creating, and working with materials and tools.

It is designed to give students meaningful opportunities to learn through doing—not simply through worksheets or demonstrations.

This program focuses on practical skills children need to become increasingly capable and independent.

Students may learn skills related to cooking, organization, household tasks, basic problem-solving, practical responsibilities, and everyday competencies.

The goal is not simply to teach children about life skills, but to give them opportunities to actually practice them

The Living Arts encompass creative and practical disciplines that invite students to work with their hands, develop skill, appreciate beauty, and create something meaningful.

Depending on the student's age and the year's programming, this may include handicrafts, art, music, cooking, creative work, nature-based experiences, and other hands-on disciplines.

Yes—but academics are approached differently from a traditional school.

Students receive intentional instruction in core academic areas including language arts, mathematics, science, and history. Academic expectations are balanced with literature, narration, nature, practical work, movement, and hands-on experiences.

We believe academic rigor does not require children to spend the majority of their day completing worksheets.

Yes.

We believe a living education should be both rich and academically meaningful. Students are expected to build strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, and other academic areas, much of which is accomplished through practical application and immersive enrichment experiences.

We also recognize that academic rigor includes more than the ability to complete a worksheet. Communication, problem-solving, independence, practical competence, observation, perseverance, and the ability to apply knowledge are important parts of a well-rounded education.

Probably not—and that is intentional.

Foundations is a good fit for families who want the flexibility and responsibility of home education while also wanting a consistent community, structured educational environment, academic support, hands-on learning, and meaningful parent involvement.

It may not be the right fit for families looking for a traditional private school experience, a completely parent-led co-op, a drop-off childcare program, or a program with minimal family participation.

Yes.

Foundations is designed specifically to support families who are educating their children through a home education pathway. Families actively participate in the cooperative and remain responsible for their homeschool compliance, records, and annual evaluation requirements

Yes, when the family and scholarship type are eligible and the required funding is
available.

Foundations participates as an eligible educational service provider for applicable Step Up PEP & UA scholarship programs. Scholarship funds are subject to the rules, eligibility requirements, award amounts, funding timelines, and approval processes established by Step Up.

Families are responsible for selecting the appropriate service amount and completing their scholarship requirements.

That depends on the student's scholarship type, award amount, grade level, and applicable discounts or fees.

Families should not assume that their scholarship award will automatically cover the full cost of participation. Foundations provides families with their applicable tuition and fee information so they can determine their remaining balance and payment arrangement.

Tuition supports the educational programming, instructional staff, cooperative operations, facilities, and experiences provided throughout the academic year.

Tuition is separate from the family membership fee and student material fees

Yes.

Because Foundations operates as a cooperative community rather than a traditional school, each family participates as a member of the broader cooperative.

The family membership fee is separate from student tuition and material fees and due at the time of enrollment to secure a spot in the program.

Students should expect a hands-on, active, collaborative environment.

There will be dirt, animals, tools, gardens, weather, projects, books, conversations, creativity, movement, and plenty of opportunities to work with their hands.

This is a farm-based learning environment—not a traditional classroom building where children remain indoors most of the day.

There are no uniforms.

Students should wear comfortable clothing appropriate for outdoor and hands-on learning and follow the Foundations dress code. Closed-toe shoes or boots are required, and a sun hat is strongly recommended.

Families should expect shoes and clothing to get dirty and reflect the outdoor, farm based nature of our program.

The biggest difference is that Foundations is built around home education and community rather than replacing it with a conventional school model.

We provide structure without taking over the parent's role as primary educator. We provide academic instruction without making academics the entirety of the school day. We provide a community without requiring families to give up the flexibility and responsibility of homeschooling. Parents learn and grow side by side with their children, bringing their natural skills and areas of expertise into the cooperative and enrichment activities.

The farm itself becomes part of the full educational experience

Traditional co-ops often meet one or two days a week, with parents teaching or assisting in most classes.

Foundations provides a four-day, structured educational experience with dedicated educators, academic programming, specialized enrichment, hands-on learning, and a consistent daily rhythm.

Parents remain essential members of the cooperative, but the educational experience is intentionally more developed and structured than a typical once-a-week co-op

Foundations is designed to give homeschool families something that can be difficult to create on their own: a consistent educational community where academics, practical skills, meaningful work, faith, relationships, and hands-on experiences can exist together.

It is not intended to recreate a traditional school on a farm.

It is intended to create a different kind of educational environment—one where children have the opportunity to learn through real work, real relationships, real responsibility, and real experiences while their families remain at the heart of their education