Family Center Information
What is Family Center? Family Center is a ministry of CHC and open to CHC members only. It is a cooperative teaching of classes and currently meets on Thursday mornings at Stratford Park Bible Chapel.
Who teaches classes? Mothers or fathers of homeschool children teach classes. All of them are volunteers. In addition, all families must send a parent or other adult representative to help in the classes during the hours that their children are in classes.
What classes are offered? Every semester the classes offered are different. Usually, there is a gym class offered, and pre-school and nursery are available for families who have older children at the Family Center. Other than that, the classes offered depend on what parents decide to teach. There are often arts and craft classes, Lego building classes, and science classes among the various classes offered.
Is there a charge for Family Center? Yes, for each semester, there is a family fee of $20 to cover building and administrative fees, and each class has a per child charge as well, usually quite small.
How can I tell which classes are offered? After you join CHC, you can click on the Family Center tab and then on Class Registration to see which classes are offered. Classes are often entered the same time as family registration each semester so you may not see the new classes when you first join.
Can I drop off my children at Family Center? No. Family Center is not a drop-off co-op. Every family provides an adult who helps in classes while the family is in attendance. There is a time to sign up for helper positions close to the time that classes begin.
How do I sign up? There are several steps. First, you need to be a member of CHC. Second, you need to fill out a family registration form. (This is filled out every semester.) There is no charge to fill out the family registration form. Third, if you are a new family, you need to fill out the policy form, which gives information about expected behavior and provides emergency contact information for us to keep on file. (This is filled out once and as needed to update information.) Finally, at the specified time, you may register your children for specific classes. If you join during the summer or the month of December, the original sign up dates may be past in which case you may register your children for classes after your family registration form is processed by the Family Center coordinators.
How do I pay for Family Center? A few weeks before the classes begin, you will receive an invoice for the total amount due for your family. You may pay with cash or mail in a check. Details are provided with the invoice.
What is the morning schedule? In the past, we have had three hours scheduled in the morning. The time for the classes are 9:00 – 9:50, 9:55 – 10:45, 10:50 – 11:40. We encourage members to come five minutes before classes begins and to expect a few minutes of extra time after the end of the last class for cleaning up and maneuvering out of the building. Since COVID, we changed the schedule to two hours with the first hour scheduled 9:40-10:30, a break from 10:30 to 10:40, and then a second hour from 10:40-11:30. We would like to go back to three hours if there are enough classes submitted.
Do I need to come for the entire morning? No. The morning is split into two / three different hours, and you may choose to come one, or two (or three) hours. Please note, however, that every child in attendance needs to be signed up for a class during every hour you attend.