Welcome!
CHALC, the Coalition of Homeschoolers Across Lancaster County, serves over 600 homeschooling families throughout Lancaster County and its surrounding areas. In addition to publishing a monthly newsletter, the Scrawls, we offer support for homeschoolers in many ways -- providing assistance and resources to new homeschoolers, creating a working network to disseminate information of interest to the homeschooling community, and building relationships between home educators. In addition, we offer other valuable services to our member co-ops, including liability insurance, a county-wide graduation ceremony, and HSLDA membership discount. We hope CHALC, as a united fellowship of families, will also help in making a positive impact in the community where we live.
Group Leaders:
Do you have a "how to" question about your website?
Or need one-on-one help to get started?
CHALC has contracted with Alice Nelson to provide website-related assistance to member groups.
Looking for a homeschool support group or co-op?.png)
Homeschool groups are organizations that provide various activities for homeschool families. Each homeschool group is different in how it operates and in what it offers. Some homeschool groups may offer some of these opportunities:
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Joining a homeschool group connects you to resources and to people who will encourage your family during your homeschooling years. Visit our member groups' webpages (links under the adjacent tabs) to find one that fits your family's needs.
Groups meet at various locations around Lancaster County. These locations may be viewed here: CHALC Member Groups Location Map.
CHASE (Christian Homeschool Association of Scholastic Excellence)
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Contact: Julie Hostetter, Director
Email: chasehomeschoolcoop@gmail.com
A Christian co-op offering weekly classes. We meet on Mondays from 8:30 – 2:00 PM at East Fairview Church of the Brethren in Manheim. Classes are a 30-week commitment. Opportunities include academic and elective courses, music, sports, and field trips. Our mission is to equip and encourage parents who have chosen to homeschool their children by providing educational classroom opportunities in a Christ-Centered environment. Members must participate by teaching or helping in classes for the benefit of the group.
CHEX (Christian Homeschoolers Exchange)
Director: Jennifer Anteau, 717-342-7949
Email: chexcoop@yahoo.com
Co-Director: Jamie Rohrer 717-368-1178
Email: austinandjamie@gmail.com
CHEX is a group of homeschool families joining together to fellowship, encourage each other in our life’s journeys, and provide excellent group learning opportunities for our children. We meet as a whole group on Wednesday mornings from 8:45am - 12:00pm at Calvary Baptist Church in Lancaster, 8 weeks in the fall and 8 weeks in the winter. High school academic and some elective classes meet an additional 8 weeks for a total of 24 weeks.
Conestoga Valley Homeschoolers
Contact: conestogavalleyhomeschool@gmail.com
We are a Christian-based parent run co-op. We offer nursery and preschool. Grades K - 6 have choir, gym and the choice of an elective each semester. Grades 7 and up choose 3 electives each semester. Electives include academic (biology labs) to non-academic (cross-stitching). We are a supplement to your schooling at home. Besides co-op classes, we offer monthly moms’ meetings, a choir concert, talent show, music classes, gym classes, Track & Field day, field trips, and a learning fair. Our parents volunteer to teach the classes and fill helper positions. We rely on parent participation and offer activities that parents are willing to organize and staff. This keeps our costs low and affordable for all family sizes and incomes. We meet Thursdays from 12:45 - 3:25pm in the Lancaster Area. There is a waiting list.
Cornerstone
Contact: RoseAnn Kuhns or Lauri Shumaker
Email: lower.tier@cornerstonehomeschoolers.com
Cornerstone Homeschoolers Lower Tier is a Christian organization that seeks to provide quality educational opportunities along with support for families that are homeschooling their children. The Lower Tier is a coop type structure where parents provide gym, choir, and enrichment classes for Nursery - 8th Grade. We meet 16 weeks on Thursday afternoons from 12:00- 4:00pm at Grace Baptist Church in Lancaster. Students may participate in track and field day, Valentine's exchange, picnics, field trips, choral concerts, and the learning fair. Because we are run by member parents, all participating students must have a parent who is an active participant in planning, teaching, monitoring and cleaning up.
Contact: Anne Flinchbaugh Richey
Email: upper.tier@cornerstonehomeschoolers.com
Cornerstone Upper Tier is a 30-week educational program for students in 7th - 12th grades. Classes are taught by professionals in the areas of science, literature, writing, art, foreign language, and social studies. Tuition is required. Sign up April through August. No waiting list.
Contact: Stacy Dieffenbach, Co-op Track inquiries
Jennifer Hahn, Upper Level Track inquiries
Email: LearningStationCoop@gmail.com
Learning Station supports homeschool families by providing a cooperative learning environment in which students develop academically and socially in a Christian community. Learning Station meets at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church in Lititz, PA. Classes meet on Wednesdays. Co-op track is open to families with students from infant through 12th grade, while upper-level only track is open to students in 7th through 12th grade. To learn more about Learning Station, visit www.homeschool-life.com/pa/ lscoop/ and click on the "About Us" link.
Manheim Area Christian Homeschoolers (MACH)
Contact: Vicky Goodman
Email: RVGoodman@gmail.com
MACH is a 28-week Christian-based co-op offering classes for nursery through high school. We strive to provide quality academic and elective courses to help facilitate and support families in their homeschooling endeavors. We meet on Tuesdays at East Fairview Church of the Brethren in Manheim. Academic classes are held in the morning from 9am-12pm, with optional elective classes held in the afternoons from 12:30-2:30pm. Members are required to participate by teaching and helping in classes. An option for high school students to attend without parental participation in MACH is also available.
Contact: Katie Strohecker
Email: secondplanehomeschool@gmail.com
Second Plane Homeschool Collective is a Christian hybrid, Montessori-inspired homeschool group that meets up to 2.5 days a week for 15 weeks in the fall and 15 weeks in the spring. Parents partner with a Pennsylvania certified teacher to create a continuous learning experience from the community classroom to home learning.
More information at secondplanehomeschool.weebly.com.
TEACH (The Educators Affiliation of Christian Homeschoolers)
Email: teachomeschooler@gmail.com
TEACH provides support for homeschooling families in Lancaster and southern Berks counties. Our support is distinctively Christian and includes co-op classes, cell groups, sports teams, music, field trips, and special events. We accept new participants but require each member to commit to volunteering in a way that benefits the group.
Treasures of Grace Home Educators
Contact: Kaddie Hollinger
Email: khollinger27@gmail.com
Treasures of Grace is a Christ-centered co-op that seeks to support and encourage member families in their homeschooling journey. The mission of Treasures of Grace Educational Home School Association is to support the member home-schooling families through friendship development, encouragement, and prayer, and to provide an opportunity for students to explore subjects which are best experienced in a group setting. Currently, we offer classes for infant through secondary. We meet every other week in the morning for approximately 15 weeks. We also offer field trips, moms’ socials/meetings, and nature walks. Membership is limited.
Vine and Branches Homeschoolers Lancaster County (vineandbrancheshslanco.org)
Contact Email: admin@vineandbrancheshslanco.org
WHO IS THE GROUP FOR: Christian homeschooling families that seek community and shared learning experiences as a supplement to their home-based schooling. This is a cooperative rooted in faith in Jesus and the truths in His Word. We desire this group to help homeschooling families abide in Jesus, to bring Him glory and bear good fruit as faithful parents. All families who apply for membership must affirm our Biblically based Statement of Faith. Each family must have an affidavit on record with their school district here in PA confirming home schooling status OR that their children are under the private tutor provision with the child’s parent(s) as the primary tutor(s).
WHERE: Northwestern Lancaster County meeting in Ephrata at Dove Westgate Church!
WHEN: Main gatherings will be on Wednesdays starting at 9:00 AM. We aim to offer 3 learning sessions including 2 classroom based and 1 session for physical education, sports, fitness and play for preschool through 8th grade. For High Schoolers we aim to offer 3 learning sessions plus sports and fitness time just following lunch. There will also be a short group devotion time and a shared lunch together. We will meet approximately 10 weeks in Autumn and Spring.
WHAT WE AIM FOR: Fellowship, faith and friendship building for parents and children, devotion time as a whole group, prayer for one another, offering encouragement and support to one another and various optional fellowship and sharing events. Nursery care for infants and toddlers up to age 2 for parents while they are serving. Bible rooted group learning, play and snack time for preschoolers ages 3 to 4.
DESTINATION: We believe God is calling this group together to grow and flourish for years down the road so fellowship, community involvement, patterns of learning options and friendships can blossom. We want to encourage both fellowship and skillfully prepared group learning that can be a strong base of support to families educating and training up their children in their own homeschools.
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HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association)
CHAP (Christian Homeschool Association of PA)
Diploma Options
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has authorized a number of agencies to grant state-recognized home education diplomas for PA residents. Click here for links to a few.