Grace Life Co-op

Co-op is short for cooperative. We are a group of parents who work together to help to expand the educational experiences for our children. We work hard to organize and administrate this co-op to share this experience with the homeschool community (in the Pitt County area) at large. 

Being part of a co-op means that we work together to make it happen. Each family has to serve at co-op in some capacity - some teach, some administrate, some serve in the lunchroom, some serve as hall monitors, clean bathrooms/windows, etc. It's required that everyone chip in to make this work for our children. 

No, you do not have to be a Christian to join Grace Life. We are an all-inclusive co-operative. This means that we allow people of other religions to be a part of our group. But, each member should understand that we will operate our co-op according to biblical values, and there's a good likelihood that God/scripture/biblical values will come during classes.

There is a registration fee of $20 per family and a $20 director fee. We do also ask that each family makes a $50 donation per year to our host church (given directly to the church) . That brings the total for joining our co-op to $90 per year for your whole family. 

The cost for each class is listed on the matrix, as well as requested payment methods. These costs vary depending on the level of class and type of class offered. Many classes do require a supply fee in addition to class costs. 

Grace Life Co-op desires to offer classes for preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school aged kids. The classes we offer are determined by the parents who step forward to teach these classes.

(For example, if no one steps forward to teach preschool classes, we will not have any preschool classes to offer.)

Yes, this is a co-op for homeschooling families. If your children are young and you haven't officially opened your homeschool yet, that's okay. Just make sure to do your official paperwork with the state when your oldest is turning seven years old. 

Grace Life Co-op meets one day a week for 30 weeks a year, split into two 15 week semesters. We take appropriate holiday and other breaks through the semesters to allow for family vacations and holidays. (Once you have joined the co-op, you'll be able to see the full and complete schedule.)

If your family will miss co-op for vacations, trips, appointments, etc, please let your child's teachers know so class won't be delayed. 

No, co-op is not a school. Co-op meets once per week at a local church for classes. Co-op IS a drop off - generally unless you are serving in some capacity, you drop your kids off and go enjoy a little quiet time!

Co-op is not responsible for your child's education, and does not keep a report card or transcript for your child. The administration of your child's education is your responsibility. For high school classes, the teachers will send you a report card for that particular class - this will provide you the information to list on your student's transcript. 

No, you can sign your child up for classes individually, according to what they need/want to take.
Class enrollment is limited to the particular age or grade level the teacher has designated for their class offering. 

Parents who have been in our co-op for one year and homeschooling for at least two years can offer to teach in Grace Life Co-op.
All teachers have to provide a background check before classes would be placed on the class matrix. 

How we determine which classes are offered:
Classes are offered based on seniority of the teacher, need in our co-op, and classroom space availability. For example, if you want to teach an elementary art class, we would determine if there is a need for an art class for that age group, if a current teacher is already teaching that class, and if we have an appropriate space for that type of class. We always look at the needs of co-op as a whole when determining which classes can be offered.

If you fit these qualifications and would like to offer to teach in our next co-op, please send an email to [email protected] 

Yes. Every teacher has a background check. This is done to ensure the safety of the students and families who participate in Grace Life Co-op. 

No, Grace Life Co-op is a cooperative of families to enrich their children's homeschool education, not a support group. While you will find friendships and people who can be a resource to you for homeschool related topics, our goal is not to serve as a support group. HOME is a large support group for homeschoolers in the Pitt County Area. You can see their website here. 

Since our co-op is not a school, we are not equipped to handle many behavioral or educational disabilities. Our co-op classes are in a more traditional classroom environment, even if the approach may not be traditional. We are parents, not trained professionals, and we are not equipped to know how to handle children who cannot function in a classroom environment. 

If you are considering joining our co-op, please think honestly about your child and decide whether Grace Life Co-op is a good choice for them.