Homeschool Co-ops Tap Pooled Resources – The Wall Street Journal

Rebecca Dake didn't like San Francisco's public schools and thought private schools were too expensive. So the mother of three recently opted for another route for her 6-year-old...

Rebecca Dake didn’t like San Francisco’s public schools and thought private schools were too expensive. So the mother of three recently opted for another route for her 6-year-old daughter: a homeschool cooperative she helped start herself.

“This offers a middle choice for the middle class,” says the 38-year-old Ms. Dake.

The San Francisco Schoolhouse, formed by three families including Ms. Dake and her husband, Bliss, started classes Tuesday in the Richmond district with an initial enrollment of four first-graders. It is believed to be the first such co-op in San Francisco, according to Pia Williams of the California Homeschool Network, a statewide support organization, though several homeschool co-ops have sprung up in recent years elsewhere in the state.

Unlike most homeschooling, in which a child is primarily taught by his or her own parents, students in co-ops often share teachers and sometimes are taught in shared classrooms outside the home. In the case of San Francisco Schoolhouse, the families will share the cost of paying for two teachers and parents will serve as field-trip directors.

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