We work to empower parents to provide educational and social opportunities to homeschool families in the Roaring Fork Valley. We believe in fostering a supportive and inquisitive community where all children can thrive. Our events are designed to cater to the diverse needs and interests of families from all backgrounds and circumstances, offering a wide spectrum of educational extracurricular activities that appeal to the extensive age and interest range of our kids.
We strive to enhance the education parents are directing for their children in a way that compliments their lifestyle yet gives their children their best chance to succeed in and enjoy life. Our group employs a student mentorship philosophy. Older students are expected and coached on engaging with younger students within the Co-Op to form a positive peer relationship.
OUR MISSION
Guided by Christian values, we seek to serve as a support system in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys for families engaging in alternative education by offering enriching extra-curricular opportunities suitable for a wide age and interest range of students, fostering a vibrant multi-age student community, and supporting students to succeed academically and socially on their education journey through practical experiences.
The Valley Co-Op was formed by a group of parents that have different homeschooling philosophies and methods, but who are all committed to giving our children the best education experience possible. We want our kids to succeed in all aspects of their life--academically, physically, emotionally, and socially.
WHAT IS THE VALLEY CO-OP?
Our Co-Op offers several different membership options. Each one allows our different members access to different events throughout the school year. To learn about the different membership options, please click on the button below. We are very excited to announce the creation of a new branch campus of the Valley Co-Op: The CO River Valley Campus, which serves students in the Rifle, CO are. Click the button below to learn more about this great option for down-valley students!
Our most popular membership is our Student Membership. Student Members are able to attend Co-Op three times per month, two class days and one field trip day. Our class days are the first two Tuesdays of each month from 9:30am until around 1:30pm and most of our field trips are on the third Tuesday of each month, from 9:30am until 2:30pm. Class days are held at the Orchard Church in Carbondale, CO while field trips vary from location to location.
On class days, our students are broken into three classes by age; typically our Younger Class includes 5 to 8 year olds, our Middle Class includes 9 to 12 year olds, and our Older Class includes 13 to 18 year olds. This grouping is contingent on our registration.
Parents are required to stay on site during our events AND to assist at the Co-Op in some way. This can be teaching a class, a parent lead of a single age group, checking students in, assisting with classroom management, or leading our students in setup and cleanup. Each parent rotates through various roles, typically with a 2-month-on, 1-month-off schedule. For the "1-month-off" rotation, parents CAN leave their children at the Co-op DURING CLASS. All parents must stay with their students during field trips.
All children that are on campus during our Co-Op must be registered student members. This includes "future students." The Co-Op has childcare available for younger siblings of student members. There is a fee for childcare--this fee includes childcare during our two class days each month and entry for future students (0-4 yrs) to all field trips.
The goal of the Valley Co-Op is to give each student a fun education experience while providing an opportunity to grow socially within a wide age range of students. Our main focus is forming a community of students that can grow together and a community of parents that will support not only their students but also each other.
FOR TEENS
Teenagers who are enrolled in alternative education are often busy during the week with work, sports, or concurrent enrollment, yet their social development it still a critical part of their education. Though teenagers are very welcome to attend our regular Co-Op events, many of our teens have expressed interest in having events only for students their age or have let us know that they have too many other weekday commitments to attend our Tuesday events. To accommodate these students, our Co-Op will now be offering new Teen-Only events! Teens (13-18) are welcome to have dual memberships (for access to more events), but they are welcome to register for only Teen Events as well. Teen Events are a separate registration fee--this fee will give a teen student entry to all of the Teen-Only Events.
Teen events are drop-off events. Parents are encouraged to allow their students to practice independence at these events, though occasionally we might ask a parent to act as one of our chaperones. We do ask that teens (or their parents) RSVP online for each event they plan to attend so that we have a headcount for our event providers. Click the button below for more information and our schedule of Teen Only events.
MORE INFO
You are able to use Colorado Homeschool Enrichment funding to pay for Valley Co-Op registration fees. As a registered Enrichment Service Provider, all hours provided by the Valley Co-Op qualify for approved enrichment hours. If Student Members attend all Tuesday events provided by the Co-Op they will attain 71 hours of enrichment. Hours available to other members vary in hours available from semester to semester--please look at the membership schedules for certified hours.
All classroom leads, long-term teachers, and Co-Op Leadership are vetted and have active background checks. All students, teachers, and parents must adhere to and sign our Code of Conduct. Parents must also comply with and sign our Adult Code of Conduct to help ensure the safety of our students. Parents must also read and be familiar with our Valley Co-Op Guidebook, which outlines various policies and procedures relating to student behavior and attendance.
The Valley Co-Op is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our by-laws can be found here, and our Articles of Incorporation as a non-profit corporation in the State of Colorado can be found here.
The Valley Co-Op is a HSLDA Discount Group! The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has been protecting homeschool freedom and helping families make homeschooling possible for over 40 years. Over 100,000 member families trust HSLDA's team of lawyers to answer questions and resolve problems in homeschooling. HSLDA works with the homeschool community from local and state levels and speaks up for homeschooling in the courts, legislatures, media, and public arena. To learn more, visit HSLDA.org. Valley Co-Op Members can access a group discount for $15 off their yearly HSLDA membership. For more information on our group-specific discount code, please email us.
*You must be an active member of the Valley Co-Op to qualify for this discount
