Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
Jay and Heidi St. John have joined me this week to discuss homeschooling co-ops. Heidi, can you explain how having a national network can benefit the local co-op?

Heidi St. John:
Yeah, I can. There are so many reasons! FCHM co-ops—I think that they’re thriving in part because of the leadership, prayer, and training that’s being made available to the leaders through the national network. We’re passionate about serving the local co-op leaders, so they can turn around and pour into the lives of the families that they’re serving. These local chapters are having a tremendous impact in the communities they serve through discipleship and mentoring, just to name two.

The network is also helping spread the news that homeschooling works! FCHM co-ops are sharing ideas, curriculum, information, and they’re promoting events through their state organizations as well as national organizations like HSLDA. They are more than just online communities; they’re very much like small churches.

The network has recently grown to include Canada, and we now have homeschool ministries in churches from coast to coast. The network makes it easy to find a homeschool community. Because of the network, homeschoolers can find a local chapter of First Class in the same way they might look for an AWANA or MOPS group.

First Class is working to ensure that homeschoolers and those who minister to them are not isolated, but rather they’re connected, and this networking is benefiting homeschoolers everywhere.

Mike:
Heidi thanks for joining us again today! That's very helpful information. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.