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Welcome to CHANGE Cooperative

CHANGE, which stands for Christian Homeschoolers Acknowledging the Name of God in Education, exists to serve homeschooling families who are homeschooling at least one child in 3rd grade or above. We do this primarily through two 'arms.'

 

Co-op - Co-op meets in Bethel, CT two Fridays per month (usually the 2nd and 4th Friday) from September through May. Students have the opportunity to take a wide variety of enrichment learning classes. 

 

Extension - Extension meets in Newtown, CT weekly on Wednesdays. Extension classes are so named because they are an extension of what we do in co-op. The classes provide more academically challenging coursework for our 7th-12th grade students, as well as opportunities for high school level clubs such as Science Olympiad or Model United Nations. You must participate in co-op to participate in extension. However, we will make exceptions for high school students who are part of CHANGE at long as space permits.

 

 

 

Ten Things You Should Know About Us

1. We are a Christian group. While we do not have a statement of faith that you must sign to join, we open with worship, we pray for each other and our code of conduct is rooted in Scripture. We are open to anyone who is willing to be part of that. 

2. We are an enrichment program. The classes we offer are meant to be for enrichment and not for academic credit. This is a great group for those who are looking to meet social needs and take interesting classes that augment your academic program at home. 

3. We are a very large group. We have about 45-55 families and approximately 175 people in attendance. About half of our group of kids is 7th grade and older and the other half is 6th grade and under. 

4. Everyone volunteers for two hours while co-op is happening. Most moms assist in a class - we don't 'require' anyone to teach. 

5. When you join co-op, we are asking you to make a commitment to be there. Even if you think you're 'just sitting' in a classroom - if you cannot come, that spot has to be filled. Therefore, before you join, please check your calendar and make sure that you are free for all those dates.

6.We do a background check on all adults in co-op. Even if you've had one done for church or work. This is starting to become a requirement to be able to rent space. We check the sex offenders list and public court records for felonies or violent crimes. (We do not ask for your SSN or driver's license #.)

7. Registration is $60 for the 2019-2020 year. While classes taught by professional instructors are more expensive, almost everything else is free. Sometimes, if there are classes that require a lot of materials, they may have a nominal cost. But our goal is always to keep things as cheap as possible. 

8. There are a lot of choices. On average, we have about 3-4 classes to choose from per hour. 

9. In order to join, you have to be homeschooling a child who is in 3rd grade. We have classes for younger siblings but they do not get to choose until 3rd grade. 

10. It's true that we always have a waiting list. We give priority first to current members. then former CHANGE members, then new families who have visited, and then we invite as we have space available.  

CHANGE Cooperative Statements

STATEMENT of FAITH

While we do not require families to sign a statement of faith to participate, we are an unabashedly Christian group. All memebers and teachers are asked to respect Christan principles as expressed in these core values:

 

  • We believe that there is one God, creator of Heaven and Earth. 

  • We believe that God exists in three persons - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

  • We believe Jesus is fully God and fully Man. He is without sin, born of a virgin, suffered, died and rose again to pay the price for our sin. He ascended to heaven, and will return again.

  • We believe that there is life after death as determined by one's acceptance of Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior.

 

KINDNESS IS NOT OPTIONAL STATEMENT of CONDUCT

 

  • Use your speech for building others up. Ephesians 4;29

  • Be supportive and find a way to help. Phillipians 2:14

  • Honor authority. Titus 3:1

  • Solve disputes Biblically. Matthew 18

  • Be considerate. Phillipians 2:4

  • Students should strive to be an example according to 1 Timothy 4:12.

 

WELL-CHILD ATTENDANCE POLICY

Please do not bring your child to co-op if they are sick. What may be a minor cold to your family can be a huge deal to some of our other families that have more severe health issues. 

 

Please note that we are a NO-NUT program. 

 

 

 

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