Metro City Church Home Educators Co-Op

FAQs
Our Vision
Metro City Co-op is to be a community providing innovative classes led by inspiring instructors,
igniting a life-long love for God, others, and learning.
Our Mission
Metro City Co-op is a supportive community offering a variety of Christ-centered academic and
enrichment classes for home educating families.
What is a co-op? In a nutshell, we are our Vision and Mission statements. We get together one
day a week to hold classes. But our purpose is so much more: we are trying to build a
community, sharing the love of God with our students, unbelievers, and one another. As a cooperative we each have an important role in our success. Whether you are a lead team
member, lead teacher, assistant teacher, or a support job holder, we are all equally important
in ensuring each class session runs smoothly. Without parental partnership we could not do
this! We need every parent to play an active role each and every week to help make this an
amazing experience for our students and our parents alike.
How does it work? Parents work together using their strengths and talents to serve the co-op.
Some teach writing, some science, some music or art. Some prepare snacks, set-up rooms or
welcome and check-in families. Others may serve in Baxters or help by keeping the facilities
sparkling clean. Every role is essential!!
Next year we will meet together on Wednesdays (September 9, 2015 May 18, 2016) from
11:30-3:00p.m. We offer three hours of classes, one two offerings per hour, and a lunch time.
We also open early and stay late so we can set up and tear down classrooms, have time for
teachers to set up, play on the play-scape or in the gym, and sit and have coffee and a sandwich
together.
Coffee? Play-scape? Gym? Yes! Next year we will meet at our new Riverview campus and it
will offer a full-service restaurant, gymnasium, and indoor play-scape. It is going to be a great
space and we cant wait to share it with your family. So in addition to great classes, we are
going to have lots of opportunities to build relationships and have fun!
Do I have to go to Metro to attend Metros Co-Op? Nope. But you are always welcome to
attend and we would love to have you.
How much does it cost? Tuition is $10 per student/per month with a family max of $30/month.
(No matter how many kids are enrolled). It is payable in September and February. No tuition is
collected for May. There is a $25 yearly non-refundable registration fee and a one-time $10.00
background check fee for any adult accompanying students to classes. So, if you, your spouse
and possibly another family member might sometimes attend co-op with your child, all of you
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will need to pay for a background check. If you already have a Metro background check on file,
you will not need another one.
Each family will purchase their own books and there are class/supply fees for most classes. You
will see the class fees for next year in the individual class descriptions. We have also provided a
link for each class to the necessary books and/or materials needed per class that you will need
to purchase before the start of classes. If you find them used or at a lower price somewhere
else please feel free to purchase them there. Just make sure they are the same title and edition.
Do I have to go to church? Or talk about God? No. But since we are a community meeting in a
church, you can imagine many of us will. We wont pretend to have it all figured out, but we are
sure in this: we love God, we believe in Jesus and His death and resurrection, the inerrancy of
Scripture, and we want to share His love with our community, our children, and one another.
We hope the way we teach and live our lives inspires others to take next steps towards God.
We will pray together in the classroom and share theology all the way from reading Bible
stories with preschoolers to sharing a creation perspective in Biology. We do ask that teachers
and those in leadership positions be Christians, have a church home in which they actively
attend, and serve there in some capacity. For accountability purposes, the members of the lead
team of the co-op will actively attend Metro City Church.
What is VIP? VIP stands for Vision, Information and Prayer. We relay the vision of our co-op
each week to re-affirm why we are here doing what we do. Information is a time where we can
provide reminders, details about upcoming events and general information to our families.
Most important is Prayer. We believe in asking Jesus into our space each and every week for His
guidance in all we do. It starts our day off in the right way and prepares our hearts for whatever
He has planned for us.
Do I have to stay at co-op the whole time? What will I do there? Yes. As a co-op, we depend
on one another. All parents serve in some capacity while they are there. We either teach or
assist teachers in classrooms (we ask you where youd like to serve and do our best to
accommodate you). We also arrive early to set up the facility or stay late to clean up and put
things away (we will ask which of those youd prefer to do as well). We are working to educate
our children AND build community and we need you for that!
Why dont you offer several classes per hour? There are a couple reasons for that. One,
although the Riverview campus is BIG, we dont have a ton of classroom spaces. Two, we have a
motto we try to stick to: Do as little as possible, as well as possible. We would rather offer less
and do a really great job of supporting our teachers and students. Were still learning how to
do that, but its the mark were aiming for.
Why all the Science and Writing? As we said, we want to do as little as possible, as well as
possible. We decided early on what is most important to us and who we want to be as a coop. Science and Writing are two subjects that lend themselves very well to a co-op setting. They
are also the two subjects in which parents often request and appreciate the extra help.
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Do we have to take all the classes? No. If you do not need every class offered, you are
welcome to register for study hall any hour. We will staff a study hall each hour for those who
need it.
Can my child take a class in a different grade level if he/she is ready for it? The quick answer is
yes providing all pre-requisites are met. Wed like to discuss this on an individual basis with
each parent who may choose this option to be clear on class content and where the child needs
to be to succeed in the upper level class. The final decision will belong to the parent but wed
like to help you make the best decision for your childs success.
Do you offer a teacher discount? No. We considered offering a teacher discount but we want
every person involved in the co-op to feel equally valued. We know our teachers are very
important but we believe each and every one of us are just as necessary and valuable. In
addition, our tuition is so low the discount literally would only be a few bucks a month. We feel
its more important that we all are on the same level and invested equally. We hope you agree!
What is tuition used for? Are teachers paid? Teachers ARE NOT paid. We are all home
educating parents, just like you, volunteering our time to help build this community into a place
we can all enjoy as well as support and encourage one another. Tuition covers extra supplies
needed to run the co-op, a gift offering to the church for providing space and resources to us
through-out the year, special events each month through-out the year, end of the year
activities, and unexpected expenses that always arise.
Do you serve lunch or do we bring our own? Having a restaurant within our space allows for a
lunch purchase but its not a cafeteria atmosphere where we serve lunch. We need to
provide a lunch time because we all need to eat especially since we are offering three hours this
year. You are welcome to purchase lunch at Baxters or feel free to bring your own.
Cant I just pay you and you get our books for us? No. By allowing you to purchase your own
books, it helps families to budget for the costs as well as possibly find used books over the
summer. As long as they are the same edition, used is a great way to save money.
I LOVE God and LOVE teaching especially Writing and Science! How can I sign up to teach?
We are definitely hoping a few of you are asking this. We are always looking for passionate
people to teach and help inspire our students and others. Please let us know if this is you or if
you think you have a desire to teach in any capacity next year!!
How do I decide if its right for my family? You probably have many questions, so we invite you
to take a tour of our co-op. Tours will be offered on 4/22/15 and 4/29/15. We are also offering
our next Home Ed 101 on 5/27/15 from 6:30-9pm at the Metro City Taylor Campus. (21080
Penn St. Taylor, MI 48180) Register for a tour or the Home Ed meetings by clicking the links
below.
Co-op Tour Registration: 4/22/15 or 4/29/15
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=98
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Home Ed 101 Registration: Home Ed. Info Session Pastor J & Friends 5/27/15
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=100
Home Ed 102 Registration: Pre-K/Elementary Session 6/10/15
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=101
Home Ed 102 Registration: Jr. High/High School Session 6/10/15
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=102
I KNOW this is right for my family! Whats next? Registration for new families into the co-op
will begin May 1, 2015. Please register for a co-op tour on 4/22/15 or 4/29/15 from 12:30-3pm
using the links above. Applications will be available along with all necessary paperwork. Youll
be able to ask all your questions and hopefully get all the answers you need to join us next
year!
Co-op Tour Registration: 4/22 or 4/29
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=98
Home Ed 101 Registration: Home Ed. Info Session Pastor J & Friends 5/27/15
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=100
Home Ed 102 Registration: Pre-K/Elementary Session 6/10/15q
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=101
Home Ed 102 Registration: Jr. High/High School Session
https://metrosouthchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=102

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