Home schooling in Minneapolis or Denver (Edina: co-ops, homes, transfer)

[HSMom2009]

Hi! We home school our 2 small kids. Before I get any of the usual questions, here's my answers.
1: We homeschool because the public school's in Ohio are well ...they suck.
2: Yes, they get plenty of time with other kids. They attend a home-shool co-op a couple times a week, plus dance and soccer.

We may be transfered to Minneapolis or Denver. Can anyone tell what homeschooling in those states are like? Any Co-op's in the area?

Many Thanks!

[Kebinminn]

I don't but strongly considered it and know people who do so I can answer some. In MN you need to either have a BA, pass the teacher certification or submit grades a few times a year. echo-mn is an active homeschooling group, they have a yahoo group. There's also another yahoo group called homeschool adventures (I think) on yahoo.

There's some co-ops, the ones I've heard about seem to be more suburban than urban. There may be some more urban that I haven't come across. Also a lot ofplaces offer homeschool classes like swimming, The Works in Edina has homeschool science days.

From what I've been told homeschooling in Minnesota is something that can work very well. Good luck!

[Sarimn00]

I live in MN, and first, if you are transferred here, the public schools are quite good compared to most states. They frequently rank close to the top in the country. That said, I don't know much about homeschooling here. My cousins were homeschooled in MN, and there seemed to be a lot of opportunities for them. It helps that you would be located in Minneapolis, and not in rural MN, where there is not as much for them to do.

[HSMom2009]

Thanks for the info ! I would consider putting kids in public school in Minnesota. I have heard great things about public school in MN. I will check out the Yahoo groups. Thanks!!!

[Anneee]

Minnesota is very homeschool-friendly. Just call the district you'll be moving into, and they'll mail you the information you need.

[QueenBee]

We've done both here in the Mpls suburban area. MSP is a very homeschool friendly area (as is most of MN, I believe) with plenty of opportunities, support groups, and co-ops. I did find that many of the co-ops do tend to be religious in nature, but with perserverance you can find secular groups if you desire. Requirements are fairly easy; file an intent form each year and present either a copy of your Bachelors degree (or higher) or submit a report card quarterly if no BA/BS. After age 7, children must be tested annually. Results do not need to be submitted to the district - only the date of the test and type of test taken. We used the Peabody test and had a tester come to our home; easy and fun for the kids. MN is one of the few states where you can deduct homeschool expenses. The main Christian organization is MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) at www.mache.org and the main secular organization is MHA (Minnesota Homeschoolers' Alliance) at www.mha.org. Both memberships include thick binders with lists of co-ops and support groups by county.

That said, the public schools are overall very good. Schools do vary within districts and districts vary from each other. All 3 of my kids are in public school now and we are extremely happy. I feel like they are getting an excellent education. There are lots of affordable extracurriculars available as well.

Good luck!

[CMartel2]

I think you'll be pleased with both the public schools in Minneapolis and the southern suburbs of Denver and some of the northern ones, as well.

That said, good for you homeschooling your kids when the government schools are lousy. We need more parents like you in the world who take the time to actually care for their kids.