Rochester has quite a few homeschool groups to choose from. Below is a chart of cooperatives and group classes in Rochester including what day of the week they meet and what their religious affiliation is, if any, to help you choose what might work best for your family. If you have any details to add please leave a comment or contact us.
Criteria: This list is restricted to programs that have multiple classes running simultaneously, weekly for a significant portion of the year, for multiple age groups and that meet at a facility such as a church or community center. We include programs that meet during the day, are geared toward homeschoolers, and have open enrollment (e.g. not word of mouth). We do not include learning pods, learning circles or classes that meet in homes. We also do not include single subject homeschool classes that meet at businesses such as gymnastics, dance, rock climbing, etc.
Definitions:
- Cooperatives are parent taught group classes with volunteer requirements. These are typically less expensive because you volunteer your time and there are not paid instructors.
- Group classes that do not require parent participation are typically more expensive because students can be dropped off.
Special Mentions:
- Classical Conversations is a franchise that has a number of local communities. It takes a different approach from other co-ops and group classes in terms of payment, parent participation and educational model. If you’d like to learn more about Classical Conversations, click here.
- Navigators Chapter 357 has regularly scheduled events and a once a month cooperative among other scouting themed activities.
- St. Thomas Aquinas Homeschoolers of the Rochester Area (STAHRA) is a Catholic homeschool community with a monthly cooperative.
- Cooperatives that are closed such as Westside LEAH, Salt and Light and RISE are not included.
This is intended to be a starting point as you look into group classes and coops. Each group is independently run and has different guidelines, pricing structures and nuances.
| Name | Day | SOF* | Location | Commitment | Teaching required | Class Type+ | Length of day | Drop Off? |
| Rochester Christian Cooperative | M | Yes | Pittsford | 32 weeks | Yes | Comprehensive | Full day | No |
| Gloria Deo (LEAH) | M | Yes | Greece | 32 weeks | Yes | Comprehensive, classical | Full Day | No |
| Extra East (Grace Collaborative) | M | No | Fairport | 12 weeks per semester | No | Enrichment | Half day only (afternoon) | Yes |
| Charity Homeschool | M | No | Penfield | 8 weeks per semester | No | Enrichment | Half day only (afternoon) | No |
| Sprouts (Grace Collaborative) | M | No | Spencerport | 12 weeks per semester | No (but must assist) | Enrichment | Half day only (morning) | No |
| Traveling Educational Ministries | M/T/F | No | Henrietta | Full year | No | Core Class (reading, writing, math) | Full Day | Yes |
| Homeschool Academy (LEAH) | T | No | Spencerport | 28 weeks | No | Comprehensive or Enrichment (depending on class choice) | Full or a la carte depending on age | Yes |
| Lilac Children’s Garden | T | No | Rochester | 30 Weeks | No (occasional assistance may be requested) | Enrichment | Half day only (afternoon) | Yes |
| Teach2Learn | M/T | Yes | Henrietta | 32 Weeks | No | Core Classes | Full Day | Yes |
| Littles (Grace Collaborative) | W | No | Spencerport | 12 weeks per semester | No (but must assist) | Enrichment | Half day only (morning) | No |
| Extra West (Grace Collaborative) | W | No | Greece | 12 weeks per semester | No | Enrichment | A la cart | Yes |
| Branches (Grace Collaborative) | Th | No | Spencerport | 12 weeks per semester | No (but must assist) | Core Classes++ | Full or half day | Drop off for 6th grade and up only |
| Monarch Homeschool | Th | No | Victor | No (but must assist) | Enrichment | Full or half day | No | |
| Pittsford Community Church LEAH | F | Yes | Pittsford | 10 weeks per semester | No** | Enrichment/Some Core classes | A la carte | No |
| Greater Rochester LEAH | F | Yes | Spencerport | 9 weeks fall, 6 week spring | Yes | Enrichment | No |
* SOF (Statement of Faith): Indicates that you must sign your agreement with the statement of faith. Charity and Homeschool Academy have a statement of faith which you must acknowledge but do not need to agree with.
** First choice of signup is given to teachers. After teacher registration not many classes are available so teaching at least one class is recommended.
+ Comprehensive co-ops generally dictate what curriculum you use and offer a great deal of accountability but also some loss of freedom. Enrichment co-ops are geared more toward the social aspect of co-ops and offer educational experiences that are not necessarily “core” subjects. For example, a comprehensive co-op may meet for 32 weeks and offer all core subjects, whereas an enrichment co-op might meet for 15 weeks and offer “fun” classes. There is often some overlap as most coops need to offer more academic classes in the higher grades.
++ Grace guarantees music, art, gym, writing/literacy and science, depending on grade level.
My experience has been that Charity is twice the cost of PCC LEAH.
Interesting – okay, good to know!
This is an excellent resource. Thank you for providing it! Lilac Children’s Garden is a cooperative that also could be included. It is not religious, does not require a statement of faith, and meets Tuesdays in Brighton from 1-4. We meet September – May, about 30 weeks. Parents are not required to teach. We hire paid teachers, who receive compensated training in whatever field of study is necessary in order meet the needs of their classes (art, music, child development philosophies, large group movement games, etc.) . Parents do agree to contribute to the community through various parent jobs. They range from sweeping our shared large gathering room, to coordinating tours for potential new families. Tuition is a range ($600-$700), but other financial options are always worked out if needed. It is enrichment.
Thanks so much Wendy!!! I’ll add it.
Charity HS classes are 8 weeks and most are between $1.50-2 a week per class except for classes such as Art or cooking that are $20-$25 for all 8 weeks since they cost more to run, and some classes are just a few cents over $1 a week). You are able to sign up for 1 or all 5 of the class periods offered, and there is a wide range for ages 3 to 12th grade with about 40 classes offered in the 5 periods. The price grid confuses me since we try to keep it and everything we do as cheap as possible for all of our families.
It’s hard to compare prices because it depends on which classes you take for co-ops like Charity, GR LEAH and PCC LEAH. The classes are more expensive on average than PCC LEAH and GR LEAH however. It’s really just meant to be a starting point for people to look into each further. I’ll see if I can figure out a way to make it more standardized.
HSA is not a co-op, and for someone expecting a co-operative experience, that’s an important distinction. “Group classes” is much more accurate here.
I can appreciate the distinction. I think it still should be listed though and since people can work to receive a discount it does have the potential for a cooperative type situation where money is used as the currency for fairness regarding cooperation, so to speak. I can change it to cooperatives and group classes instead of grouping them together.
The Amiko Learning Center for homeschoolers is new this year. It is not religious and does not require a statement of faith. They have been providing high quality classes with very satisfied students and parents: https://www.facebook.com/groups/200139593893402/permalink/327994257774601/
I will add it at the beginning. I think it’s a little different than a co-op because only one child at a time can take classes there and it’s more of a paid classes kind of set up (similar to other classes offered by places like Rocventures, Gyms, etc.) in that sense. In my mind a coop is more where multiple children could have their academic needs met over the course of the day, but it’s definitely worth adding on the page. 🙂