Q:

A:

Membership fees for the 2023-2024 school year are as follows:

Regular members

$350 membership fee + $100 commitment deposit (fully refundable upon completion of required obligations; refunded at school year’s end) 

Books and/or supply fees such as lab or art supplies are additional

Optional fundraiser lunches 

Optional special occasion costs including dances, filed trips, etc

Regular members must commit to fulfilling various obligations such as: hall monitor, grading, teaching, assistant, cleaning, etc.  

Associate members

$400 membership fee 

$75 per class hour fee

Books and/or supply fees such as lab or art supplies are additional.

Optional fundraiser lunches

No required commitments or cooperative obligations.   

Grades 7-12 ONLY. May be dropped off.  

Q:

A:

Applications are generally accepted between February and June for the August enrollment of the same year.  February 1, you may apply online through this website.  At that time there will be a "join" button located at the top of the page. You can fill out the application and expect to receive an answer back in at least 5-7 business days.  

Q:

A:

GECO's fundamental purpose is to support academics and social activity for students in grades 7-12.  Familes with children younger than that are required to wait till students reach middle school age before applying.  Familes with middle and high school students AND younger children are welcome to apply.  

Q:

A:

Fees at GECO pay for facility rent, insurance, supplies, and more.  Fees have been used to purchase lab equipment, audio/visual equipment, and teaching materials that are used for core subjects such as biology, chemistry, and physics.  All members, including the Board, are volunteer positions and receive no compensation for their work. 

Q:

A:

Yes, GECO does a background check for each adult member and each adult member is required to take Ministry Safe Sexual Abuse Awareness Training.  These two requirements are a part of GECO's commitment to keeping our campus and children safe.  The training is required every 2 years for continuing membership.  

Q:

A:

Regular members may fulfill their volunteer obligations in various ways:

-teacher or teacher assistant

-hall monitor 

-facility set up or end of day clean up

-grading papers

-planning parties

The number of jobs required varies from year to year based upon enrollment and Co-op needs.  

Q:

A:

Yes, you can still join GECO without a volunteer commitment.  GECO's associate membership allows parents of students in 7-12 grade to  join and not be committed to active participation as a volunteer.  Associate memberships are limited to 5 per school year and membership fees are higher.  Class hour fees apply, also.  Associate memberships do not allow children younger than grade 7 to attend.  

Q:

A:

The purpose for having new applicants do all the paperwork online is to save printing and filing efforts.  You may choose to speak to an administrator to have them explain each item to you.  The information gathered in the online application process is all the paperwork required to protect members, the organization, and the facility GECO rents.  For years, GECO has required several pages of signatures and agreements and records for children to be filled out before registration.  Having new applicants do all the paperwork online allows GECO to keep secure digital records and reduce the need for filing time and space. 

Q:

A:

GECO communicates with members via GroupMe for general group announcements, emails for class and group business beyond the scope of GroupMe, and between individual members via texts or calls.  GECO's website has a calendar for all GECO events and weekly emails are sent automatically to keep members up to date on what's happening and when.  

Members are encouraged to check email regularly, and the GroupMe app is necessary.

Q:

A:

GECO is not a school.  GECO is a volunteer, parent lead, non- profit cooperative.  As a cooperative, GECO operates to offer academic and social support to home school families.  While some GECO courses do provide grade for academic credit, it is the responsibility of the parent to follow up on student work, record grades, prepare transcripts as applicable, and transfer records according to the education plan of the student and the family. 

GECO does not keep grades and records from year to year.  GECO does not transfer records.  GECO does not provide report cards or transcripts. 

Q:

A:

Saxon Math, Apologia Science, IEW writing courses and more make up the typical GECO curriculum list.  Teachers are allowed to choose suitable texts for language arts, history, or electives.  All curriculum choices must be approved by the Board and must not contradict a biblical worldview. 

Q:

A:

GECO is governed by a member elected Executive Board, according to bylaws adopted in January 2018.  The stated purpose of GECO, according to the bylaws is as follows:

2.1   Purpose:  The purpose of Grace Enrichment Co-op, Inc. is to provide a cooperative organization for member families homeschooling students in grades seven through twelve through classroom, lab, tutorial, electives, and other defined courses with high academic standards with shared expenses in a Christian environment, upholding traditional Christian beliefs and practices without proselytizing or espousing any one denominational viewpoint or doctrine.

For futher information regarding organization of GECO, please contact us.