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NOW REGISTERING FOR SUMMER CAMP
Join The Spokane Learning Co-op
Join The Spokane Learning Co-op
The Fine Print right up front
The Fine Print right up front
How to Join
How to Join
EXPLORE our website in depth to see if we might be right fit for you and your child.
REVIEW the information on this page.
VISIT the Co-op during one of our Gatherings. Meet our members and facilitators. Spend time with us to get a feel for the atmosphere. Schedule your visit by contacting Katy at hello@spokanelearningcoop.org or 971 363 0792.
BEGIN the application process by filling out & submitting 2024-25 SLC Family Registration From.
We are Outdoors, Off-grid, and Screen-Free
We are Outdoors, Off-grid, and Screen-Free
The Spokane Learning Co-op gathers outdoors on ten acres in northeast Spokane. We provide families with a detailed required clothing list. Appropriate outdoor clothing is essential. You can also view our recommended clothing list here.
Ours is a very physically-oriented and active space. Kids run, jump, dance, dig, hike, climb, slide, balance, throw, bounce, and are overall very physically active every day.
Facilitators and participants will honor family boundaries but will not stop a child from climbing trees, wrestling, or other physical activities (as long as children are not hurting themselves or others) that some parents may find worrisome. We cultivate space to explore that allows children to learn how to trust their bodies and keep themselves safe. This requires adults to let go of their fear, worry, and anxiety about kids getting hurt beyond what is reasonable.
We recommend the book There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids by Linda Åkeson McGurk.
Our Culture
Our Culture
We are a Self-Directed Education center. We do not use a curriculum, give grades, give assignments, give homework, or give exams. We do not separate kids by age or grade level. Kids are free to play and learn naturally, by pursuing their own interests according to their own development. We offer opportunities to try new things, but these are not required. Kids learn to trust themselves in a way that does not happen in conventional schools.
All programs are built on a culture of sociocracy, non-violent communication, and alternatives to violence. These practices are woven into how we relate to one another. Kids learn to express and communicate their feelings in healthy ways. Kids learn how to work together to solve any conflicts that arise.
The adults in our community are committed to unlearning our adultism and coercive “power-over” ideas that we absorbed during our own days in coercive schooling environments.
Most of our families are homeschoolers. If your children are 8 or older, you can become a homeschooler by filing a Declaration of Intent. Get your simple one-page form and easy instructions here. If your kids are under the age of 8, they are educationally free.
Who can join
Who can join
We welcome children and teens if they, their parent(s)/guardian(s), and our program believe that the child or teen will thrive here.
Children being dropped off must be able to use the bathroom independently.
Children must be able to understand and follow Co-op and family boundaries (using some gentle reminders are fine). Examples of Co-op boundaries include: participating in creating and following our community rules. Examples of specific family boundaries include: using sunblock and not sharing food/specific food guidelines.
Registration may happen throughout the year, depending on availability.
Options, Schedules, & Tuition
Options, Schedules, & Tuition
We offer a variety of options. You can view schedules and tuition on our program pages:
At the Spokane Learning Co-op, we are committed to an economically diverse community. As an co-op, we strive to provide financial aid to those in need. Please know that every dollar that we give in aid reduces the amount of resources we have to spend on salaries, improving our space, and/or purchasing resources for our members/students.
Keeping expense management and long-term pedagogical and financial sustenance in mind, the Spokane Learning Co-op is able to consider need-based scholarships on a case-by-case basis. If you love what we do, but our tuition would create a hardship, please reach out to hello@spokanelearningcoop.org.
Why are we only offering part-time options, and when we'll be able to offer full-time options
Why are we only offering part-time options, and when we'll be able to offer full-time options
Once we become a state-approved independent school, we will be able to also offer a full-time, Monday through Friday option. We plan to continue to offer our part-time programs once we become a full-time school.
We are a Co-op so you get to join in on the fun too
We are a Co-op so you get to join in on the fun too
In our talks with parents, the one thing we keep hearing over and over again is that we are all starved for community. The Spokane Learning Co-op is built on the idea of building a strong community with each other. That means that as a community, we are all committed to the successful operation of our program and to the ongoing creation and growth of our learning space. We are an intentional community committed to our collective learning and liberation. Family participation is required to create a healthy and strong community.
As we are a co-op, you as a parent or guardian get to participate too. Parents of children ages 0 to 4 stay on-site the entire time. Parents of children ages 5 and up stay on-site part of the time, depending on your program. Wednesday and Friday homeschool co-op families rotate cooking responsibilities.
All participating parents must pass a background check.
We are pleased to offer a family-friendly registration experience: just one Registration Form and one Registration Fee ($35) per family, regardless of the number of children.
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