Churches interested in developing a ministry to families with school-age children have several starting points and options:
- Host an evening or Saturday seminar on Christian Home Education for families in your congregation and community and have Family Academy do a presentation
- Host an Able to Teach course or refer interested families to Able to Teach on-line
- Establish a support group and/or homeschool co-op. Note: These services are not provided by Family Academy or Academy NW.
- Refer teachers within your congregation for training to become Family Academy Teacher Consultants who could provide educational services at or through your church as a service to families in your congregation and your local community.
These services could range from individual one-on-one tutoring, to weekly or semi-weekly classes via the “Learning Center” or an “Affiliate Academy”. Instruction could range from 1-12 hours of classes and learning activities each week. (Twelve hours is the maximum number of hours so the parent remains the primary instructor for more than 50% of the week’s school hours.)
Learning Center [LC]: This refers to a weekly gathering of students and parents for a class or classes taught by the Teacher Consultant [TC]. This format, however, is flexible for meeting the necessary contact time between student and teacher. LCs may be virtual, a “classroom without walls” serviced by one TC, or they may be in a sizeable facility providing live classes with several TCs. LCs may be located at your church or in local meeting halls, commercial spaces, homes, etc.
Affiliate Academy: Churches and Christian educational corporations wanting to offer Family-Directed Education following the Family Academy Way, may adopt our approach, adapting our methods and resources to fit the local needs. Family Academy will assist the Affiliate Academy in developing their own registrar and support services for TCs, Academy development, as well as accreditation.