OVCHE

Ohio Valley Christian Home Educators

Co-op Policy

OVCHE Co-op Policy (rev 07-2025)

 

Ohio Valley Christian Home Educators supports and encourages families who are striving to educate their children in a manner pleasing to our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Co-op is a full year commitment (20 weeks). The Co-op participation fee will be paid prior to the fall registration for the whole year and is non-refundable. If you attend less than 80% of Co-op days per term, or do not fulfill your parent job, your future participation may be revoked.

  1. Registration
  1. Families may be eligible to participate in Co-op if they meet one of the following criteria and there is space available:
  1. A parent is teaching a K-12th grade course offering that term
  2. They participated in Co-op’s previous year
  3. At least one child is eligible for a K-12th grade course offering
  4. Families with only preschoolers will be admitted last
  5. Children being cared for by an eligible family (except for foster care) are generally not admitted. Exceptions could be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Co-op committee.
  1. To reserve a potential spot in an upcoming Co-op term - whether as a new or returning participant, or even if you’re planning to teach - please complete the Co-op survey (emailed to all OVCHE families the prior term) by the deadline specified. Failure to do so may affect your position in the registration queue and your ability to participate in Co-op!
  2. Our maximum number of children allowed in the building (as per insurance) at one time is 100 (birth to 12th grade). Therefore, registration will happen in approximately the following order until we reach this capacity:
  1. Children of those teaching that term
  2. High schoolers and their families
  3. Middle schoolers and their families
  4. Elementary schoolers and their families
  5. New Families (i.e. who did not participate the previous year) who completed the Co-op survey by the stated deadline
  6. New families who did not complete the Co-op survey by the deadline
  7. Families with only preschoolers.
  1. The exact order of registration (especially towards the end) is determined by a number of factors including (in no particular order): the number of spots available, family size, age of oldest child, years of OVCHE membership, parent reliability/willingness to teach, and Co-op Coordinator discretion, as needed.
  2. If you choose to take a year off of Co-op your spot can not be saved. If you would like to participate again, please complete the Co-op Survey (sent via email to all OVCHE families the previous term) and your name will go in the appropriate spot in the registration queue.
  3. Curriculum used is at the discretion of the instructor, and not exclusively Christian in content. OVCHE does not promote or require the use of any specific curriculum. Class topics and curricula (when available) are given a cursory review when approved by the Board. However, it is each parent’s responsibility to work with the instructor to evaluate class content and discern what is best for their family.
  1. Participation
  1. Parents are responsible for their children during the cooperative day. Parents must plan to attend the cooperative day with their children. This is not a drop-off activity.
  2. Parents must participate.
  1. All families are expected to help with either Set-up or Tear Down.
  2. In addition, each parent will be assigned a parent job for each hour they attend Co-op.
  3. Parent Jobs include things such as: instructor, assistant, nursery care, or lunch duty. Preferences will be noted, but not always available.
  1. Nursery care will be provided only when parents are performing their parent job. Toddlers and infants are to remain with their parents during the remaining time.
  2. In the event that parents have a free hour during Co-op, they must stay in non-classroom spaces or the nursery. Please be respectful of nearby classes and open doors and keep noise to a minimum.
    1. When parent participation is required for a class, please be respectful of the instructor and refrain from being chatty.
    2. Children are to respect and follow the classroom and facility rules. Facility rules include:
  1. Children may not run in the building.
  2. No one is permitted on the Sanctuary side of the building, unless asked.
  3. Children may not open the marked emergency exits.
  4. Parents are personally responsible for any property damage performed by their child(ren).
  1. For portfolio purposes, instructors are to make available an outline of the materials covered in class. This outline should be provided to parents and uploaded to the classroom dashboard.
  2. A supply list is provided prior to the first class. Please make every effort to have your child’s supplies for the first week.
  3. Instructors are to discuss the classroom rules on the first day of class.
  4. When children are disrespectful toward the instructor and of the classroom rules - to the point of disrupting the purpose of the class – the following discipline procedure will take place:
  1. First offense: Instructor privately gives student a verbal warning and issues the student a discipline slip. The student will have their parent sign the discipline slip and return it to the instructor.
  2. Second offense: Instructor will schedule a meeting with student and parents. Together, they will fill out a Student Action Plan that will be implemented for the remainder of the term.
  3. Third offense: The OVCHE Co-op committee is notified, and the student may be removed from the class.
  1. Virtual participation is at the discretion of the instructor. Virtual students may not screen share without permission.
  1. Attendance
  1. Please arrive on time. Opening prayer and announcements are at 9:00 a.m., followed by first hour classes at 9:10 a.m.
  2. Please stay home when members of your family are sick. In some cases, students who are absent may be responsible for making up missed work to stay on pace with the class.
  3. In the event of absence, please contact the Parent Jobs Coordinator as soon as possible.
  4. In the event of an instructor absence, the instructor’s assistant will act as a substitute, or a “class sitter” will be provided. Instructors will be responsible for communicating missed material to their students.
  5. Co-op Cancellation Policy.
  1. In the event of inclement weather, Co-op will be canceled if the Ohio County School district cancels. Please check Remind messages and Facebook for such announcements.
  2. In the event of cancellation, classes may extend up to two weeks beyond the last week of regularly scheduled classes.
  3. End-of-term make-up classes may be held on an alternative day and location, including virtually.
  1. Payments
  1. The non-refundable family participation fee (and child registration fee, if applicable) should be paid via cash, check, or PayPal to OVCHE. This fee is subject to increase if not enough families register to cover the facility rental. Such an increase would be collected on the first day of classes.
  2. All payments are non-refundable. All class payments will be invoiced by and paid to OVCHE via cash, check, or PayPal.
  3. Class payments are due to OVCHE one week before classes start, or sooner if necessary, as will be communicated by the instructor or Co-op Coordinator. Those who fail to pay by or on the first day of class will not be allowed to participate in Co-op.
  4. Parent instructors are volunteers and cannot be paid directly for class expenses. They will be reimbursed by OVCHE as necessary and in accordance with the Co-op reimbursement policy. We encourage parents and students to show their appreciation to their instructors at the end of each term!

07/2025

 

 

OVCHE Co-op Instructor Policy (rev 07-2025)

 

Ohio Valley Christian Home Educators (OVCHE’s) Mission Statement:
To support and encourage families who are striving to educate their children in a manner pleasing to our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Co-op is a full year commitment (20 weeks). Instructors do not have to teach both terms, but are expected to attend 90% of classes per term that they teach. Failure to do so may result in ineligibility to teach or even future participation being revoked.

  1. Instructor Eligibility:
  1. All potential instructors must meet the qualifications laid-out in OVCHE’s Child Protection Policy [Section X of OVCHE’s Policies, Procedures, and Expected Conduct (PPEC)].
  2. Instructors must be respectful of OVCHE’s Mission Statement (above) and commit not to undermine or teach contrary to OVCHE’s Statement of Faith and Statement on Marriage and Sexuality (Sections II and III of the PPEC).
  3. OVCHE member-instructors must have:
  1. Either participated in co-op as an assistant for one term, OR actively participated in OVCHE, at large, for one year.
  2. Fulfilled all their assigned parents jobs.
  3. Demonstrated good attendance and prompt arrival time.
  1. Community-member instructors must:
  1. Meet the qualifications outlined in a-c, above.
  2. Demonstrate a reasonable level of expertise on the topic they are teaching.
  3. Live in accordance with OVCHE’s Statement on Marriage and Sexuality.
  1. All instructors and classes are subject to OVCHE Board approval.The Board reserves the right to deny any class or instructor at any time for any reason.
  2. Instructors must not plan to be absent for more than one class per term. Dates of planned absences should be given to the Parent Job Coordinator before the start of the term (ideally via the Instructor Agreement form).
  3. Co-teaching must be approved by the Co-op committee in order to ensure all necessary positions are filled.
  1. Instructor Responsibility:
  1. Make a class outline or syllabus available to parents (if possible, uploaded to the Classroom Dashboard) for portfolio purposes by the last day of class.
  2. Provide a supply list to parents a minimum of two weeks prior to the first day of class.
  3. Arrive to Co-op a minimum of 20 minutes before their class.
  4. Present and discuss the classroom rules on the first day of class.
  5. Prepare a sub-folder, including necessary supplies, on the first week of class. Sub folders will be utilized in case of an unplanned instructor absence.
  1. In case of a planned or unexpected instructor absence:
  1. The Parent Jobs coordinator should be notified as soon as the absence is known. The assigned class assistant should serve as a substitute. If the class assistant is unavailable or unwilling, the instructor will work with the Parent Jobs coordinator to find a suitable substitute.
  2. In the case of a planned absence, class materials should be provided to the substitute in advance. In the case of an unexpected absence, the sub-folder will be used.
  3. If necessary, teachers should attempt to schedule a make-up in-person or virtual class to cover the missed material. Such classes will need to be held outside of Co-op, on an alternative day and location.
  1. Disciplinary Procedure:

When children are disrespectful toward the teacher and of the classroom rules - to the point of disrupting the purpose of the class – the following discipline procedure will take place:

  1. First offense: Teacher privately gives student a verbal warning and issues the student a discipline slip. Student will have parent sign the discipline slip and return to the teacher.
  2. Second offense: Teacher will schedule a meeting with student and parents. Together, they will fill out a Student Action Plan that will be implemented for the remainder of the semester.
  3. Third offense: The OVCHE co-op committee is notified, and the student may be removed from the class.
  1. Instructor Reimbursement Policy
  1. All class fees will be collected by OVCHE.
  2. Reimbursements cannot be issued prior to the collection of all class fees. Class fees are due one week before the first day of class.
  1. If the class requires pre-ordering materials, please notify the Co-op Chair and Treasurer so that class fees can be collected sooner.
  2. The Reimbursement Liaison will communicate the amount available for reimbursement to the instructor, once all fees have been collected.
  3. Teachers may request from the Treasurer to not pay the class fee if their own child is a student in their class.
  1. Teachers are responsible for keeping track of their spending and submitting receipts for reimbursement.
  1. Receipts are required for all purchases.
  2. Homemade copies will be reimbursed at $0.20 per copy.
  3. The Co-op Instructor Reimbursement (Google) Form must be used to submit all requests for reimbursement.
  1. Training will be provided on this form at the Annual Co-op Instructor Meeting.
  2. Instructors should use the provided file naming system for attaching receipts.
  3. Up to 10 receipts can be submitted per form.
  4. In the case of an instructor teaching multiple classes, receipts for each class should be submitted on a separate form.
  5. Reimbursement requests will be reviewed by the Reimbursement Liaison, a Board Member, and the Treasurer, prior to issuing reimbursement.
  1. Expenses can be reimbursed up to 10% over the class fees collected without Board approval. Larger overages require Board approval on a case-by-case basis. All overages are subject to the availability of funds and will not be disbursed until the end of the term.
  1. Reimbursement requests can be submitted anytime after the Annual Co-op Instructor Meeting.
  1. Please allow at least two weeks for the reimbursement to be processed.
  2. All reimbursement requests should be submitted within two weeks of the last day of the Co-op term.
  3. Reimbursements will be delivered via check at Co-op, or in the mail if after the Co-op term.
  1. All remaining class fees at the end of each year will be used for the benefit of all co-op participants.

 

7/2025

 

 

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