From group to organization

Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

The Jefferson County homeschool group has been very busy these past few months, working to establish a unique group that can provide many resources and activities to the homeschoolers of the county.
Just this month, they established the official group, The Jefferson County Homeschool Association, Inc. (JCHAI), and registered with the state as a non-profit, applying for the 501(c)(3) designation. Now they are just waiting for approval of their 501(c)(3) so that they can continue with the rest of the things they need to do with the state to operate as a private non-profit, charitable organization. The Jefferson County School board is also being helpful and working with the JCHAI as they try to get established and is letting them use the old South Water Street Administration Building for their operation. The organization has even joined the Chamber.

Tammy Brookins, one of the homeschool mothers who has been working on this project, says that they are “trying to create a place for homeschoolers in Jefferson County, and any homeschooler from anywhere if they wanted to participate.” She lists many of the activities they are getting started, such as a co-op day, mom's night activities, beginner band and art classes. They also will have programs and activities outside the center, such as rec park sports and theater and dance.

This is a year of growth and learning for the homeschool community here in Jefferson County, and they hope to apply for grants to expand their vision. Phase two for the organization is the creation of a children's museum. Jen Brown, another homeschool mother working on this project, tells that they hope the museum will be a play and learning space that people can come with their kids. “When the weather is great, you can go outside and play, but when the weather's bad, there is really nowhere to go,” Brown says. “There have been places in Tallahassee, but there is nothing really good. Even in Tallahassee.” She says they want to create a place where parents can bring their kids, where they can explore their environment, learn and have fun. “And I want it here in Monticello,” Brown adds. “Because I want to drive people to Monticello and build up our community. Hopefully, they come for the children's museum, they play and have fun and then they go out and visit all our restaurants and shops.”

They say this vision is a little way down the road, but not far. They have come a long way in the past few months and are really starting to see the fruits of their labor take shape. Once they have the money to do it, and with the communities support, the museum will be here in no time. Brown expresses that she really wants the community's support, as she is modeling the museum after the Galveston Island children's museum, which was built almost totally from community support.

“Every exhibit in the museum—it's all hands on it's all stuff for kids to do—was created by a local business. So that business gets to showcase their business there in the museum, while creating something for their kids to play and learn with,” says Brown.

Aside from the group's growth as an organization, they also currently host park days once a week. The parents and kids meet up at a park or go swimming, which is, they say, the lynchpin of the organization's social cohesiveness plan. They also go on monthly or twice monthly field trips.

JCHAI is doing its best to be a homeschool magnet. Brookins states that this is the first relationship she knows of in the state where the county is giving them the opportunity to expand as they are and provide them with a space.
The whole endeavor started because the group wanted to set up a resource library for homeschoolers. It is a lending library, run off of donations, that you can borrow from and bring back when you are done, but, unlike a typical library, with a time period, you can keep the material for as long as you need. When Marianne Arbulu, the Superintendent for Jefferson County, showed them the space they could use, the old Administration Building, they realized they could do so much more with it. Which lead to their evolution from group to organization.

Soon, they plan to start their art program as well as a LEGO robotics program. It's all a work in progress at this point in development, so if you would like to donate anything to the organization, they are looking for LEGOs, shelves and cabinets, or the money to buy them.

For more information, you can email JCHAI at jeffersonhomeschool@gmail.com or call them at (850) 427-1436.