Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Jefferson County Homeschool Association has been in the process of moving their resource center to its new location, and their many weeks of hard work finally paid off on Thursday, Aug. 5, when the association held a Grand Opening of their new center, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony!
The Homeschool Association uses the resource center to offer assistance to homeschooling families that may feel overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of schooling their children on their own. It can be very intimidating for some homeschool families to undertake a homeschool program on their own at home, although many wish to reap the benefits of being so hands-on with their children's education.
One of the great things about having a resource center like this available for families in the homeschool group is that it can take away that sense of isolation that you want to avoid when schooling children outside of a traditional classroom. “We want to build a sense of community,” says Heather Boyd, Vice President of the Homeschool Association. “Having a resource building for the homeschool families helps facilitate that sense of community as we bring that extra support to homeschool families. We want them to know, 'you aren't on your own'. This building is just the start. If we see that our resource center is becoming a real asset to the community, and there is need for more, we might expand this center to encompass the needs of the community.”
The new resource center is now home to several classroom settings for courses offered by the Homeschool Association, including a robotics course, strings orchestra, band, art classes, dance, Shakespeare, and civics, among others. The main room in the center is called the Dickinson Gathering Room, and is a meeting place for homeschool parents where they can gain and share advice from fellow parents.The facility also has a supply room and a lending library with curriculum books that parents have donated as their children grow up. These services are available to anyone who is an official member of the Jefferson County Homeschool Association.
If you are interested in becoming a member or for more information, please contact Tammy Brookins at (850) 210-3653.