Support Group Management: Starting & Running a Support Group
Learn how to start and manage a homeschool support group, including how to stay organized, how to handle conflict, and ideas for your support group.
Starting & Running a Homeschool Support Group
Forming a Homeschool Support Group
This webpage has a list of articles detailing many of the issues and ideas surrounding starting a homeschool support group. You'll find discussions of everything from why you should form a support group, to choosing a leader, to delegating and handling tough situations.
Creating African-American Home School Support Groups
In order for home schooling to be successful in the African-American community, it is imperative that local and state support groups and organizations be formed. There are several ways that African-American homeschoolers can reach out and create support groups either on the local or state level. This article gives tips and ideas for starting a homeschool support group.
Why and How to Get Connected
In this day and age, homeschoolers represent a market. There are many businesses catering to homeschoolers' needs--or perceived needs. When first starting out it can be especially tempting to sign up for a multitude of classes or experiences that are being sold to you, rather than putting your energy into a grassroots network such as a local homeschool support group. Before you know it, your days are filled with activity and you don't look back. The intangibles you'd be missing out on--real connection with other homeschoolers and personal empowerment--might be some of the best kept secrets of homeschooling, as well as what would sustain you on this path in the end. This article includes some examples and ideas of rituals and social events you can organize.
Starting A Homeschool Group
Some basic tips for starting a homeschool support group. This article has three parts--be sure to continue on to each part. The first part focuses specifically on how to find other interested parents. Part two discusses how to communicate with the group, conduct meetings, and decide on a direction for the group. The final part of the article addresses the nuts and bolts of support group management--money issues, dealing with difficult people, and delegation.
Field Trip Guidelines for Homeschool Groups
This letter can be used to establish an understanding about homeschool groups when you organize a field trip.
Homeschool CPA
As more parents choose to homeschool, homeschool support groups and co-ops find that they are no longer the small group of moms they were when they started. Perhaps your homeschool organization is growing and you need help. You may be wondering how to manage a larger group or how to establish a budget for your group, or even becoming a formally recognized nonprofit. Do you know what 501c3 means and is your group ready? Here you’ll find helpful articles on the steps to take, answers to your questions and products and links to guide you. This website was created by a homeschooling mother and Certified Public Accountant, specializing in not-for-profit management and accounting.
The Social Connection--Making a Support Group Work in Your Community
This article is the transcript of a talk given to the National LDS Homeschooling Organization convention in 2001. Diane Hopkins tells how she started a homeschool support group and the strategies she used to make it a success.
Web Presence for African-American Homeschoolers
Creating a web presence of African-American home school support groups will do much to organize and network families across the country and internationally. This article the basics for creating a personal home schooling website or site for a home school support group or organization.
Home education support groups
There are many home educators' support groups around the world, particularly in the USA and UK. These can be a good way of getting to know other families, finding out about local regulations or facilities, and for your children to mix with others of different background. This article discusses reasons for wanting a support group, how to start a home education support group, and possible group activities.
The Leader's Manual: A Guide For Christian Home School Support Groups
This practical guide to starting and leading a support group covers such topics as how to start a support group, how to structure your leadership team, practical tips on managing a support group, ideas for support group meetings, what to do when your group gets too large, how to prevent leader burnout, and much more. You'll also find over 25 reproducible, ready-to-use forms for use in many organized activities, check-off lists for seminars and field trips, time-tables for planning support group activities, certificates, testing enrollment form, and much more.
Support for Homeschool Group Leaders
HSGLS - Homeschool Group Leader Support
This group is for homeschool support group leaders to discuss the challenges of organizing, running, and leading their local, national, or international homeschool support groups, and to share ideas and information about facilitating homeschool support groups. HSGLS is open to all homeschool group leaders.
Homeschool Editors
Homeschool Editors, an email list sponsored by NHEN, was created for editors and publishers of homeschooling newsletters, magazines, e-zines and journals. Whether your homeschooling publication is large or small, you're welcome to join this group. Discussions cover the dilemmas faced and discoveries made trying to bring information to the homeschooling community.
Leader Support
This is a support list for all homeschool group leaders, regardless of religious beliefs or homeschooling philosophies. Here you can give or receive input, ideas, and support from other homeschool leaders.
Homeschool Leaders
Homeschool Leaders is a Yahoo group restricted to leaders (or potential leaders) of inclusive homeschool groups. These groups have no membership requirements, are open to all homeschoolers regardless of homeschool style or religious belief, and do not endorse one particular homeschool style or belief. If you have a group like this, you are invited to join this list of inclusive homeschool leaders.
NHEN-NewSG
This list is for those people seeking to start homeschool support groups in their area. The list hopes to provide encouragement, advice, and support to those working hard to foster connections between homeschoolers via support networks.
The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Nation Leadership Group
The TOS Homeschool Nation Leadership Group is sponsored by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and links together state coordinators of Homeschool Nation and those in homeschool leadership from the US and around the world. This list is geared for sharing news, information, exchanging ideas, networking together, and offering encouragement from leader to leader. Welcome to join are leaders within national or regional homeschool organizations, leaders of support groups or co-ops, board members, or those who serve the homeschooling community as authors, speakers, or conference organizers.
LDS Homeschool Leaders
LDS Homeschool Leaders is the official email support group for LDS homeschool support group leaders across the nation and beyond, sponsored by the National LDS Homeschool Association. All LDS homeschool support leaders are encouraged to join as well as those planning to start a group soon. This list provides an opportunity to share information about your group, discuss leadership problems, and find support.
Roots and Shoot Homeschool Leaders
This listserv is for Roots and Shoots leaders who lead a homeschool or community group. Here you can share ideas on projects, service activities, fundraising, and general topics about your group.
Homeschool Leaders Support
This is a group for those who lead homeschool support groups, co-ops, or other groups for homeschool families to connect and talk about their common (or unique) issues and challenges of organizing, managing, leading, and growing groups are organized for homeschool families.
CMmamas - Leader support group
A support group for homeschool group Leaders, with the Charlotte Mason literature-based homeschool method as a primary focus. Leaders of other types of homeschool or parent's groups may participate. Topics include group organization, problems, setting up studies and discussions, activities, speakers, conventions and conferences, books, email and websites.
Tools for Homeschool Support Group Leaders
Field Trip Report Form
This handy printable form lets your child record a written record of your field trip visit.
Field Trip Planning Form
Helpful form for getting organized when planning field trips. Free and printable.
Calendars Net
Free online web calendar hosting. Calendars Net is designed for webmasters who want to integrate interactive calendars with their websites. Use this online calendar to make organizing your support group functions a snap.
Looking for Another State?
Featured Resources

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this site.

For the Good of the Earth and Sun: Teaching Poetry
For the Good of the Earth and Sun is for teachers at all levels, especially for those teachers who feel anxious about introducing poetry to students. Georgia Heard offers a method of teaching poetry that respects the intelligence of students and teachers and that can build upon their basic originality. She explores poetry from the inside as it is: a powerful and necessary way of looking at the world, and one of mankind's most durable inventions. Her book provides detailed, organized information ...
I Learn Better by Teaching Myself/Still Teaching Ourselves
Take a look at how a homeschooling mother learned to trust her children-and herself-to learn in new ways. Tag along on the journey from the elementary years through high school as this book explore the success and freedom of unstructured learning. These books are especially good for anyone wrestling with the question of "how much structure should there be in a homeschool?"
A Reason For® Handwriting
A Reason For® Handwriting provides a fun, meaningful approach to developing effective handwriting skills. Each lesson is built around a Scripture verse chosen not only for proper letter combinations, but also inspirational content. “Border Sheets” encourage students to share God's Word with others. You'll find product information about A Reason For® Handwriting here.
Great States Board Game
What is the capital of NJ? Where is the Football Hall of Fame? These are just a few of the hundreds of questions players are asked as they adventure around the USA discovering state attractions and landmarks, capitals, state abbreviations, state locations and more. In order to answer the questions on the cards, players must look closely at the colorful USA map game board, becoming familiar with the geography of the country. Players must hurry to find the answers as the mechanical timer ticks. Co...
Total Language Plus
Total Language Plus is an innovative curriculum focused on teaching thinking and communication skills using literature as a base. The authors believe an integrated system is more efficient than a fragmented approach, discovery style learning is the most effective and learning should be enjoyable. The "discover, do, drill" method is employed throughout the TLP program with activities focusing on thinking skills. These comprehensive novel studies cover spelling, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, a...