BIG NEWS!!!

Hey! Hi! Hello!

It’s been some time since my last post…

*cough*

It’s been almost a year and a half to be exact!

*cough*

But I promise, the silence on my end has all been due to great things! It’s almost felt like too much to keep track of, but let me try.

As a refresher, my last post was an announcement for the close of registration for our very first in-person co-op which occurred during the 2022-2023 school year. We have lots to celebrate! Can you believe we just closed out the fall semester for YEAR TWO of our in-person homeschool co-op?!

Woo whooooo!

That’s pretty major if I do say so myself!

Where it all began

We spent our first year meeting in a church in Sicklerville, NJ. We had families from South Jersey, Philadelphia, and the suburbs of Philadelphia. We offered groups for 4-6 year olds, 7-9 year olds and 10-12 year olds. We also had a nursery group for younger siblings, aged three-years-old and under.

Our group banded together to offer a variety of classes including but not limited to the art of story telling, arts & crafts, a math lab, financial literacy, an art lab, seasons of the year class for our tots, weird science, stories from around the world & geography, STEM challenge, book club, and much more!

In addition to these classes, our group participated in these other extracurricular activities:

• Winter showcase to highlight what our amazing kiddos learned in the fall semester
• Hosted a canned food drive during the holidays (donated canned foods and gently used socks to a local senior center)
• Participated in a service project (10-12 year olds wrote 150 holiday cards for a nursing home)
• Hosted a surprise baby shower for two of our group’s expectant mommies
• Science fair with judges and awards
• Field trips at local science centers and nature walks
• Field day during the summer months

We’re Growing…

Yup! We really are!

Able to Teach Homeschool Collective (or as I have affectionately dubbed it, ATHC) is truly growing. We started with roughly 26 children enrolled in our classes, this semester had a record 36 children! We also had the opportunity to add some much needed infrastructure through the addition of an administrator and a lesson plan leader. These two roles have been vital to our group’s stability and functionality. Both have made the execution of our weekly classes seamless! I’d be lost without the two amazing mommas who have so graciously taken up these mantels!

We outgrew our location and moved to a larger church one town over in Pine Hill, NJ. A benefit of this is we are now able to offer an ongoing gym class where space was previously a limitation for something like this.

This school year, not only have we have added new families, but we’ve also added some new and exciting classes including an introduction to theater arts in which the 7-9 year old group learned a kids’ version of Hamlet, LEGO math, and robotics!

We’re gearing up for our Winter 2024 Session

This fall semester was beyond successful and we earned a pretty sweet break. But our Winter 2024 session is right around the corner. If you or anyone you know would like to join our growing group of Black and Brown homeschooling families, you can send an email to abletoteachhomeschool@gmail.com.

We start back with in-person classes Jan. 12th!

AND NOW…OUR BIGGEST NEWS YET!!!

Mums been the word as of late. But I can’t sit on this HUGE accomplishment any longer y’all!

WE WON A $10,000 GRANT!!!!

Like for real, for real! This is MAJOR guys!!!

I’m still blown away when I say it out loud. This phenomenal micro grant ATHC was awarded was generously gifted to us by the VELA EDUCATION FUND.

As per the VELA Fund website:

Micro grants provide fast funding for everyday entrepreneurs – students, parents, educators, and community leaders – who are building unconventional learning ecosystems within their communities.

VELA EDUCATION FUND

So what does the receipt of this micro grant mean for ATHC?

I’m glad you asked! This micro grant will allow us to:

• Expand our class offerings
• Outsource some of our classes to specialists and professionals in their respective fields
• Make our programming more affordable for current families
• Offer sliding scales and scholarships for families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to join

When will the grant take effect?

Right away!

My initial experience with the VELA Fund has been pretty amazing! The application process was clear-cut and they have been very open in their communication. They’ve laid out what to expect every step of the way. As an added bonus to being a grant recipient, Able to Teach now has access to the the VELA Fund’s growing community of fellow grantees. I recently joined their closed community and did a bit of browsing around. I couldn’t contain my excitement for the budding prospect of connections and partnerships with like-minded groups and individuals!

I have to simply thank God for this opportunity. I know for a fact that it would not be possible without Him!

Well, that just about sums it up. I hope that you guys now have a sense as to why there’s been so much radio silence on my end. I’m looking forward to sharing more of what’s new with ATHC as well as our other endeavors.

Thanks for reading and keep rooting for us!

Blessings,

Courtney