Homeschool Co-op · Portland, OR
You Don't Have to
Homeschool Alone.
Next Open House: Saturday, March 15 · 10:00 AM · Eastside Community Center, Room 4
The Honest Comparison
Homeschooling alone
vs. homeschooling with us.
Six things every homeschooling family wrestles with — and what changes when you stop wrestling alone.
| The Challenge | ✗ On Your Own | ✓ With Gather |
|---|---|---|
Curriculum Planning | You spend three weekends comparing Saxon vs. Singapore math on a Facebook group, then order both, use neither, and feel guilty about the $140. | Our shared library has 200+ vetted resources. Show up Tuesday. Borrow the one that works. Return it when you're done. |
Science Labs | You YouTube "how to teach fractions" at 11 PM and end up watching a guy in a lab coat explain osmosis to middle schoolers for 40 minutes. | Every Thursday, a real microscope, a real experiment, and four kids arguing about whether the onion cell looks like a brick or a pillow. |
Socialization | Your seven-year-old's best friend is the dog. You've explained "but you get to see the park kids sometimes" six times this month. | Eight kids, same two mornings a week, building the kind of friendships that happen when you're elbow-deep in papier-mâché together. |
Parent Burnout | You teach algebra for the first time since 2004, moderate a meltdown about long division, make lunch, answer work Slack, and wonder why you're exhausted. | You teach what you're good at. Another parent covers what they're good at. Nobody has to be good at everything. |
Cost Per Subject | $800–$1,400/year on curriculum you're not sure about, plus the hidden cost of the hours you spend second-guessing every purchase. | $45/month. Curriculum library included. Science supplies pooled. You buy once, twelve kids benefit. |
Accountability | It's March. You meant to finish the American Revolution unit in November. Nobody noticed except you, and you've been carrying it ever since. | A gentle weekly check-in, a shared pacing guide, and three other parents who will absolutely text you if your kid misses the volcano build. |
If you saw yourself in that left column — you're exactly who we built this for.
Save Our Seat at the Open HouseWhat a Week Looks Like
Two mornings a week.
A whole lot less alone.
Co-op meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at Eastside Community Center. The rest of the week is yours — and now you have a plan for it.
Every Week
Tuesday
9:00–10:30 AM
Math Circles
Led by parent volunteers
10:45–12:00 PM
Writing Workshop
Rotating parent leads
1:00–2:30 PM
Curriculum Library Open
Self-directed browsing
Every Week
Thursday
9:00–10:30 AM
Science Lab
Hands-on experiments
10:45–12:00 PM
History & Geography
Project-based learning
1:00–2:00 PM
Free Elective
Art, music, or coding
Once a Month
Monthly
1st Saturday · 10 AM
Parent Planning Circle
Curriculum review + pacing
3rd Friday · 2 PM
Field Trip
Museums, nature, makers
Eastside Community Center · 1847 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR · Free parking
From Our Co-op Days
This is what it actually looks like.
Messy, loud, curious, and completely worth it. These are our kids, our parents, our Thursdays.
Thursday science lab — onion cells and big opinions
Math circles, Tuesday morning
Story time bleeds into history — always
Parent-led electives: watercolor afternoon
The volcano. It worked.
From Our Families
They were in that left column too.
"I taught algebra for the first time since 2003 last spring. I cried twice and googled 'how to explain slope to a ten-year-old' at midnight. Now Marcus covers math on Tuesdays and I teach the writing workshop I actually love. I didn't know it was allowed to be this way."
Priya Chandrasekaran
Mom to Anika, age 10
Member since September 2024
"I work remotely and my son Finn is seven. I was trying to be a full-time teacher, full-time employee, and full-time parent simultaneously. The co-op didn't just give Finn friends — it gave me two mornings a week where someone else had a plan and I could just show up."
Derek Okonkwo
Dad to Finn, age 7
Member since January 2025
"I've been homeschooling for nine years. I've bought every curriculum. I had a spreadsheet of spreadsheets. Someone here said 'just use the library copy of Beast Academy and stop worrying' and it was the most useful homeschool advice I've received in nearly a decade."
Colleen Murphy
Mom to Rowan (12), Saoirse (9), and Cormac (6)
Veteran member, 3 kids enrolled
Open House Registration
Come see the living room
for yourself.
Two open house dates. Coffee provided. Kids welcome. No pressure — just an honest look at how this works.