Join the Spokane Learning Co-op

The Spokane Learning Co-op is Eastern Washington's only Self-Directed Education Center, and Washington's only outdoor Self-Directed Education Center. We are very similar to Sudbury except we practice sociocracy instead of democracy.

We offer a drop-off program for kids 5-17 and a Parent & Me program for kids 0-4.

We are secular and we also welcome people of all faiths; if you believe in Self-Directed Education, we're your place.

We offer a wide variety of part-time options because our families value flexibility.

We are located on ten acres in North Spokane.

The Fine Print right up front

How to Join

EXPLORE our website to see if we might be right fit for you and your child.

VISIT the center, meet our members and staff. Spend time with us to get a feel for the atmosphere. Schedule a Visit OR attend an Information/Open House session. Contact Katy at hello@spokanelearningcoop.org or 971 363 0792 for more information.

REVIEW the information on this page.

BEGIN the application process by filling out & submitting 2024-25 SLC Family Registration From.

We are Outdoors

The Spokane Learning Co-op meets outdoors on ten acres in northeast Spokane. We provide families with an extensive required gear list. Appropriate outdoor gear is essential.

Ours is a very physically-oriented and active space. Kids run, jump, dance, swim, hike, climb, slide, balance, throw, bounce, and are overall very physically active every day, all day.

Facilitators and participants will honor family boundaries but will not stop a child from climbing trees, wrestling, walking along narrow hillside paths, or other physical activities (as long as children are not hurting themselves or others) that some parents may find worrisome. We cultivate space to explore that allows children to learn how to trust their bodies and keep themselves safe. This requires adults to let go of their fear, worry, and anxiety about kids getting hurt beyond what is reasonable.

We recommend the book There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids by Linda Åkeson McGurk.

Our Culture

We are a Self-Directed Education center. We do not use a curriculum, give grades, give assignments, give homework, or give exams. We do not separate kids by age or grade level. Kids are free to play and learn naturally, by pursuing their own interests according to their own development. We offer opportunities to try new things, but these are not required. Kids learn to trust themselves in a way that does not happen in conventional schools.

All programs are built on a culture of sociocracy, non-violent communication, and alternatives to violence. These practices are woven into how we relate to one another, and will be taught to all members as a natural part of our community building. Kids learn to express and communicate their feelings in healthy ways. Kids learn how to work together to solve any conflicts that arise.

The adults in our community are committed to learning and unlearning our adultism and coercive “power-over” ideas that we absorbed during our own days in coercive schooling environments.

Who can join

We welcome children and teens if they, their parent(s)/guardian(s), and our program believe that the child or teen will thrive here.

We offer two programs:

+ Parent & Me program for kids ages 0 to 4

+ Drop-off Self-Directed Education for kids ages 5 to 17

Children being dropped off must be able to use the bathroom independently.

Children must be able to understand and follow Co-op and family boundaries (using some gentle reminders are fine). Examples of Co-op boundaries include: participating in creating and following our community rules. Examples of specific family boundaries include: using sunblock and not sharing food/specific food guidelines.

By State law, our Half-Day and Full-Day programs are available only to children under the Age of Compulsion (8) who have never been enrolled in school, and to all other children and teens age 5 to 17 who have filed a Declaration of Intent. Get your simple one-page form and easy instructions here.

Registration may happen throughout the year, depending on availability.

Our Schedule Options

Kids can enroll in the Co-op

+ One-to-five mornings a week, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

+ One-to-five afternoons a week, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

+ One or two full days a week, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Tuition

At the Spokane Learning Co-op, we are committed to an economically diverse community. As an organization, we strive to provide financial aid to those in need. Please know that every dollar that we give in aid reduces the amount of resources we have to spend on salaries, improving our space, and/or purchasing resources for our members/students.

Keeping expense management and long-term pedagogical and financial sustenance in mind, the Spokane Learning Co-op is able to consider need-based financial assistance on a case-by-case basis. If you love what we do, but our tuition would create a hardship, please reach out to hello@spokanelearningcoop.org.

Parent & Me program for kids ages 0 to 4

Mornings (9 a.m. - noon) or Afternoons (12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

+ One day/week - $68/month

+ Two days/week - $136/month

+ Three days/week - $204/month

+ Four days/week - $272/month

+ Five days/week - $340/month

Full Days (9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

+ One day/week - $136/month

+ Two days/week - $272/month

Drop-off Self-Directed Education for kids ages 5 to 17

Mornings (9 a.m. - noon) or Afternoons (12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

+ One day/week - $110/month

+ Two days/week - $220/month

+ Three days/week - $330/month

+ Four days/week - $440/month

+ Five days/week - $550/month

Full Days (9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

+ One day/week - $220/month

+ Two days/week - $440/month

Why are we only offering part-time options, and when we'll be able to offer full-time options

Once we become a state-approved independent school, we will be able to offer a full-time, Monday through Friday option. This process can take a year or longer. In the meantime, we're pleased to be able to offer part-time options to homeschoolers and those who are ready to pull their kids from public school.

We are a Co-op so you get to join in on the fun too

In our talks with parents, the one thing we keep hearing over and over again is that we are all starved for community. We are built around the idea of building a strong community with each other. That means that as a community, we are all committed to the successful operation of our program and to the ongoing creation and growth of our learning space. We are an intentional community committed to our collective learning and liberation. Family participation is required to create a healthy and strong community.

As we are a co-op, you as a parent or guardian get to participate a certain number of hours per month. Your volunteer hours are calculated at 25% of your child's or teen's monthly hours. If this is too much for your current situation, let's talk. If you are enrolling multiple children, let's talk about a number of volunteer hours that feels good and fair to all of us.

All participating parents must pass a background check.

There are many ways to volunteer and we want to collaborate with you to find something that will bring you joy, or at least be pretty fun sometimes. Examples include:

+ Staying on-site to fulfill adult: child ratios

+ Preparing an offering

+ Cooking outdoors with the kids

+ Building / maintaining our physical space

+ Assist with recruitment, including representing the Co-op at events

+ Assist with fundraising

+ Finding, donating, and/or transporting needed materials to our space

+ Supporting other Co-op families, including pick up, drop off, covering shifts, setting up meal-trains for families who are sick or need additional support

+ Developing programs to support other Co-op families

Even more opportunities for you to build community

In our talks with parents, the one thing we keep hearing over and over again is that we are all starved for community. We would like to humbly offer a solution we're calling Community Circles.

These circles are a way for Co-op parents to build community around common interests while having fun and developing new skill sets.

You'll see the list of our current Circles on the Registration Form. We encourage every participating parent to explore joining at least one.

Screens

We are a screen-free environment.

Refer-A-Friend Program

We want to share the life-changing magic of self-directed education with the families who would most benefit. Help us in our mission by referring your friends. If you refer a friend, and their child or teen enrolls and is enrolled for at least three months, we'll say THANK YOU by giving up 50% your next month's membership.

This offer is good until we reach an enrollment of nine children/teens per session.