Local Homeschool Groups: How to Find Them and What to Look For

One of the first things new homeschool families are told is to find a local group. The advice is sound, but vague. Local homeschool groups range from loosely organized Facebook communities that occasionally plan park days to formal co-ops with rotating teaching schedules, membership fees, and waiting lists. Knowing the difference — and knowing which type fits your situation — saves a lot of trial and error.

This post covers how to find local homeschool groups, what the main types actually look like in practice, and what questions to ask before committing to one.

The Difference Between a Group, a Co-op, and a Network

These terms are used interchangeably, but they describe meaningfully different things.

A homeschool support group is primarily social. It organizes field trips, park days, holiday events, and informal meetups. It may have no formal membership, no fees, and no curriculum component. The value is community — families get to know each other, kids build friendships, and newer families get connected to more experienced ones.

A homeschool co-op (cooperative) involves shared teaching. Members take turns teaching classes to a combined group of students. Co-ops usually operate on a weekly or twice-weekly schedule. There are membership requirements, typically a commitment to teach a class or handle an administrative role. Co-ops can range from small informal groups to organizations with 50+ families and formal enrollment periods.

A homeschool network is usually a regional umbrella organization — it may encompass multiple co-ops and support groups, coordinate events at a larger scale, provide advocacy resources, and serve as a point of contact for new families. Networks often maintain directories of member organizations and activities.

Understanding which type you are looking at before you reach out matters. Expecting co-op structure from a support group leads to disappointment. Expecting casual flexibility from a co-op with a waiting list leads to friction.

Where to Find Local Groups

Facebook Groups remain the most common starting point for finding local homeschool groups. Search "[your city or county] homeschool" or "[your state] homeschool" and you will typically find both community pages and event announcements. Quality varies widely — some groups are well-moderated and active, others are spam-heavy or inactive. Look for recent posts and engaged comment sections as indicators of a living group.

HSLDA's local group directory lists homeschool groups organized by state and region. You do not need to be an HSLDA member to use the directory. It is not exhaustive — many local groups are not listed — but it is a useful starting point for states where formal organizations are common.

State homeschool associations typically maintain resource directories. In Delaware, the Delaware Home Education Association (DHEA) maintains connections to local groups and can point families toward active co-ops and support networks in their county.

Curriculum fairs and conferences are productive places to make connections. Conversations at a regional homeschool fair introduce you to families who are active in the same geographic area. A single afternoon at a curriculum fair can generate more useful local contacts than weeks of online searching.

Library and recreation center bulletin boards are low-tech but still effective in many areas. Homeschool groups often post flyers at public libraries, community centers, and children's activity spaces. If your library offers homeschool programs, the librarians often know who the local organizers are.

What to Look For in a Group

The right group depends entirely on what you need. Some questions worth asking before committing:

What is the group's religious or philosophical orientation? Many homeschool groups are faith-based and structure their activities, curriculum choices, and social events around a specific religious identity. Others are secular. Some actively welcome both. If the group's orientation does not match yours, you will either feel like an outsider or end up not attending. Neither outcome is useful.

What age range does the group serve? Some groups focus on young children and will not be relevant once your kids are in middle or high school. Others skew heavily toward teenagers and may not be a fit if you have a six-year-old. Ask which age groups are most active.

What is the time commitment? Co-ops especially can require substantial weekly commitments. If you are new to homeschooling and still figuring out your own schedule, joining a high-commitment co-op in month two can create more stress than support. Many families benefit from starting with a low-key support group in year one and adding a co-op later.

Is there an application or waiting list? Popular co-ops in desirable areas often have more applicants than spots. If the group you want has a waiting list, ask when the next enrollment period opens. Getting on a list early keeps your options open.

Delaware-Specific Resources

Delaware's small size works in homeschoolers' favor when it comes to community. The state is compact enough that families in different counties can meet regularly without significant travel burden.

The Delaware Home Education Association (DHEA) is the state's primary advocacy organization and community hub. DHEA connects families with local resources and monitors legislative developments. For new Delaware homeschoolers, DHEA is often the first point of contact for both legal questions and community connections.

The Tri-State Homeschool Network is particularly relevant for families in northern Delaware. Because Delaware's northern border is close to both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, many families in New Castle County participate in groups and activities that span multiple states. The Philadelphia-area homeschool community is geographically accessible from most of northern Delaware, which expands the available pool of co-ops, enrichment classes, and social activities considerably.

In Kent County, homeschool groups tend to be more independent and faith-based, reflecting the region's demographic composition. Dover has a notable military homeschool community connected to Dover AFB, which has its own support infrastructure through the base's Family Support Center.

Sussex County families often overlap with the Eastern Shore of Maryland homeschool community, which is active and well-organized. The proximity to Maryland means Delaware families in the south of the state have access to resources that extend well beyond what a state with 3,900 homeschoolers could sustain independently.

Online Groups as a Supplement

Local groups handle the social and logistical dimension of homeschooling — field trips, group classes, park days. Online groups serve a different function: they are where curriculum questions get answered at 11pm, where you find a parent who has already navigated the thing you are dealing with now, and where you maintain connection to the broader homeschool community between in-person events.

The two functions complement each other. Trying to get everything from a local group puts unrealistic demands on people who are also busy educating their own children. Relying entirely on online communities leaves you without the in-person relationships that actually sustain families through hard stretches.

When You Cannot Find a Group That Fits

If your area does not have a group that matches your needs, you are not necessarily stuck. Many active groups started as one family reaching out to a few others. A Facebook post in a local parents' group, a flyer at the library, or a message to a few families you already know can surface the five or six families needed to start a small, informal support group.

Starting a group does not require structure or programming. A monthly park day with four families is a group. It can grow from there if the community wants it to, or stay small and informal if that serves everyone better.

Getting the Legal Foundation Right First

Before you can focus on finding community, the legal side of homeschooling needs to be squared away. In Delaware, that means completing the dual-notification process — registering your nonpublic school through EdAccess and notifying your local school district. Most families find the process manageable once they understand what each agency actually needs and in what order.

If you want a complete walkthrough of the Delaware registration and withdrawal process, the Delaware Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers every step — including the EdAccess submission, the district notification letter, and how to respond if your district asks questions you are not sure how to answer.

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