The ECHO Support Group Network
The main goal of ECHO is to bring homeschoolers together, especially homeschoolers with young children, and build a strong homeschooling community long before the school-age years arrive. ECHO could be viewed as an umbrella group or a clearinghouse for homeschoolers. It is through this larger group that we all stay connected. The smaller support groups are the heart of ECHO. Each one has its own flavor and can provide you with more individual nurturing and support on your homeschooling journey. By combining these smaller support groups into a larger network, we are all able to enjoy and support activities we might otherwise not be able to coordinate or afford. Some of the benefits of being part of the ECHO Support Group Network include:
Quarterly Meetings
ECHO coordinates four meetings each year on topics ranging from the law to homeschooling philosophies. By combining the efforts of several ECHO support groups, we are able to offer workshops, special speakers and events that individual groups might not be able to accomplish. We encourage all ECHO support groups to voice their ideas about what kinds of speakers they would like to hear and topics they would like to see addressed.
Curriculum Fairs
Join other ECHO support groups to examine some of the many curricula available. Our combined effort will give us the chance to see a broad range of material.
Group Events
ECHO will coordinate various group activities at discounted prices including theater and music events, museum field trips and family picnics.
Community Support
ECHO is not a membership organization but we firmly believe that homeschooling is strengthened by cooperative efforts. Should our homeschool rights be threatened by legislative process, our partnership will enable us to act quickly and present our position effectively.
Starting an ECHO Support Group
Finding a support group or starting your own can be an overwhelming task. It can take a year or more for support group members to feel comfortable with each other and for the group to find its direction, especially a group with younger children. We hope to give new support groups more time to focus on building friendships by providing some general information to get them off to a strong start. We are not looking to define each new ECHO group but rather give the group a framework in which to operate. ECHO provides several services for newly forming support groups. We help set up and facilitate the group's first meeting and we provide new ECHO support groups with a start-up packet, which includes the following information:
- A sample mission statement
- An example of support group policies (parent meeting attendance, sick child guidelines, group rules for children's activities, etc.)
- A sample copy of a meeting agenda and minutes.
- A sample of possible support group volunteer positions and their descriptions.
- A list of typical group activities.
- Information about setting up an email communication group for your support group.
Please contact ECHO at echo-mn@earthlink.net for information about starting a support group in your area.