Welcome to the Fireside

About Fireside Academy Community Co-op

Our co-op classes are held on Tuesdays, September to May.

Our classes meet at UUCLV , 424 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA, 18015.

The Fireside Academy Community Co-op for Homeschoolers is unique, not-for-profit organization, offering support and encouragement to parents who are teaching their children at home through traditional and cyber-education methods . Fireside Academy helps foster a sense of community for homeschooling families. Our enrichment classes and extra-curricular activities provide opportunities for social interaction with others who understand a lifestyle focused on family and education. Our website and free on-line newsletter keep families informed of upcoming events and opportunities for families of Lehigh and Northampton Counties of Pennsylvania, as well as western New Jersey.

Full Membership - $60

A full membership is necessary for those families wishing to take advantage of our co-op classes. Fireside Academy Classes offer a variety of academic and enrichment courses in a supportive environment for families. Our co-op classes will meet one day a week for thirty weeks, from September to May, with intermittent breaks.

Our weekly classes serve to create an environment that encourages children to love learning while providing opportunities for academic excellence and achievement. We assist families by offering weekly classes taught by specialists in each field who are usually homeschooling parents as well. By pooling our resources, we are able to offer a rich diversity of expertise that helps families build upon their own knowledge and abilities by providing broader educational experiences.

Our classes support the home education program through classroom experiences, giving both a framework as well as outside accountability and mentoring. Often when homeschooled children reach middle school, they will wish to pursue subject matter that is difficult or foreign to the parent teacher. Many high school diploma programs require courses which some parents feel uncomfortable teaching on their own. Our classes help meet these needs for families by bridging any gaps in the home education program, while offering the benefits of a small-sized classroom experience for students.

More than academics, our classes provide homeschooling families with the opportunity to work co-operatively in an atmosphere of mutual respect, organized structure with flexibility, and interest driven exploration. We feel that offering opportunities for homeschooled children to participate in musical theater, or to develop new hobbies by learning to knit, paint, or sew, are vital to a rich educational experience. We also offer the opportunity for youth to create a yearbook and newspaper, documenting their experiences and providing information for our co-op families. We offer informal small groups, such as chess, runner's, and game club.

Full Membership also includes all benefits of the social membership listed below.

Social Membership - $20

A social membership includes discounts on many activities such as field trips, workshops, and teen events. We have members-only events for parents as well, that will include instructional seminars and small groups. We offer special events for homeschooled students such as educational fairs, picnics, and a high school prom. Social Membership also includes one free entry into our educational fairs per family. Each family with a social membership will receive an annual directory.