A new hub for homeschoolers and their parents aims to serve ‘hundreds of kids’ in Spokane Valley
Home-school parents sometimes find themselves challenged to teach their children in an area where they don’t have the needed expertise, whether it’s advanced math or art.
Two retired educators have teamed up to create the Achieve Today Homeschool Resource Center in Liberty Lake to provide a full range of classes and services for home-school families to fill that gap.
The center includes a co-op, with parents working together to teach classes focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). The co-op meets from 9:30-11:30 a.m. each Monday, and parents decide what is taught. There are also a wide variety of classes, tutoring, workshops and field trips offered to any home-school student.
The center was launched by Barbara Cruse, who retired after 27 years with the East Valley School District, and John Glenewinkel, East Valley’s former superintendent who recently retired as superintendent of the Republic and Curlew school districts. They say they were recruited by a group of parents who wanted a home-schooling resource center.
“They had quite a vision that they shared with us,” Cruse said. “If you’re new, it’s hard to figure out how to get started.”
Cruse headed up East Valley’s alternative learning experiences program for eight years, so working with home-school families wasn’t new to her.
“I’ve always believed there’s a continuum of educational options,” Glenewinkel said.
On a recent Tuesday, a half-dozen students gathered for a drama class. They read lines from a play, often pausing as their teachers advise on how to approach a certain line or scene. While the teachers for the drama class or any class the center offers are not certified, they have experience in the area they’re teaching.
“They’re what I call teachers from the heart,” Cruse said. “They have a skill and a talent that they’re passionate about.”
Emily Flodin sat and waited while her son and daughter participated in the drama class. She’s in another home-school parent co-op, but it doesn’t have a drama option. She heard about Achieve Today last fall and decided to give it a try.
“I have a daughter who absolutely loves drama,” she said. “They have really enjoyed it. It’s been fun.”
Amanda Upton’s daughter is also in the drama class. Upton, who used to teach at East Valley’s Parent Partnership program, is one of the parents who recruited Cruse and Glenewinkel to start a home-schooling center. “There’s a lot of families who are home-schooling who are alone,” she said.
One of the key features of the center is a bookstore that sells new and used curricula. Finding the right curriculum can be a time -consuming and expensive process, Flodin said. “It’s overwhelming,” she said. “There’s a lot of different curriculums out there.”
Cruse said she can consult with parents and go over the various curricula available to find the one best suited for a particular child. And if a parent has some curriculum that hasn’t worked for them, they can sell it to the center.
The center also includes a coffee shop that is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s run by parents but also doubles as a class for students who want to get hands-on experience with running a business.
Achieve Today has started with elementary and middle school classes and plans to add preschool and high school options in the fall.
Glenewinkel said Achieve Today hasn’t taken off as well as he had hoped, though he attributes that in part to their space, at 22425 E. Appleway Ave., Door 13, not being ready until January.
“We wanted to be up and running in the space before the school year began, he said, “And that didn’t happen. We know the need is there.”
The struggle has been to offer quality programs to attract new students while also not having enough students to justify launching new programs. But new classes and programs are being added, including upcoming Paint and Sip (Italian sodas) and macrame classes. An open house is scheduled for May 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for those interested in a tour and more information.
Information about special events is available on the center’s Facebook page and information about classes is available at achievetodayhrc.com.
Glenewinkel said his hope is to bring in families and students from all over the region, including North Idaho. “Our goal is to be eventually serving hundreds of kids,” he said.