JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Andrews Home Educators is slated to begin its second semester at JBA’s Youth Center, Feb. 2, 2017.
AHE is a base cooperative support group set up for families of active duty and Reserve members, retirees and DoD employees who desire to have their children educated at home.
“Our co-op organization is basically a group of parent volunteers who come together to support each other in educating their children,” said Nichole Worley, AHE’s director and one of the organization’s health teachers. “These parents have hobbies, passions, formal education or expertise in certain subjects and they share their knowledge of these subjects with the students.”
The classes, she added, are held once per week through late May 2017 and act as a supplement to what parents are already teaching their children at home, offering home-schooled children an environment to socialize with their peers.
AHE’s core curriculum covers a variety of subjects including music, art, human health and physical education. Classes are broken into four levels: pre-school, kindergarten through third grade, fourth through eighth grades and ninth through 12th grades. Other classes include foreign languages, ballet and chess. The membership fee to participate in the classes is $40 for the year and $20 for half of the year per family.
There are several reasons why parents choose to home school their children.
“Some of parents enroll their children in AHE because they have a greater control of what their children are exposed to in the classroom; others have children with special learning needs not being met in the public school system,” Worley said. “Some of our students are waiting to enroll in the base charter school.”
This year, AHE membership includes 60 families and a total of 125 children. Their education levels range from pre-school to high school.
The private organization has been holding classes for military family students since 2001 and is compliant with Code of Maryland 13A’s regulations for home school education.
The classes for the second semester are either all filled or nearly filled, but there is one age group of students Worley said she’d like to see more of.
“At this time, we are looking to increase enrollment of our teenage students,” Worley said. “They can enroll at any time.”
Worley, a military veteran and spouse, said she’s lived at JBA with her family for almost five years. She said her military service informs her choice to volunteer with AHE.
“I got involved with the AHE to play a role in supporting military families and building community,” she said. “Family is so important, especially in a military environment when spouses are frequently away completing missions.”
Like the other programs offered at the Youth Center, the AHE classes cater to a number of developmental needs of children of military families.
“By hosting AHE classes, the Youth Center gets the opportunity to reach out to the community and provide a service for youth who don't typically use the center for the other daily and monthly weekly programs we offer,” said Vincent Eure, Youth Programs director. “These AHE students become members of the club, they get the chance to see what we have to offer and take advantage of our offerings and attend some of our programs that interest them. It's been a good partnership for everyone involved.”
In addition to hosting AHE’s classes, Joint Base Andrews Youth Center offers programs involving a range of activities in sports, social programs, before & after school care and summer day camp programs. A dedicated space for children and teenagers, the center conducts its indoor programs in its five classrooms, gymnasium, dance studio and two computer labs.
The center also features a movie theater, lounge, outdoor basketball court and areas for concessions and table games. It operates its programs year round, except federal holidays, to promote youth development life skills, healthy lifestyles, academic success and good character and leadership.
Eligible families interested in enrolling in AHE classes can contact the organization administrators at the official website, www.andrewshomeeducators.org.