Q:

A:

GATE, which stands for Godly Academic Teaching & Enrichment, is a Texas non-profit association that provides classes for Christian homeschooling families in Collin County, Texas, and surrounding communities. Our co-op meets for a fall and spring semester each school year. The Lord uses each of our unique abilities to create a nurturing and encouraging learning environment for our homeschooled families. A parent or gaurdian is required to serve each hour their student is present, by teaching, co-teaching or assisting in classes or around the facility.  

Q:

A:

GATE meets for 12 weeks in both the fall and spring semesters each school year from August to April/May with Christmas break from mid-November to December.  Every month we meet for 3 weeks and take 1 week off  from co-op classes.  We meet from 8:45 until 12:20 on Thursday mornings followed by an optional Fellowship Lunch (BYOLunch).  On our week off of class, we plan an optional group field trip or social opportunity for our families. Please refer to Our Classes and About pages for additional information.

Q:

A:

A typical class day includes a whole group assembly, two 1-hour class periods, and a 30 minutes social and snack opportunity between classes.  

Like other local education co-ops, the work of teaching and running classes is performed and organized by parents who volunteer their time, both on the day of classes as well as outside of class time.  Parents are required to provide service through various options such as set up, co-teaching during class time, and clean up after classes on Thursdays. Teachers are parents from member families (we do not have paid teachers). Only homeschooled students registered with GATE may attend co-op.  Students may only attend with a participating adult (no students may be dropped off).

Q:

A:

GATE is organized to benefit many families, therefore we have to have a common agreement on what we expect from our members so that all may be served equitably and graciously.  Leaders of GATE work continuously to monitor the policies of GATE and compare them to Biblical models of conduct to provide a conservative Christian standard of conduct and expectations for our members.  We expect our members, as part of a Christian community within GATE and as the body of Christ, to do their best to uphold the guidelines and procedures, and encourage one another in grace. We want to be a light to the world even in the way we conduct our classes.  

To see our current policies, guidelines, and forms see our Membership Handbook. 

Q:

A:

GATE is for families who homeschool at least one child who is Kindergarten age or older. Membership is requested through an application and review process. The application has three parts that provide information about the family to assist us getting to know you and determining if the family meets the requirements of membership. Applications must be submitted with a deposit in order to be processed. We will then review the application, contact references, and perform other searches to give us additional insight. Deposits can be in the form of cash, check or Paypal.

If basic requirements are met, then we confirm that the age groups of all the children have openings in which to accept the entire family for the same semester.  If the entire family cannot be placed, approved applicants are placed on a waiting list; if there is room to accommodate all students in the family, then we are able to offer membership for the upcoming semester. 

Upon acceptance, the deposit amount is cashed and the family is sent information about enrolling in the upcoming semester classes. 

Once an application is submitted, a family may inquire about their status by contacting GATE at [email protected].   

To view application information, click here.

Q:

A:

The following fees are due each semester:

Operation Fee: This fee covers facility rental, cleaning supplies,  and administrative costs.  The current Operation Fee is $95 per family per semester.

Class Fees: GATE is a true co-op with parents running all aspects and no paid teachers.  Class Fees are listed in our class descriptions each semester and are per student for the semester.  These class fees cover the supplies needed for each class.  Collected fees are then forwarded to the lead teacher to purchase supplies for registered students.