WHO WE ARE
Pathkeepers is a Christian homeschool co-op for kids age 4 - 14 years old in Lancaster, PA. We come together to do Science and PE on Thursday mornings at Community Fellowship Church. We also plan several field trips, service opportunities and extra classes based on member interest. Our mission is to provide a space to foster community, friendship building, teamwork, cooperation, and group play, while ultimately pointing our children to Christ!
Our guiding verse is Proverbs 22:6 -
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Read on for more nitty-gritty details...
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WHEN
We meet every Thursday for 12 weeks in the Fall and 12 in the weeks Spring, with optional field trips and special get-togethers at the interest of co-op members.
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Co-op runs from 9 AM - 11:30 AM.
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2026 - 2027 Dates
Fall: September 10 - December 3
(except the week of Thanksgiving)
Spring: January 28 - April 22
(except Mar 25th - snow make-up day)
WHAT
Our time together is divided into two main components: a Science lesson and PE time. Kids are split into four age groups:
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Explorers (4 year olds)
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Discoverers (5 year olds)
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Primary (6-7 year olds)
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Juniors (8-10 year olds)
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Voyagers (11-14 year olds)
A typical co-op day will include the following:
Large Group Time
A time for group devotional and announcements.
Science Lesson
We use the Science with Friends curriculum as the basis for our Science lessons. Kids will learn a science concept, do an experiment, and record their findings. Voyagers (11-14 year old students) will complete a short, at-home reading assignment from an additional text to be prepared for class. For the 2026-2027 school year we're learning Physics and Ecology. Learn more about the Science with Friends curriculum and download sample lessons HERE.
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Snack and Story Time
We'll read a living book that goes along with the Science lesson while the kids enjoy a snack.
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PE Time
Camp / gym class style group games such as kick ball, tag, relays, and four square. ​
PRICING
The price is $90 per student.*
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*Voyagers students are also expected to purchase two books per family (one per semester of study) to supplement at-home Science readings (approximately $15-$20 each).
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Pricing includes:
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Science curriculum co-op license* (curriculum may be used by each teacher for their lesson but is NOT allowed to be distributed to all members as part of the co-op license agreement)
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Science notebook
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Experiment supplies & materials
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Group game supplies
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Teacher credits (learn more about this in the "Commitment" column!)
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Seasonal celebrations
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Year-End Celebration Night
COMMITMENT
As members of Pathkeepers Co-op, parents commit to the following:
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Teach (6 weeks / $150 credit) or volunteer (4 weeks) each semester
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Volunteer one week as a sub (in the event a volunteer is sick or there is an emergency). Teachers do not need to fulfill any sub slots.
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Serve on one committee
The responsibilities are as follows:
Teacher
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We have teams of 2 teachers per subject, per class, per semester.
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Each teacher will teach 6 weeks and commit to one planning session as a team before the semester begins.
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Teachers do not need to fulfill any volunteer slots for the semester they are teaching. Teachers are exempt from fulfilling a sub slot for the year.
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Teachers are compensated $150 per semester of teaching.
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Curriculum and supplies are provided by Pathkeepers.
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Volunteer
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Commit to 4 weeks of volunteering per semester and 1 SUB week/year.
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Volunteers will sign up for volunteer slots before each semester begins.
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Volunteer roles include Classroom volunteer, LEAD volunteer, PE volunteer, and Science volunteer.
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Committee
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All families serve on 1 committee per year. This allows us to have a dynamic offering of activities throughout the year. Many hands make light work!
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Committees may include Christmas party, field trips, Year End Celebration, Leadership team, Volunteering, Extended Day, etc.
CLASSES
This co-op is open to kids ages 4 to 14 years old.
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Explorers: 4 Year Olds (15 spots)
Discoverers: 5 Year Olds (18 spots)
Explorers and Discoverers will enjoy a teaching time that includes a group experiment tied to the co-op’s division of science study. The use of books, songs, crafts and games will enhance their learning time. All of the ideas will be linked back to our creator and tied to a bible verse for the semester.
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Primary: 6-7 Year Olds (20 spots)
Primary students will learn science concepts with dynamic teaching and hands-on experiments. They will learn to hypothesize and record their findings through copywork and drawing. Teamwork, problem solving, and presentation skills will be encouraged.
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Juniors: 8-10 Year Olds (20 spots)
Juniors will learn science concepts with dynamic teaching and hands-on experiments. They will have the opportunity to brainstorm, hypothesize and record data on their student notebook pages. Teamwork, problem solving, deductive reasoning, crititical thinking and presentation skills will be encouraged.
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Voyagers: 11-14 years old (20 spots)
​Our oldest students will dive even deeper into the Science concepts. There is a short, at-home reading to be completed each week to be prepared for class. Voyagers will come together to review the concepts being learned and have extended time to hypothesize, experiment, and record data. Science class time is extended and broken into two sections with a time for PE free play and snack to break up the morning. Teamwork, problem solving, deductive reasoning, crititical thinking and presentation skills will be encouraged.
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Childcare
Childcare is offered each semester (for children under 4 years old) during the weeks that the parent is teaching or volunteering. ​