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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
by Tim Malcolm and Martha Worley
The main purpose of the CHEF group from the beginning was to provide mutual support and encouragement. Meeting together provided an opportunity to interact with others who were pursuing the demanding task of teaching their own children. There were only a few families home schooling back then, so we had much less need of formal organization.
As our group grew and our children got older, we started adding activities. This required more formal organization. We added a Thanksgiving program, which we did for several years. Skating and park day became monthly activities. We had monthly ladies' meetings where we shared, laughed and encouraged each other.
In 1990, our group had grown to over 30 families. We started seeing the need for more formal organization. One of the first questions discussed was whether to let non-Christians in our group. We had our first formal vote and decided we wanted to keep our Christian emphasis but also wanted to support others who wanted to home school. By over a 90% majority, we decided to let non-Christians attend our activities but not be voting members.
The next year, a Statement of Faith, Statement of Purpose, and Code of Conduct were developed. Since then, we have added a newsletter, more activities, and cooperative learning classes.
In 1995, CHEF adopted by-laws and policies. We also updated the Statement of Purpose and Statement of Faith.
In 1996-97, several CHEF members were instrumental in changing the Arkansas home schooling law. Governor Mike Huckabee proclaimed March 6 to be "Home School Day." By the end of 1997 CHEF had nearly 100 member families.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 August 2008 )
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History of CHEF 
