History of ETC

ETCNWA was founded in January 2004.  The NWA chapter of ETC was modeled after the original Eclectic Teaching Consortium near Oklahoma City..  Two homeschooling moms issued a personal invitation to a few area home educators who were using some non-traditional forms of teaching.  In the beginning, ETC met monthly in a member's home.  

Nature Study Club was added in the spring of 2004 as a group activity implementing the Charlotte Mason style of Nature Study.  Nature Study soon became the monthly highlight for ETC children and almost always included a hike in the Ozark woods or an open field. 

Members took turns organizing occasional field trips, guest speakers, park days and similar activities.  In the first year the group grew to about 20 active member families.

By 2007, membership had grown to about 35 member families.  Some nights meetings allowed for standing or floor room only.  Discussions were lively and fellowship sweet.  Our children grew to be close friends.   The appeal of ETC grew.

The word was spreading about ETC and every month new faces appeared at the meetings.  As membership approached 45 families, it became clear that the group would have to close to new members or ETC would have to find a way to accommodate the growth and welcome those home educators who the Lord led to ETC.  Coupled with much prayer, the leadership chose to find a way to accommodate the growth.   

In July of 2009, 42 members and visitors squeezed into a living room for the year beginning planning meeting.  By the end of the fall semester of 2009, ETC had over 70 member families.  Members enjoyed family education fairs and fellowships, organized field trips, parties, moms' outings and a variety of clubs. 

Elective classes began meeting on Wednesdays in 2009.  Within a couple of years the leadership saw a need for formal non-profit status.  The group was incorporated and assigned 501(c)3 status by the IRS as an educational non-profit in 2011.  Core classes were added in 2016 to give Christian parents another option to provide Christian education for their children.  

Membership has remained steady since at approximately 150 member families.  The vision for growth is to help launch other area groups modeled after ETC, so that the size of each campus remains manageable and retains the intimate community feel.

The Lord has blessed ETC and used the group to touch the lives of over 1000 homeschooling families in Northwest Arkansas.  As long as the mission of encouraging home educators and the common ground of our conservative Christian faith remains our steadfast foundation, ETC is committed to being an instrument of the Lord and a vehicle for cooperative support. 

ETC Demographics

ETC's participation has grown to include approximately 150 member families, some taking their first steps into homeschooling, while others have been homeschooling for 10 or 15 years.  

Students' Ages

ETC students range in age from birth to young adults, with the heaviest population in the K-4th grade range (as is true for most support groups).  There are approximately 12-20 students in each grade level.  Our teen group has grown to approximately 100 students in the Jr. High and High School age range.  

Geography

We have participants from as far east as Huntsville and Eureka Springs; as far west as Siloam Springs and even eastern Oklahoma; as far north as McDonald Co. Missouri; and as far south as Greenland.    

Our Bentonville campus is home to about 120 ETC families; the Siloam Springs Campus includes roughly 15 families.  The Rogers campus is just starting out.  A small percentage of families in ETC participate in only social activities and field trips. 

Similarities and Differences

Our unifying qualities are our Christian faith and our eclectic approach to homeschooling.  But don't let the "eclectic" part concern you, if you are just starting out.... it really just means that we all kind of do our own thing.  We are really a pretty diverse group.