You know the feeling. The last few weeks of co-op have been a slog. Everyone is tired, everyone is ready for summer, and you’re holding it together on sheer momentum.
And you also know what happens the moment that last session ends: your people disappear. Vacations, family projects, the things that got pushed all year. Park days will keep some families connected, but the whole group won’t be in the same place again until fall.
Which means now — right now, while you’re still a little tired but still together — is the time to plan.
Why This Window Matters
Planning next year’s co-op isn’t just logistics. You’re making decisions that shape what your community spends its time studying, which mentors carry responsibility, and whether next year feels energizing or exhausting.
It’s easy to default to what you’ve always done — reuse last year’s lineup, adjust a few titles, hope it works again. But the leaders who start now, while the year is still fresh, make better decisions. Because right now, you still remember what worked beautifully and what felt like a stretch.
August is harder than it needs to be. This window isn’t.
The Conversation to Have Before Summer
Before families scatter, gather your leadership team — even informally — and walk through these questions:
- Which classes truly served your families well this year?
- Where did mentors feel confident, and where did they struggle?
- Is your class lineup balanced across subjects, or have you been heavy in some areas and light in others?
- What do next year’s student cohorts actually need — not what you’ve always offered, but what they need?
- Are you choosing curriculum out of habit, or because it’s genuinely the best fit?
You don’t need to have answers to all of these yet. You just need to ask them before everyone goes their separate ways.
Your Class Inventory
Once you’ve had the leadership conversation, do a simple inventory:
- Which classes are you confident keeping?
- Which ones need a new mentor, or a different curriculum?
- Where are the open slots you need to fill?
- Are there families who’ve expressed interest in teaching something new?
Getting this on paper — even roughly — means you’re not starting from scratch in August. You’re refining, not rebuilding.
The Pre-Summer Communication Checklist
Before your last session, get a few things out the door:
- A thank-you to your mentors (they need to hear it)
- A brief survey to families about what they’d like to see next year (even 3 questions is enough)
- A “save the date” for fall — even a rough one
- Any curriculum decisions families need to make over the summer
You don’t need everything figured out. You just need families to know you’re already thinking about next year. That reassurance matters more than you might expect.
The Free Workbook
We put together a free planning workbook to make it easier to actually sit down and do it — a printable that walks through the whole process in order, from your first leadership conversation to your pre-year communication checklist.
Nothing you don’t already know. Just the right questions, in the right order, so you can get it done before everyone scatters.
Download the free Co-op Planning Workbook →
You’ve got this. And you’ve got a window. Use it.
