FAQ’s & Waiting List
We have created a list of our most commonly asked questions. If you do not see the answer please contact us with your question and we will return an answer as soon as we can.
How can my family join Lighthouse?
Lighthouse Christian Academy maintains a waiting list for families who would like to become a part of LCA. If you are interested in joining LCA, please read through all the FAQs on this page. After that, if you decide you would like to be added to our waiting list, please click on the “Contact Us” button and send us a message with your contact info. We will contact you with more information as soon as possible; your patience is greatly appreciated during the process.
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What is LCA and how does it function?
Lighthouse Christian Academy is an organization of homeschool families who meet together one afternoon a week to help provide education, support, and friendships for our children and parents. We have grown from a small beginning of only 4 families to a co-op that involves over 150 families (about 500 members). Although LCA is a large organization, it functions well because each family is committed to serving in positions that are needed. Our LCA parents are also our teachers and assistants. This has provided a fulfilling outlet for our parents to share their areas of knowledge and expertise with students outside their own family. We offer core and non-core classes for our students in elementary and secondary grades.
When does LCA meet?

We meet on Tuesday afternoons from 12 noon – 4:30 PM.

 

What are the attendance requirements?
For our co-op to function adequately, each family is required to attend each Tuesday we meet unless there is an emergency, sickness or a planned family absence. We have a system that provides substitute teachers when a family cannot attend, but it is important that each family understands the need for them to make a committed effort to attend LCA each week, as often as possible.
How much does it cost to attend and how is tuition money spent?

Tuition for LCA is $300 per family. Tuition money is used to purchase LCA equipment (overhead projectors, white boards, tables, etc.), classroom supplies, paper products and office supplies, snacks and party supplies, cards and flowers for our families who have a new baby or have experienced sickness or loss, insurance, expenses for staff meetings and other incidentals.

Are there any additional expenses when attending LCA?
Some classes at LCA require an additional fee for supplies. Art and science classes are examples of classes that frequently require an additional expense. Because class fees are separate expenses to cover specific purchases made for each student in that class, they are non-refundable. Each class will list if an additional fee is required and you will have that information prior to signing your student up for that class. If your family is having financial difficulty, please consider not signing your children up for classes that have class fees unless you have a means to pay for the class supplies. Thank you.
When is tuition due and do you have a payment plan?
Tuition needs to be paid in full by the middle of March in the year you are attending.

Tuition for the upcoming year can be paid by lump sum, split into 3 payments. We ask for an initial $25 of your tuition to be paid early to hold your place for the upcoming school year.

What do the LCA elementary classes cover?

Each elementary class at LCA learns age & grade appropriate history/geography, science, music, and art. As part of our music training, the elementary classes from 1st grade-6th grade perform a full-scale musical production each spring, complete with costumes, props, acting, singing, and choreography.

Is homework assigned for elementary or junior/senior classes?
Some classes assign homework and some do not. You will be provided with class descriptions for upper-level classes prior to signing up for them, so you will know which classes require homework. If a teacher assigns homework, we require each student to be diligent and respectful to complete and turn in homework as required. If a student has difficulty completing a homework assignment, the student, parent or legal guardian can always speak to the teacher and work out a satisfactory solution.
What supplies are required for classes?
Preschool children are asked to bring a mat or blanket for naptime, and sometimes a special drink container can be helpful. Elementary students bring a backpack, notebook or folders, pencils and erasers, colored pencils or crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. Secondary students will be given a supply list for each class they sign up for.
What are parents or guardians required to do during class time? (Am I required to teach?)

The parent or legal guardian who is attending LCA with the student is required to help or teach (or help with some other service such as facility cleanup, etc.) in three of the four hours we meet at LCA. One hour can be an hour of blessing where the parent or guardian has free time unless they are needed to help serve as a substitute teacher or helper for a class.

The parent or legal guardian is not required to serve as a lead teacher for a class at co-op, but we do require help in some capacity. However, if you have an area in which you are trained or educated, co-op provides an excellent place for you to share your knowledge and expertise with students who are eager to learn. We encourage you to consider any classes you might enjoy teaching.

Does LCA have a sports program?
We do not sponsor a sports program, but many of our students participate in home school sports or other activities in our region.
Is there a dress code?
We allow our members to choose their own attire for LCA (we do not have uniforms), but we ask that each member of co-op dress modestly. Our complete policy reguarding this topic is listed in our membership handbook.
Why do you have a waiting list?

For safety reasons and for the best educational experience, we limit the number of students in each preschool and elementary class. (We allow up to 20 students in each elementary class and 12 babies and toddlers in each preschool class.) Our classes fill each

year, but there are times when a family or families have to leave our co-op for various reasons. When that happens, a family from the top of the waiting list is invited to join LCA.

New families sign up on our waiting list each week, so if you are considering becoming a part of LCA, we encourage you to add your name to the waiting list. Please know that it is sometimes necessary to wait a few years before a place opens up for your family, but hang in there! We’d love a chance to meet your family and let you decide if LCA is the place for you.
How do we find out if LCA has room for our family?
When there are openings available in the grades that each of your children will attend at LCA, we will call you and let you know. If the opening occurs during the fall semester of the school year, we will call you at the time your place becomes available. Otherwise, we try to notify families by the end of May or beginning of June for the next school year; however, due to changes that occur during the summer, sometimes openings become available in August or September of the school year.
Can my children attend with a family who is already a member of LCA?
We get asked this question often, and we are so thankful that being a part of LCA is important to you. However, if we allowed friends of students to attend with a member family, we would soon have hundreds of children attending without enough teacher support. Our co-op depends on the active participation of parents or legal guardians to fulfill our teaching and organizational needs, so our policy is that children can only attend with a parent or legal guardian. Thank you for understanding this policy and please consider signing up on our waiting list.
If there is room for some of my children, can I attend with those children and not my other children who are not able to get in?

This is another question that is frequently asked. If we only have room for some of your children and not all of them, then our policy is that we wait until we have a place for all of your children before your family can join. We have tried making exceptions to that in the past, but we found that it did not work out very well.

In those situations, families had to make arrangements for their children who were not able to attend, and due to difficulty with that, they found it hard to attend. We learned that it works better for LCA as a whole for families to wait until there is a place for each of their children to attend.

Can I move my child up or down a grade in order to get into LCA?
As a parent, you are the best judge of your child’s emotional and scholastic maturity level. We ask that parents not place their child into a particular grade solely to get into LCA because that can be detrimental to the child if they are in a peer-group that does not match their emotional or scholastic maturity.
If a family joins LCA, will they be required to finish the school year, even if they decide that LCA is not the best fit for their family?
Sometimes a family joins LCA with the intention of fulfilling a one-year commitment, but once involved, decides that LCA is not the best place for them to serve. Under those circumstances, we do not require the family to remain active at LCA. We ask that the family give a two-week notice of resignation, if possible, so we can reassign other parents to fulfill the teaching or helping positions that were previously assigned to the parent or guardian of the family. Some money already paid may be non-refundable, but that matter can be discussed with our financial manager.
Is LCA ever canceled due to weather?
If Springfield Public Schools are canceled, LCA will also be canceled. If the weather is inclement, please listen to local radio or television stations or check the web to learn if Springfield Public Schools are canceled. If we decide to cancel even though Springfield schools are operating, we will notify each family through the website or our facebook group and let them know early on the Tuesday morning.
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