(FEAST (Finding Educational Alternatives in the Southern Tier) (501c3) is an, open, inclusive, secular homeschooling co-operative based in the Southern Tier of New York.

Founded in 2013, FEAST was created to be a welcoming space for secular families who are educating their kids outside of the public school system. We strive to foster a sense of inclusion and community for all families who are on this homeschooling path with us, regardless of differences in race, ethnicity, range of abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, financial means, education, personal beliefs, and/or political perspective.

As an organization, FEAST is science- and logic-based and our classes and activities will be secular – without mention of religion. Families with all faith systems are welcome to join us and share in our secular activities, with the understanding that they will remain secular.

Our cooperative nature means that all families are expected to be engaged and involved in the process. FEAST thrives as a community when everyone is participating to the best of their ability and helping to cultivate the feeling of acceptance and trust between our member families. Communication and mutual respect are the keys to teaching our kids to understand and appreciate differences between our diverse families.

FEAST has two main components:

The main group, FEAST-NY, which is larger and open to more members from lots of different areas, who gather here to seek support in their homeschooling journey.  Here, we can share ideas, links to interesting projects or events, questions about paperwork or process, and so on. It’s a great place to reach out to a large group of homeschoolers to find people who are walking the same journey.

We also have an Active Members group on Facebook, which is reserved for people who are actively participating in our classes.  We keep that group separate for discussing where and when our children will be meeting and sharing their pictures in order to maintain their privacy.  FEAST offers four sessions of classes each year, from Sept-May, each approximately 6 weeks long. We hold seasonal parties, summer park dates, field trips, parents’ nights out, and other community gatherings for the families who are participating in our classes.  Schedules of our upcoming classes will be posted to the main FEAST-NY group, and if you decide that you are ready to join us for classes, you can ask to be added to the Active Members group. We do ask that if you check out the Active Members group and decide our classes are not a fit for your family at this time, that you remove yourself from that group and stay active on the main group instead.

While participating in FEAST discussions, we ask that you use a calm and respectful tone, keep your posts family-friendly and at least mostly on the topic of homeschooling or sharing interesting resources, and work to be welcoming to our newest members.  The FEAST page is a great place to ask about the official side of homeschooling – paperwork, legal requirements, etc., or to ask about different methods and materials.

To be clear: FEAST as a group is inclusive.  You are welcome to join us regardless of your race, ethnicity, range of abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, financial means, education, personal beliefs, and/or political perspective.  We won’t require you to disclose ANY of those things before or after joining our group. No one will be excluded for any of those reasons.

All are welcome.

FEAST discussions and activities are secular, which means -without religion-.  Our members will assume that all resources and activities shared here are also secular, unless you indicate otherwise, and so we do ask that you include that information when discussing or sharing anything of a religious nature; you may simply include the term “religious” or “faith-based” in your post, to help keep things clear for our secular group.

FEAST is both inclusive and secular.