WHO WE ARE
OUR FUN BACKSTORY
Carrie & Mike De Francisco
In 2014, the De Franciscos answered the call to start the FUNdamentals Homeschool Co-op in their Monrovia home. Little did they know it would grow into a vibrant community of twenty-plus teachers and over two hundred families. FUNdamentals equipped a generation of students from kindergarten to high school – including their own daughter and son, Francesca and Joe. In 2024, the De Franciscos sensed it was time to retire, and they passed the baton on to Shannon Baer, who taught at FUNdamentals for five years, and previously founded and served in leadership roles at many other co-ops over the years. She brought in homeschooling moms and current teachers, Danica Childs and Autumn Cornwell, to partner with her in overseeing this new iteration of the homeschool co-op, EUREKA!
The De Franciscos will continue to bless homeschooling families, especially through Carrie’s ministry, Coffee With Carrie, and her ongoing consulting practice. Make sure you check out her podcast, workshops, books, and events – they’re a goldmine of information! Click here!
MEET THE TEAM
Shannon Baer, Danica Childs, and Autumn Cornwell are honored and overjoyed to lead this new iteration of FUNdamentals Homeschool Co-op through all the adventures ahead! EUREKA!
Shannon Baer
The Baer Family embraced homeschooling from day one! Shannon and Stan Baer married in 1993 and proceeded to homeschool all six of their kids, who currently range in age from 14-29 years – their youngest son, David, is currently attending this co-op. Shannon has been involved in a wide variety of homeschool communities during the last 25 years, both secular and Christian. These have included membership in Sunseeds Co-op; serving as a board member for the WISH Nonprofit (Workshops Investing in Socializing Homeschoolers) for five years; launching and directing Classical Conversations at First Baptist Church in Pasadena for four years; and founding and directing the nonprofit Ecclesia Classes at St. James United Methodist Church in Pasadena for seven years.
Shannon currently owns Protégé Education, which is a vendor for charter schools, and also teaches exclusively at FUNdamentals Co-op. A vibrant and in demand teacher, Shannon has blessed numerous students with her humanities and art classes for a quarter century. The Baer family lives in Sierra Madre, where Stan is an Senior VP/financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. Stan and Shannon attend Christian Assembly Church, where Shannon launched and led the CA Moms Group over the past five years. In her “spare time,” Shannon also sells block print art, frequents thrift shops, and makes her friends laugh out loud!
Danica Childs
“Hello! I’m Danica Childs. My husband Steve, an art professor at APU, and I have been married over 24 years, and we’ve been on the homeschooling adventure with our two daughters, Thorne and Pippa, for over ten years. I have a BA in Intercultural Studies and in Communications and a MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and received an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from Talbot Seminary in order to become a practicing Spiritual Director. From teaching English in South Korea, to managing and training personnel in a Client Services department for ten years, to teaching in the church and the ministry Autumn and I started, to homeschooling my kids, to now teaching other homeschooled children, the through-line of my life has been education.
To say I love learning is an understatement, which is why this quote by the great physicist Richard Feynman perfectly sums up my life and much of our homeschool experience: “Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.” Within every subject whether it’s nature, the arts, literature, math, history, or the sciences, there are marvels and beauty to behold. I believe wonder and curiosity are contagious and that the more it’s modeled, the more kids catch it! I’m passionate about learning and encouraging kids to behold the wonders of our world!”
Autumn Cornwell
“HA! Comedy is my middle name! I’ve written and/or performed comedy my entire life: sketches, improv, plays, fiction, radio, theater, TV, film, and even stand-up – and I love teaching it all to the next generation! After getting my B.A. in Radio/TV/Film Communications from Biola University and completing Screenwriting and Directing Workshops at the American Film Institute (AFI), I worked in TV sitcoms, wrote and directed comedic short films and an independent feature, and published two YA novels. I did this while church planting in Hollywood, co-leading international mission trips, and offering an ongoing women’s ministry in So Cal with my sister, Danica.
“But one of the most creative things I’ve done in my life was marry my Biola boyfriend, J.C.Cornwell, over thirty years ago and raise two amazing kids – Dexter and Clementine, who crack me up on a daily basis! We jumped into homeschooling in 2020 and God nudged us towards FUNdamentals a year later. Now Clementine is in her sophomore year of high school, while Dexter is a freshman attending Biola University. J.C. works in Animation at Dreamworks and teaches adjunct at Biola University’s Snyder School of Cinema Arts. We’re a creative family, who found a good fit with homeschooling, since it allowed us to produce artistic content and travel, thanks to a flexible schedule – note our genteel attire during a trip to Bath, England for the Jane Austen Festival!”
OUR NEW PARTNERS
Pastor Joel & Elisha Larson
Shannon, Danica, and Autumn are thrilled to partner with Pastor Joel and Elisha Larson and the First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia, (soon to become Monrovia Community Church), who have graciously offered to host EUREKA! on their lovely campus. The Larsons and their children, Claire, Will, and Finn have been part of our homeschool community and share our heart for creating a welcoming environment for our families.
Pastor Joel and Elisha’s heart is for the new and upcoming chapter of the church to build on the foundation established over one hundred and twenty-five years ago, to be a Christ-centered multi-generational family of faith that blesses and shares the Gospel with the Monrovia community and beyond. The Larsons are passionate about discipleship for all ages from birth through the third-third of life. As the church becomes Monrovia Community Church this September, their prayer is that every child nurtured in the community and every family supported on the discipleship journey develops deep roots of faith that will last a lifetime!
As long-time homeschoolers, Pastor Joel and Elisha see the unique opportunity for homeschool families to disciple their children and hope the welcoming and supportive environment at Monrovia Community Church will bless parents on that journey!
Visit the current FPC Monrovia church website here to learn more about the Larsons and their community!
ALSO! Elisha leads a welcoming Charlotte Mason group called the Live Oak Educators that meets for a Book Study Park Day every Tuesday at 2:30 pm at Monrovia Library Park. (Or in the future Living Books Library, upstairs in the Education Center of the church, in bad weather.) It is free and open to anyone who is interested. Details and updates can be found at https://www.liveoakeducators.