About EUREKA!
Our Vision
Eureka! A Christian Homeschool Experience for Creators & Thinkers
provides students the opportunity to participate in both academic and creative pursuits in a welcoming environment that encourages intellectual curiosity, personal development, freedom to risk, and a sense of play. Our desire is to foster community through connection, creativity, and collaboration. Join us!
What EUREKA! Offers
Eureka! offers a robust K-12th schedule of ongoing courses, including art, science, math, theater (Do we offer this, or is this in reference to anita’s theater company?), literature, history, ASB, writing, FAVA (vocal arts) , acting, improv & sketch comedy, and more! And many of the creative classes provide opportunities for showcases, performances, and art openings.
OUR VISION FOR ELEMENTARY K-6th
Along with the traditional classes, at Eureka! We desire our younger students to discover their talents and abilities through a playful approach to learning. Freedom to explore, create, and connect. It’s through the freedom to get messy and try the untried that students experience their own Eureka! moments.
In that vein, we’re offering a variety of classes to meet the different capacities and interests of our younger students. We’re here to support you and your child on their educational adventure. Maybe a sentence about supporting your homeschool experience.
OUR VISION FOR JUNIOR HIGH & HIGH SCHOOL 7th-12th
In our digitally saturated world, (we strive to – take out?) offering teens opportunities to disconnect from screens, and encouraging them to connect and collaborate face to face is a priority for us. With our new partnership, we’re able to offer more spaces for unstructured hang times, both indoors and out, as well as the time for creative collaboration. Offering our teens classes that develop both their thinking abilities as well as their creative abilities is of great importance to us. So along with the core classes of science, history, math, and literature, we want to encourage our students to create original content and artistic works, and give them opportunities to showcase that work to the larger community. Which will (This) in turn help(s) students clarify their interests and passions, and hopefully provide them a clearer vision of their future. The teen years don’t have to be a scary season to homeschool, instead they can be some of the most fun and free years of all! We’re here to support and encourage you in your desire to homeschool the high school years.
I like this (creative and social aspects) but I would add something about the more academic and physical needs too. And support for homeschooling sentence.
(NOTE: Add a paragraph about homeschooling high schoolers! To demystify it! Danica will write the rough draft)
OUR STORY
Our story begins in 2014 when Carrie and Mike De Francisco 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. To meet the Team, click here.
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!
OUR NEW NAME
And speaking of goldmines, we must introduce the thought behind our new name. Eureka! connotes the discovery that comes after exploring – from Archimedes in the bath discovering the principle of water displacement using a gold crown to the California Gold Rush adventurers discovering gold “in them thar hills!” And we personally view it as discovering the gold in our students. We believe God made each child unique with their own set of talents and abilities just waiting to be discovered! EUREKA!
OUR PARTNERS
We’re thrilled to partner with Pastor Joel and Elisha Larson and the Monrovia Community Church (formerly known as First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia), who have graciously offered to host Eureka! on their lovely campus. The Larsons and their three children, Claire (16), Will (?), and Finn (?), have been part of our homeschool community and share our heart for creating a welcoming environment for our families.
(LARSON FAMILY PHOTO) (POSSIBLY MCC LOGO)
Click here to learn more about the Larson Family and Monrovia Community Church.
OUR TEACHERS
Eureka! is blessed to have a vibrant team of believers teaching a wide variety of subjects with excellence and passion – and often with a sense of humor! Many of them have been teaching our students for well over a decade, while others are joining us for the first time this fall. To meet each of our teachers, click here.