School SquadA private calendar for homeschool groups and co-ops
Last updated: October 31, 2026
School Squad is a private, invite-only calendar for homeschool groups and co-ops. Field trips, park days and co-op lessons live in one place; families RSVP with how many kids are coming, and kids’ events from libraries you pick show up too. Hosts pay $100/yr (or two co-hosts $50 each) and families $20/yr. New hosts, co-hosts and families all start with a 30-day free trial.
What your group gets
- A members-only calendar for field trips, park days and co-op lessons. Each event has a date, time, location, ages, notes and a link.
- RSVPs with kid counts, so the host knows how many children are coming.
- Any family can add a park day or field trip, or hosts can choose host approval first, or only hosts and co-hosts posting.
- Lesson plans hosted at families’ homes, with supplies and spots left. The full address only shows to families who join that lesson.
- Kids’ and family events from the local libraries you pick, pulled in for you.
- Update notes and cancellations that show on the event, in the group’s “What’s new” list, and in everyone’s calendar feed.
- A calendar feed you can subscribe to on your phone. Event times, reminders and the feed use your group’s own time zone.
- Sign-in with an emailed 6-digit code, so there are no passwords to remember.
Why groups outgrow the group chat
Group chats and paper flyers work until the group grows. The date gets buried under fifty messages, the flyer goes missing, and the host is left guessing how many kids will show up. A shared calendar gives every family one place to check: what’s happening, where, who’s going, and whether anything changed.
RSVPs with kid counts
Families tap RSVP on an event, add their name and say how many kids are coming (and their ages, if you want them). If plans change, they can update or remove their own RSVP. Kid counts help when a venue needs a headcount, or when you’re planning supplies for a craft or a lesson. Planning a trip? See how to plan a homeschool field trip for your group.
Private by default, including lesson plans at host homes
Every group is invite-only. Only families your group invites, by link or by email, can see your calendar. Sign-in uses a 6-digit code sent to your email. When a family hosts a lesson at home, other families see the general area, and the full address shows only to families who join that lesson.
Your local library’s kids’ programs, built in
Pick the libraries near you, and their kids’ and family events for the next several weeks show up next to your group’s plans. Built-in picks cover public libraries in the Quad Cities area of eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Anywhere else, a host can paste their library’s events page and School Squad shows a preview of its kids’ events before adding it. That works when the library’s calendar runs on LibCal, LibraryCalendar, Communico or The Events Calendar for WordPress. If the library uses a public Google or iCal calendar, paste that calendar’s own public link: we don’t pick up Google calendars embedded in a page. If yours uses something else, you can ask us to add it.
Updates, cancellations and your phone’s calendar
When a host posts an update or cancels an event, it shows as a banner on that event and in the group’s “What’s new” list inside School Squad. Subscribed calendars get it too: cancelled events are marked cancelled the next time the calendar refreshes. You can subscribe from Apple Calendar on iPhone, from Google Calendar, or by copying the feed link into any calendar app that can subscribe to a link.
How hosting works (and co-hosting)
| Who | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Host | $100/yr | 30-day free trial. Your own family is included. |
| Two co-hosts | $50/yr each | 30-day free trial each. The group goes live once both co-hosts have paid or started their trial. |
| Member family | $20/yr | 30-day free trial. 2 adults included, +$5/yr per extra adult. |
Billing is yearly, through Stripe. Each family has one account, with up to 5 devices per adult.
Set up in a few minutes
- Enter your email and the 6-digit code we send you.
- Name your group and add your town and ZIP.
- Pick the libraries near you.
- Invite families by link or email.
Is School Squad right for your group?
A good fit: park-day groups, field-trip groups and lesson-rotation co-ops that want one private calendar with RSVPs.
Not built for: class registration, tuition and payment collection, or gradebooks. If your co-op needs those, a big all-in-one co-op system may suit you better.
Questions leaders ask
What is the simplest way to share a calendar with a homeschool group?
Use one private calendar that every family can open on their phone and subscribe to, rather than posting dates in a chat. In School Squad you invite families by link or email, and they see every event, RSVP and update in one place.
Can families RSVP and say how many kids are coming?
Yes. Each RSVP has a name and a kid count (with optional ages), and families can change or remove their own RSVP.
Who can see our group’s events and home addresses?
Only families your group invites. For lessons at a family’s home, the full address shows only to the host and the families who join that lesson.
How much does School Squad cost?
Hosts pay $100/yr, or two co-hosts pay $50/yr each. The host’s family is included. Member families pay $20/yr (2 adults, +$5/yr per extra adult). New hosts, co-hosts and families all start with a 30-day free trial.
Can two leaders share hosting?
Yes. Two co-hosts each pay $50/yr, and the group goes live once both have paid or started their free trial.
Do families need to download an app or remember a password?
No. There’s no app store download: School Squad works in your phone’s browser, and you can add it to your home screen. Sign-in uses an emailed 6-digit code instead of a password.
Can families add their own events?
Yes, by default any family can add a park day or field trip. In Group settings, hosts can turn on “Approve new events first” so family posts wait for a host or co-host, or let only hosts and co-hosts add events.
Does it show library events near us?
It shows kids’ and family events from libraries you choose. The Quad Cities area of eastern Iowa and western Illinois is built in. Anywhere else, paste your library’s events page in Group settings: if its calendar runs on LibCal, LibraryCalendar or Communico, or The Events Calendar for WordPress, its events show up right away. For a public Google or iCal calendar, paste the calendar’s own public link (a Google calendar embedded in a page isn’t picked up). Otherwise you can ask us to add it.
How big can a group be?
Each host or co-host seat covers up to 40 member families, and a group can have up to 3 hosts and co-hosts, so up to 120 families.
Is there a free trial for hosts?
Yes. New host and co-host seats get a 30-day free trial, just like member families. A card is required, and if you cancel in Manage billing before day 30 you aren’t charged.
What happens to our calendar if we stop paying?
If you cancel, you keep access until the end of your paid year. After that, the group is locked and hidden, but nothing is deleted, and renewing unlocks it.
Built by an Iowa homeschool mom. Starting from scratch? Read how to start a homeschool group or co-op in Iowa.