The tasks for the colony are very peaceful: education, creation of new culture, development of medical science, creation of education materials such as video interviews, video lectures, books, movies, computer games, and interactive web sites with artificial intelligence teachers.
Humans in general may have trouble focusing on their tasks, especially in an unfamiliar environment. This is one of the reasons the colony has to be in a safe place which conducive to creativity. Creativity is going to be needed for all tasks of the colony. If the humans are unhappy and at unease, this will be detectable in materials they create, especially on videos. So safety and good morales are essential for the productivity of the colony. Most importantly, the humans have to understand their mission and be fully committed to it.
On Earth, helping people to focus on their tasks is achieved by various means. Very often the people working on specific projects are separated geographically into a new location. For secret projects, humans create special cities with limited access. Often it is traumatic to be separated, but with limited separation and clear rationale for that, the humans can cope. Typically, workers have their families nearby and oscillate between families and work. While at home with families, they catch up with the news and on family life and when at work, they focus on work. Men tend to think about work all the time while women tend to switch their thinking quite abruptly between work and home.
Humans function poorly without families; without families, they are functioning in emergency mode. They can fight, but to be creative, they have to be psychologically comfortable. Leaving the family possibly forever is a tragedy for a person and for the family. For the colonists being in a safe place and having families around in a circle of friendly colonists and aliens, the task of transforming the Earth and bringing a new knowledge to the Earth is a very exciting and positive emotion. So the colony is to be created in a safe place conducive to creativity.
I am not sure whether your motherships circling the earth are safe. Possibly they are, and if so, starting the colony there would be easiest. But if they are in a state of war and security is of a concern, than starting the colony in a safe remote location would be more appropriate. The humans would need access to Earth's internet, but not necessarily in real time. You could make a copy of Internet and deliver it to the colony with a delay. A week old copy of Internet would be good for all purposes except for the covering current news. The colony's news agency would be an exception; it has to be connected to the Earth's internet in real time.