Other questions about Sonlight

Sonlight Curriculum is a Protestant, Evangelical Christian company, and everything we produce is written through this worldview. Our beliefs would line up more closely with the Reformer's view.

We do, however, sell books by people from other perspectives than our own.

It is our opinion that students should learn different perspectives on important issues. We also prefer to use books from authoritative voices from these perspectives when possible. For example, we would rather carry a book on Catholicism written by a Catholic defending his own view than one written by a Protestant telling what the Catholic view is.

Our study guides include copious notes and commentary to encourage critical thinking and questioning on each topic. The information in the books is never simply accepted at "face value." We want students to interact with their texts, evaluate what they read, and decide on their own where they stand on various issues.

For more information, please view our Mission and Vision Statement.

The best way to find out if Sonlight is approved for homeschool in your state is to call your State Board of Education. We strongly urge our customers to invest the time necessary to become familiar with the controlling laws concerning home education in their community. Information on this subject can be found on the web at www.hslda.org and also by contacting your local homeschool support group. Don't know how to find a good group? Check out http://www.homeschool.com/supportgroups/.

The core reason we are not accredited is because we are not only a US company, but an international one as well. Because of this, accreditation would not be an easy process for us. Requirements for accreditation not only vary from state to state, but also from country to country.

There are many forms of accreditation. You will discover that some homeschool/correspondence programs are accredited, but what does that actually mean? The only accreditation that has national acceptance is the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education, a division of the Federal Government. Accreditation from a Christian School Accrediting Agency, even one that is endorsed by state, does not have national acceptance. The few correspondence type schools that do have the DESE accreditation are usually related to a state university.

Many, many colleges are not only accepting home education students with a parent-generated transcript, but they are actively seeking them out, even offering scholarships for homeschooled students! A lack of national accreditation is no longer a deterrent in most situations.

In a desire to serve our clients, and not an accrediting agency, Sonlight has chosen not to seek accreditation. We do recommend, beginning in 8th grade, that you request information from colleges in which your child may be interested in, with regards to their acceptance policy. This way, you can plan your student's high school curriculum accordingly to meet the entrance requirements. Most colleges will be happy to provide you with information; many even have admissions officers designated to assist homeschooled applicants.

Thank you for your interest in coming to visit Sonlight! Unfortunately, we are not set up to receive visitors at the building or in the warehouse. We do appreciate your enthusiasm to meet us directly, and although I'm sure we would enjoy the visit, we are not able to accommodate your request.

You can, however, take a fun and rather unique Virtual Tour of Sonlight... with a shocking twist at the end!