Five hundred to eight hundred dollars for a curriculum is a stretch for a lot of families. But once they get beyond the sticker shock these same families explore their options and begin to realize what a good deal Sonlight really is.
Let's explore some of the "money saving" options that are available to you so you can see for yourself.
NOTE NEW TIME PAYMENTS OPTION:
Pay for your Sonlight materials over a six-month period. Find out all the details on our Time Payments page.
Sonlight vs. "Built from Scratch"
Ambitious parents sometimes decide they can do better than what's available to homeschoolers by building their own curriculum from scratch. They figure they can build a better curriculum and save money in the process. So they set to gathering books, writing schedules, and planning assignments.
After spending countless hours preparing their "built from scratch" curriculum — after being frustrated by poor library systems and wasting night after night monitoring Ebay auctions — parents often find the time invested wasn't worth the savings. In some cases they find they actually didn't save anything... they spent more because they purchased so many items they ended up not using, and they didn't carefully track their expenses.
But besides the raw costs of time and money involved in building your own curriculum, there's the emotional grind of planning every single day for the entire year. It's taxing, and it can quickly lead to "burn out."
With Sonlight, you know how much you'll spend for the year. And you get a schedule for the entire year... a schedule that tells you exactly what you need to do every day of the week, 180 days of the school year.
Sonlight vs. Discounters and Secondhand Sources
Yes, you might be able to find a few — indeed, many — of the items that we carry offered by our competitors for less money. But before you dash off to the nearest discounter or secondhand source, you may want to consider what our customers say about trying to buy Sonlight at the cheapest possible prices.
This year was our first of doing Sonlight (it's our second homeschooling), and I thought I'd save all I could by buying as much used as I could. Next year, I'm buying everything from Sonlight. I spent five whole weeks last summer trying to find the best deal on everything used. But with shipping costs, etc., I only saved $60 — which, considering how much time I spent, really wasn't saving much at all.
— Karen Joy, 10 June 2004
OK! I have spent hours looking for used curriculum and have found some better prices than what is in the catalog, but with the discount and free shipping and handling — I have only found I would save a little over $20. I didn't believe it. I had to spend hours finding out myself!!
— Barbara E, 10 August 2004
These two individuals both found they could save a little bit of money by shopping around, but both had to invest "hours" to turn up the savings.
How much is your time worth?
If you decide to buy your Sonlight materials elsewhere, you might save $20, $50, or even $75. You might also spend 10 or 20 or even 40 plus hours to achieve this. And in some cases you might invest that time and still spend more money than you would have had you just bought everything from Sonlight in the first place.
We can't predict for sure which result you'll achieve if you try to "do it on your own." But please remember: we offer Newcomer™ and Core program purchasers a one-year membership in the Sonlighters' Club. Your membership entitles you to a 10% savings on the price of your entire curriculum package plus a 10% savings on anything else you purchase from Sonlight for a period of one year (see "How to Join the Sonlighters' Club" for complete details).
And then don't forget the free shipping, the Love to Learn Guarantee, our famous high-quality customer service, the college scholarship competition and more. It's a hard combination to beat!
Once you consider the added expenses you may incur by purchasing from multiple sources, the lost time, the inconveniences... are you sure you can find a better deal elsewhere? Ultimately, it's your decision. We simply want to make sure you have thought through the implications of whatever choice you make.
Sonlight vs. Other Homeschool Curriculum Providers
Let's take a look at a few of the most popular curriculum providers to see how they compare to Sonlight. The numbers below were valid as of February 7, 2005.
A Beka:
A Beka's third grade program costs $705 plus 10% shipping for a grand total of $775.50. It comes with a "30-day money-back guarantee" but you must pay a $50 cancellation fee for a full-grade cancellation or a $25 cancellation fee for a single-course cancellation. To qualify for a refund, all materials must be returned in "perfect, salable condition."
Bob Jones:
Bob Jones' new "Hard Drive" third grade program costs $849 plus 10% shipping for a grand total of $933.90. Although it's not explicitly stated on the web site, the program appears to be covered by a 30-day return policy. If you choose to use BJ HomeSat, the television programming you're intended to use with your materials, then you will incur these additional expenses: $8 registration fee per subject for a total of $56, plus a $32.99 per month ongoing fee for the 12-month programming, and first-time users must also purchase a self-installation hardware kit for $179.90. Grand total for the school year, including books and materials: $1200.55!
Alpha Omega:
AOP's third grade program, including the LIFEPAC materials and Academy tuition, costs $800 for tuition and materials plus a $185 full-time student (non-refundable) registration fee for a grand total of $985. You'll have up to 60 days to return unused, resalable materials for credit. No refunds are issued after 60 days.
Sonlight:
Sonlight's Newcomer™ 3 Curriculum costs $848.64 after your 10% Club discount. Shipping is free. You'll have a full 18 weeks to actually use the curriculum. If you're not satisfied, you can return the entire program — used materials and all — for a full refund of your purchase price.
So Sonlight is more expensive than A Beka and less expensive than Alpha Omega and Bob Jones. But take a look not only at the cost of Sonlight curriculum, but the value you and your kids receive from it.
Sonlight's program includes electives and many ways for you to customize the curriculum—more so than competitors' programs do! Sonlight's Newcomer™ Curriculum includes some items you won't have to purchase again if you continue with Sonlight, which means your second-year costs will be substantially less.
Sonlight has the longest and most generous guarantee. And it lets you experience the curriculum before you make a decision.
To top it all off, your membership in the Sonlighters' Club entitles you to a 10% savings on all orders you place with Sonlight for a period of one full year from your purchase date.
With benefits like these, Sonlight is an investment that's hard to beat.
Sonlight vs. State-Sponsored Homeschool Curricula
When it comes to pure monetary cost, we plead "no contest." You've paid the taxes; state-sponsored homeschools cost no additional money; Sonlight costs money.
But is it really just a question about money? D. Borris in Ohio left Sonlight for a state-sponsored homeschool and watched her kids go from loving school to hating it in one short month:
This is our second year homeschooling. Last year we used Sonlight (and much to our delight!). But this year we decided to try OHDELA (a homeschool program offered through the state).
It sounded GREAT — free computer, printer/scanner/copier, supplies, all the textbooks needed, lots of flexibility to use different resources, all from the comfort of our home with the support of a "real" school teacher "helping" our family. Not one penny out of pocket to teach this year was a blessing (or so I thought).
I was really excited and so were our children. This was our first month and I must admit it is convenient for me. It's easy to see what I have to teach for the day. I feel like a real public school teacher. My children sit while I show them what they need to do next in their workbooks and reading assignments just as I was taught in school.
Once I finish everything in the day's lesson, we are done for the day. Most days my kids were done in one hour because it was so basic and all review.
Last year my children LOVED "school." They honestly didn't realize we were doing school with Sonlight. When folks asked them what they learned they'd say, "We didn't do school today," when, indeed, we had finished reading chapter books, mapping our reading travels, using the dictionary, writing letters to family (writing, language arts, spelling, dictation), Bible stories, crafts, addition and subtraction while manipulating Cheerios®, division and multiplication (with food again!), reading and on and on and on! My children were really getting smart without disliking it.
WELL, yesterday at the doctor's office, my children said it: "We don't like homeschool this year." I couldn't believe it!
Today when I told my children we could do Sonlight, they actually said, "YES! Let's do it now, Mom!"
Besides the issue of whether or not your children will actually enjoy a state-sponsored program, there's the issue of regulations and the separation of church and state.
With many state-sponsored programs, you've got to be "in class" for a predetermined number of hours every single day. And you cannot teach anything Christian within the time allotted for "school." All religious instruction must occur outside of the state-sponsored homeschool. D. Borris continues...
I should have known OHDELA wasn't the best choice when I filled out the paperwork and had to sign that I would NOT teach any religion during our 5 hours of learning each day! Unbelievable.
I thank God that he allowed us to "try" OHDELA. Now I can confidently say I am no longer going to "wonder" how wonderful a "free" program would be for our family. God will provide the funds we need to home school as we raise his children in our care.
Homeschooling is about freedom... freedom to teach your children what you want, when you want. State-sponsored programs take away that freedom.
Will you throw away your God-given freedom for a free computer and some free textbooks and workbooks?
Sonlight vs. Public Classroom Schools
No question, public school also seems to appear less expensive than homeschooling... no matter if you choose Sonlight or any other program.
But the truth is that public schools cost money. It's just that their costs are often hidden. For instance, there are activity fees, lab fees, miscellaneous supplies, etc. Here's what two of our customers said:
We are homeschooling two children this year and we just forked out $1,000 for two curriculums. I felt sooooo guilty about the expense. But my husband figures that if we sent my son to the local public school, we would still spend $1,000 on fundraisers, class parties, supplies, this and that. What a great bargain we're getting!
— Wincott, 3 July 2004
Have you done a breakdown in cost as far as sending your son to school compared to keeping him home to teach him? Figure in everything! Gas to take him and bring him home, field trips, teacher's gifts, donations (there will be plenty of those), goodies sent in for parties, fundraisers, book orders, etc. When my daughter was in kindergarten I probably spent between $300 and $500 on the items mentioned above.
— Deb, 29 June 2004
If you closely examine public schools, you'll find you'll pay a lot more than you expect. And when you add it all up, you'd probably find your costs for public school and homeschool are nearly equal.
Sonlight vs. Private Classroom Schools
It probably comes as no surprise to you that private school is far more expensive than Sonlight. In most cases, the cost of tuition at private schools runs $2,000 to $10,000 a year per student. And that's just for the tuition. You'll need to add the costs of clothes, supplies, fees and more to arrive at a final figure.
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When you tally the score, you'll find Sonlight is quite competitive. It's a robust curriculum at a reasonable price that comes with a number of excellent benefits you won't find anywhere else.
And please remember, cost is all in how you choose to see it. One of our customers, Dawn, writes:
My husband and I were just talking about the cost of Sonlight. I noted that we pay less for a new Sonlight curriculum than we do for cable modem and internet charges per year. I also noted that we probably would have a major shock if we had to pay for the whole year of modem and internet charges in one fell swoop in January! I just have to look at it that way for me to get a better picture of how inexpensive it really is! Sixty dollars a month for schooling for the year is really very little.
