The stock market is falling. Gas prices are rising. Unemployment is high and getting higher. You are a home school family, and you need curriculum for your children. Is there any way you can get the materials you need to educate your children without having to sell your car or take out a second mortgage? There is a place where you can do just that.

   Since April 2007, The Family Vision has been providing families with a cost-effective way to purchase gently-used home school curriculum and resources. Our concept is very simple: folks that are finished with their home school curriculum bring it to us, and we price it and sell it to those who need it for their family.

   We have grown greatly over the last four and a half years, and many folks think of us first before making a curriculum purchase. Here are some questions and answers on why buying curriculum on consignment is good for your family.

Q:    Why is it wise to buy used curriculum?        
A:    You usually save at least 30 percent (often more) of the price of new curriculum.

Q:    Isn’t used curriculum spoiled and unusable?
A:    No. Used curriculum is typically intact and has been used for only a couple of years, and complementary resources are usually readily available.

Q:    What curriculum publishers are available?
A:    Since we operate on a consignment basis, we only get what our consignors bring to us. Having said that, we have many of the main publishers, such as, A Beka, Bob Jones, Saxon, Horizons, Alpha-Omega, and various unit studies such as Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, Weaver and Konos. We cannot guarantee that we will have the subject and the grade you are looking for, but we will have some things that you need and want. The key to the success of our consignment operation is having great consignors; the more materials we receive, the more there is to choose from for our patrons.

Q:    What about the consumables?
A:    Consumables are often unavailable, because the family “consumed” them. However, there are times when a family made a purchase but did not use the curriculum. The package may be opened, but the material is still in usable condition.

Q:    If I come to buy curriculum, will I find just old, outdated materials?
A:    No. We do our best to screen the materials before they make it to the consignment area, so that you have something you can really use.

Q:    What benefit is there to shopping for home school curriculum at The Family Vision?
A:    The Family Vision is a recognized nonprofit ministry, and proceeds from sales cover day-to-day operations and assist in expanding the Christian lending library operated by The Family Vision.

Q:    Why should I bring gently-used curriculum to The Family Vision?
A:    Here are two reasons. First, why should you keep your curriculum until the next curriculum fair, when you can clear your shelves of these materials now? Second, you are helping to support a ministry committed to the home school community and to its mission of Faithfully Equipping Generations for the Lord.

Q:    If I bring my materials to you to put on consignment, what is the sales split?
A:    The Family Vision pays a 60/40 split with our consignors; the consignor receives 60% of the final sales price. This has been a very effective way to sell the materials. To use a worn-out cliché, this is a win-win situation for all involved. In addition, The Family Vision pays its consignors every quarter for whatever items that have sold.

Q:    If I bring my materials to The Family Vision, how do I know that you will be in business six months from now?
A:    If we were just trying to keep our doors open by selling consignment, we might not be around in six months! But, by God’s grace, we are sustaining this as a nonprofit ministry, which seeks the Lord’s provision from His bountiful resources. We trust the Lord to preserve The Family Vision as a valued asset to the Christian community. We have been serving as The Family Vision since 2005, and by God’s grace we will be serving generations to come.

Q:    We have talked about the nuts and bolts of consignment, but what is the vision of “The Family Vision”?
A:    Our mission is “Faithfully Equipping Generations.” Without oversimplifying, our vision is to assist parents in bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I realize, as a parent of four children (two of which are married and have children of their own), that it does not take a village to raise a child; it takes the body of Christ to bring up a generation committed to Jesus. We are just a small part of that body, providing biblical worldview materials through the lending library, the resource and conference center, and the home school consignment area of The Family Vision. All in all, our mission is to support parents, children, and the community at large with an alternative to the pervasive secular-humanist worldview.

Q:    When can I come and visit The Family Vision?
A:    We are open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M., and Friday, 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. (no weekend hours at this time).

Q:    What else we should know about The Family Vision?
A:    I want you to know that The Family Vision is, in my opinion, a jewel in the St. Louis metro area. To our knowledge, there is no other fully-functioning Christian lending library and resource center in the United States, and no other home school consignment operation in the local area.

For information on our consignment, click here. To check out our upcoming events, click here. We offer many activities and events for children of all ages and for families. Come and see us!

In Christ,
John Thrower
President, The Family Vision