Charter Schools
What is a charter school?
In a nutshell, a charter school gets state funding for each child they have enrolled, just as a public school would. The charter schools we work with here at Timberdoodle pass on a chunk of the funding to you for curriculum purchases (orders usually have to be placed through them) and keep the rest of the funds to cover their overhead costs.
Charter schools want you to sign up with them so that they get their slice of the funding and many love working with homeschoolers. Homeschoolers love that charter schools allow them to source all or much of their curriculum at no financial cost.
When your student registers as a student at ABC Charter School, the school is accountable for him/her and have some expectations to make sure your student is making progress and is a good representation of their school. Different charter schools have different expectations for accountability.
An additional thing to note is that even though all the education typically happens at home, you may not officially be homeschooling your child if you register them in a charter school. Don’t let the terminology scare you from doing what’s best for your family, though!
How do I find an awesome charter school?
We suggest searching for a Home-Based Charter School in your area. Not every state participates in this type of education, so you’ll need to do a little research to discover the possibilities for your family.
Do you partner with my charter school?
We partner with lots of charter schools! Most of the charter schools we currently work with are based in California, Alaska, Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona. Contact us to find out if we already partner with your specific charter school!
What if my charter school doesn’t work with Timberdoodle?
If you find your local charter school doesn’t yet partner with us, we’d suggest asking them to submit this form – we look forward to working together! Once we receive the form from your charter school, approval usually takes 2-10 business days.
Can I order anything on your website through my charter school?
Most charter schools do not allow the purchase of faith-based items, so you should expect to purchase our non-religious options. However, some charter schools have exceptions for certain subjects or publishers or grade levels, so it is worth checking with your charter school.
How do I order a custom kit through my charter school?
Most charter schools can order custom kits - check with yours for any special rules. Once you have the all clear, go ahead and build your kit online, add it to your cart to see your unique six-digit code, and then make sure that your charter school includes your unique custom kit code with your purchase order.
Your code will look something like bElxQu and allows us to pull up your specific kit and verify that we make the changes you are anticipating.
What happens once I submit my purchase order to my charter school?
Your school will put your order through all their proper channels and then email the finished purchase order over to us! We jump into action and create an order for you on our end; during this time, we will contact you or your school with any questions about the purchase order. Then your order will enter the shipping queue and ship as quickly as possible. During the summer rush, the timeframe these processes take can be quite significant (up to 6-8 weeks!), so be sure to order early if possible!
When will my order ship?
Charter schools sometimes submit your email address with your order—if they do, you will receive an email when your order ships. If not, you will have to wait in suspense for your package to arrive! If you contact us for the status of your order, please include as much information as possible to help us find your order—your charter school’s name, your name, your student’s name, the purchase order number, your zip code, etc.
Will I get free shipping on my curriculum kit when ordering through a charter school?
No. Because your charter school order is placed through the extension of credit, your order is not “pre-paid” and thus does not qualify for many of the same promotions for which pre-paid orders qualify. For example, charter school orders cannot receive “free gifts” under our free gift promotion, nor do charter school orders qualify for free shipping on curriculum kits. Occasionally, schools will place orders online like most of our customers and receive free shipping that way, but most schools do not choose this option.
What are the shipping rates for charter schools?
Charter schools can expect to pay these rates within the lower 48 states for the 2022-2023 school year:
Order Subtotal = Shipping Cost
$0.01-$149.99 = $16.95
$150.00 + = 12%
For shipping outside of the lower 48 states, our shipping rates are usually double what is shown in the chart above, but we are always evaluating those costs so we are not overcharging our customers.
More questions?
That’s great! We would love to answer your questions. Just shoot a quick email to mail@timberdoodle.com, and we will put you in touch with someone who can answer all your charter school questions!