Timothy Plan’s ‘Biblical Stewardship Family Edition’ Curriculum Provides Homeschool Credit
Choices Reflect Values; Homeschooling is Educational Freedom
May 27, 2020
ORLANDO, Fla.—There may not be many silver linings to the coronavirus pandemic, writes Timothy Plan columnist Robert Knight, but an upsurge in homeschooling is one of them.
May is Homeschooling Awareness Month, shares Timothy Plan, the pioneer of biblically responsible investing (BRI)—and it’s a great opportunity to look more closely at the current state of teaching children at home, with some students learning outside the public school system for the first time.
Right now, because of school closings due to COVID-19, the homeschooling “business” is booming.
“Ordinarily, anywhere from 1.8 million to 4 million children are being homeschooled, depending on who is doing the estimates,” according to Knight’s new Timothy Plan blog post. “But with schools locked down all over the country, about 50 million school-age kids are being home-schooled in some capacity, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the largest and oldest homeschooling advocacy organization in the United States.”
In a sense, the decision by many families to teach their own children mirrors why people invest with Timothy Plan: They want their choices to reflect their values. They don’t want to support institutions that openly promote immoral activities.
Since 1994, Timothy Plan’s mutual fund family has screened out companies involved with abortion, pornography, anti-family entertainment and other unbiblical practices. In 2018, Timothy Plan exhibited at 13 home school events in 11 states, and was the premier sponsor for all six events staged by Teach Them Diligently, a homeschooling online clearinghouse. Timothy Plan also sponsored two Texas homeschooling conventions.
At each of these homeschooling events, Timothy distributed the Biblical Stewardship Family Edition, a 118-page workbook written by Timothy Plan founder and CEO Art Ally. The high school curriculum is worth one credit hour toward graduation.
The fact that homeschooling is touching more families nationwide is causing more to learn about this growing educational movement.
“Homeschooling is educational freedom,” wrote Michael Smith, president of the HSLDA, in the U.S., in the Daily Caller. “It’s a deliberate choice to provide a tailored learning experience, ensure a nurturing environment, choose curriculum, and weave learning into life, whatever the reasons—stronger academics, protection from bullying, management of anxiety, different learning styles or special needs.”
Over the past 40 years, homeschooling has become far more sophisticated and has many more resources.
The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), for example, conducts and collects research about homeschooling. Publisher of the journal the “Home School Researcher,” the institute was founded in 1990 by several people, including current NHERI President Brian Ray, Ph.D.
Has being forced into homeschooling led more parents to consider doing it full-time?
“Dramatically,” Allen Weston, president of the National Home School Association, told Knight. “There’ve always been a percentage of public education parents who have wondered whether homeschooling would be a good fit. Now, they’ve hit it head-on and are experiencing some of the freedoms that homeschooling families routinely enjoy, like flexible schedules.”
Weston also says the spike in homeschooling due to school lockdowns could have a lasting effect.
“A lot of people who are unexpectedly at home with their kids have discovered the joy of teaching their kids close up,” he said. “They come to our website to see how to homeschool, and we think many will end up doing it full-time.”
Some current homeschooling parents also learn how to take better control of their investments because of their educational associations. For instance, at a home school conference, Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries leader Dan Celia, while presenting a session on behalf of Timothy Plan, listed some funds that were “socially screened” but that were very different from the moral issues for which Timothy screens.
As a particular fund popped up on Celia’s screen along with some of the immoral causes it backed, a woman in the audience broke into tears.
“That’s the primary fund in my husband’s medical retirement fund in a pediatrics office,” she said. “We had no idea that we were investing in and profiting from abortion. Here we are trying to save lives and bring new life into the world.”
For more than 25 years, Timothy Plan has helped clients invest in a way that aligns with both their values and retirement goals. A foundational principle is that God owns everything, and Timothy Plan leaders are firmly committed to managing a mutual fund company with the integrity, excellence and wisdom that brings honor and glory to the Lord.
For more information on Timothy Plan, visit timothyplan.com or connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vimeo or YouTube. View the media page for Timothy Plan here.
PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE RESULTS AND YOU MAY LOSE MONEY. You should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information can be found in the fund’s prospectus. To obtain a copy, visit timothyplan.com or call 800.846.7526. Read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. Mutual Funds distributed by Timothy Partners, Ltd., member FINRA. ETFs distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC, MEMBER FINRA and SIPC. Timothy Partners, Ltd. is not affiliated with Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
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To interview Timothy Plan founder and president Art Ally, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Patrick Benner, 610.584.1096, ext. 104, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
