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If you’re a certified teacher, you can use your educator identification cards to get special discounts at a variety of places. Parent educators also qualify for many discounts. Using a simple Parent Educator card from LIFE of Florida or your homeschool group will often net you nice discounts at a variety of stores, museums and other places, although often a copy of your state or county’s acknowledgement of your Home or Non-Public Education Program is often sufficient, as well. Here are some tips for getting discounts, and a few places known to openly honor them (although policies may change without notice, and stores in different areas may not honor discounts).
Following a few simple suggestions can help you get discounts as deep as 10 -20% over list price, from any of the stores and companies listed here to local museums and other attractions.
1. Ask if the store or organization offers a teacher's discount.
2. If the answer is "yes," ask how you can receive a discount card.
3. If the person asks to see your union card as proof of your teacher status, reply with, "I'm authorized by the State to teach my children. I can provide you with a copy of the approval letter."
Whom to Ask Ask for the general manager in most businesses or for the sales person in charge of corporate accounts at larger businesses. Ask that person if the store provides an "educators' discount" BEFORE you tell them you are a parent educator. A "yes" answer will give the store less room to wiggle out once you do tell them you homeschool. If the manager says "yes," explain that you are a parent educator (no need to go into great detail) and you'd like to apply to get an educators' discount.
What to Expect: The business may want any combination of the following, so be prepared.
*Have an ID card that "proves" you are a "parent educator" or member of a support group.
*Have a written statement on letterhead from your school saying you are authorized by that school to make purchases. It won't matter that you've made up that school letterhead on your computer so you may make purchases in your school's name.
Once the store manager knows you are a parent educator, he or she may just need to make a copy of these documents to give to their accountant. In turn, you may be issued a special card to use when making purchases, or asked that you make your purchases at the "business window" where they'll have an account set up for you.
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Family Directed Learning 
