a - Business Structure
bas
On one level this is a very simple question with a simple answer: Enki is a service organization whose goal is to support health and wellbeing in the child, teacher, and family - that, of course, must include ongoing learning for all. To that end we produce materials and do our best to ensure that those for whom Enki is a good fit are able to purchase them.
To support this goal we offer a scholarship program (and are the only like curriculum providers who do). We also accept credit cards, in large part, so that those who do not qualify for scholarships but are in need of a way to spread out payments, have an avenue open to them.
We feel customer service is very important in both the practical realm and the educational realm. To that end, we reply to questions and issues as quickly as possible - usually within 3 days. We also include a complimentary consultation with the first purchase of a package or guides, and offer monthly group phone discussions and ongoing online peer support and/or an opportunity to join an online group with the Enki Leadership, and an opportunity to sign up for Enki classes and ongoing consultations.
When an order is placed with us, it does take time to get it out to you. Because our materials are so extensive and we offer many combinations for maximum flexibility for the customer, each order is printed up individually. Orders go in to the printer each Monday morning and he takes a week to print and package them. Then they are shipped and, depending on the shipping method you choose, they should arrive in 1 - 4 weeks. The Foundation Guides and any CD’s and DVD’s that go with your order are shipped the Monday after the order is placed and should arrive 3-5 days after that.
This is the basic scenario, but we are all people: mistakes happen; emergencies arise. When there are late packages or errors in printing or packaging, we will correct the problem as quickly as possible. If the problems create undue strain on you, we will refund your money and cancel your order. Anything that has been shipped will have to be returned prior to receiving a refund.
At the same time as considerate and precise business practices are of great importance to us, Enki is not simply a store; it is a new and unique approach to nurturing children and families - as such, it is more of a cooperative endeavor. Everyone has the opportunity to play a part in keeping Enki alive and vital. Whether simply purchasing materials or creating them, whether questioning the pedagogy or developing it, whether sharing your experience or pondering its implications, all are part of what keeps Enki alive and growing. All these contributions are needed to fully serve the children.
This means that we must all work together to ensure Enki’s health. On the practical end, we ask that you consider the purchase of Enki packages to be tantamount to paying tuition in a school. In a school situation you would visit and talk with people before making a commitment. We can’t provide a “school experience” and it would not be relevant to homeschooling, anyway. But we do all we can to help you figure out whether Enki is a good fit for your family before you purchase. There are significant sample pages from every book available on the web site. We will do our best to connect you with a package owner in your area so that you can see the full package first hand. And we offer complimentary pre-purchase consultations to help you explore whether or not Enki is a good fit - no one benefits if it is not.
If you do decide to purchase, you have four weeks in which to return the material as long as it is in original form. But should you choose to keep them longer, we consider it a choice to use Enki - you are enrolled. From this point on, we ask that you NOT resell or give away the materials. If you decide down the road that you do not want them anymore, we ask that you return them to us so they can be used in our scholarship program for others who can’t afford to purchase them.
It is important to realize that because we are a small and independent company, we depend exclusively on sales for our revenues. That is what makes it possible to continue sales and production of materials. If books are resold or given away, it directly undermines those wanting to use Enki now and in the future.
One thing it may be helpful to understand is that, although Enki is a business, Enki operates more like a community or a school. Like all schools, public or private, Enki is dependent on enormous amounts of volunteer support. It does “take a village” to raise the children; together we make up the village.
On one side of working together is responsible purchase and ownership of materials; on the other is the contribution of time, expertise and energy needed to create the materials. Over the 20 years of its life, a handful of people who have made up the core faculty of Enki have volunteered and continue to volunteer an enormous amount of time to bring Enki into being. A larger group has volunteered significant time on particular projects. All those who participate in discussions and consultations also contribute their time and talent - and we learn and adjust accordingly.
Since its inception, Enki has been the result of pooling our time and talents to bring the children a new education – it has not been about creating a profit-making business. It is only possible to offer Enki because we operate as a CBE (connection based) which is similar to a CSE (community supported Agriculature). So when people volunteer long hours – whether for producing materials or moderating discussion groups or teaching at conferences - they are generously supporting all of your children and children of the future. They are not supporting any person or company making money.
In the end, all who work with Enki - parents at home, teachers in schools, participants in discussions or conferences, volunteers in programs, writers and researchers of materials - are part of bringing this new work into the world. Each of us is part of nurturing not only those in front of us, but those who will follow in the future.
-------------------------