Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You can choose to use a pre-existing curriculum or create your own. This will be captured in your Home Education Plan. You have a great amount of flexibility in your plan; however, it does need to be approved by the school. 

No. You can choose to use the Alberta curriculum, but this is not mandatory. 

As per Alberta Education, all families registered in Home Education are to be provided with no less than 50% of the funding allocation provided by Alberta Education. Connections for Learning provides families with $850. The Home Education grant offered to parents is intended to defray the costs of educating a student at home in the school year for which the grant is made available.

To access the Home Education Grant, complete and submit the Grant Funding Notification Form.

You can use the Home Education Grant for educational resources, learning activities or educational experiences. The items that are submitted for claim must be directly related to supporting a student’s program for the duration of that school year. Parkland School Division has a high degree of accountability to Alberta Education for the use of public funds to support education, so guidelines will be followed closely.

Unschooling is a general term used for a form of home education where education happens without the use of a schedule, curriculum, testing and grades. This method is driven by the idea that a child learns best based on their own interests and that learning is constant and student-led. With unschooling, the goals are set by the student, and learning is often cross-curricular and comes from a wide array of experiences. There is always intention and focus behind the learning. You may unschool your child as long as your program plan meets the requirements of Alberta Education's Learning Outcomes for Students.

Students in Grades 6 and 9 have the opportunity to write Provincial Achievement Tests. Please contact the Home Education Facilitator at CFL by mid-February to register for June exams. 

We encourage a minimum of three meetings: one meeting for the initial program plan approval, and two subsequent meetings in the middle and at the end of the school year to evaluate student progress.

Home education students don't typically have IPPs, as it is the teacher's role to make modifications to program plans and learning more accessible to students. We can work with you to modify and create a program plan that will meet your child's needs.

Home school hours depend on each family and student's needs. Most families have an in-class portion in their daily schedule from 9am-12pm. This does not take into account other learning that would happen throughout the day. Typically, a family can cover more curriculum at a faster rate at home due to the one-on-one attention the student receives. 

Homeschooled children typically do not receive the credits needed to attain a high school diploma; however, there are options available to meet the needs of high school students in home education. Please contact Connections for Learning to set up a meeting with our Home Education Facilitator to discuss these options.

Spending is based on Standards for Home Education Reimbursement.

Receipts are submitted using the Educational Expenses Reimbursement Request Form.