Thursday 11-Mar-10

BCHLA is a registered non-profit society dedicated to the protection of the family's freedom to educate children at home with minimal government intervention. We represent B.C. home educators from many walks of life with differing religious and philosophical backgrounds.

You are here: Home » Getting Started » Ed Options in BC
Print this page

Educational Options in British Columbia

 
(Also see BC Ed's page for a quick flow-chart visual on the educational options in BC)

BCHLA realizes that there has been much confusion regarding home-based learning options in BC in recent years. We support minimum government intervention in homeschooling and are an advocacy group for homeschoolers who are registered under Sec. 12 of the BC School Act. We offer information about home-based, public or independent school enrollment options as a public service and to help clarify the difference between home-based learning options currently available in BC. (For more information on BCHLA's position, you can see our Positional Statement. For the differences between registration and enrollment options, please see A Word on Distributed Learning Programs and the Ministry of Ed's chart.)

The BC government generously allows for faith-based choices in two-thirds of the home-based options and three-fifths of all educational options in BC. If you wish to use a faith-based curriculum as a foundational part of a child's education, we encourage you to consider only those options that allow for such a choice.

Registration brings with it the most freedom for the family to choose the path that best suits the family's needs and/or convictions. BCHLA has always supported minimum government intervention, and will continue to do so. Individual families will need to decide for themselves which option suits them best.

For the purpose of clarity, the following terms with these definitions are used:

  • register - to state your intent to the government that you will be educating your children autonomously in accordance with Sections 12 and 13 of the BC School Act.
  • enroll - to have a child participate, at school or at home, in an educational program provided by a public or independent school and administered and assessed by a BC certified teacher.
  • homeschooler - a child registered under Sec. 12 of the BC School Act.
  • home-based student - a child enrolled in a distance education/distributed learning program, provided by a public or independent school.

Click a title below for an explanation of each option.

Homeschooling

Independent School (2 Options)

Public School (2 Options)

A Word on Distributed Learning Programs

We are the only BC organization that is entirely committed to your freedoms! If you want this freedom maintained, please consider a membership.

Find out more > > >