Alberta has seen a record increase in the number of members joining Homeschooling Facebook Groups! In fact, the Alberta Homeschooling Association Group is getting over 200 new members everyday over the last couple weeks! And Alberta is not the only place where parents are considering a change in their school plans for September. Even all the way to the Maritimes, there has been a change in the way parents are thinking about education!
My cousin, Emily Ross, who is the Chair of the Prince Edward Island Christian Home Educators (PEICHE), did an interview with CBC. In it, she explains how over 300 people have expressed interest in attending PEICHE’s annual information session on homeschooling, compared with no one showing up last year. The group seeks to: Protect the rights of home education; Promote home education as a viable option; and Provide information and support. PEICHE is under the umbrella of the HSLDA. Emily estimates that about 260 families currently homeschool on the island and that number is growing! In fact, 20 new families have joined the Home Educators of PEI Facebook group in the last month. (This is compared with only one or two new families who joined in previous summers).
In Nova Scotia, the interest in homeschooling is up more than 10 times since last summer, says homeschool coach, Kimberly Charron. Kimberly provides workshops and resources to parents who homeschool their children. Some parents are untrusting of the province’s claims that children do not spread Covid-19 like adults do and have decided to homeschool instead of sending them back to public school.
Parents are starting to realize that they are their child’s best advocates and that homeschooling is a viable option for them. Many parents feel empowered and supported by groups like Emily’s and Kimberly’s and ready to take on this new rewarding journey!
If you are leaning away from public education but are not sure what the steps are to homeschooling, or are unsure of all the amazing options homeschooling can provide, please reach out to your local homeschooling Facebook groups to find support and information! Your child’s education could depend on it!
If you are in Alberta, you can join the Alberta Homeschooling Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlbertaHomeschooling
If you are in PEI, you can join the PEI Christian Home Educators Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/peicheinfo/
If you are in Nova Scotia, you can join Kimberly’s Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/hsnovascotia
If you are in the Camrose area and would like your child to be homeschooled, but do not wish to do it yourself, or if you like information on how you can start your own Dayhome/Homeschooling service, please reach out to me at heather@tracingtalent.com and I would be happy to provide you with more information on our Fall Dayhome/Homeschooling Program!
Emily Ross & Heather Harris-DeMelo
Sources:
You can take a look at Emily’s CBC interview here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-home-school-education-interest-1.5664747?fbclid=IwAR1ftYn2LC4oQ0nPQ57GPrmmb2x1LxjkuoFp991ANwNPhoeMYhlm446ULow
You can also take a listen to an interview Emily did on the Island Morning Radio Show here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-30-island-morning/clip/15789317-increase-home-schooling?fbclid=IwAR3KQgUWMk8X8_1Wj2XV9tquXrvZRbm7UJpGveWE3tsR1mLRo53sxpSgLcI
Kimberly’s article is here, if you would like to take a closer look: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-home-schooling-covid-19-1.5677710
Here is an article the President of the Alberta Homeschooling Association, Judy Arnall, was interviewed for which discusses the upsurge in homeschooling interest: https://apple.news/AhPCjWorjSXuz7gqOcwem4Q
Heather Harris-DeMelo
Teacher
Heather is an Alberta Certified Teacher with 5 years of experience teaching in public school boards. She offers Private Day Home and Education services through Tracing Talent. Contact her today to set up a meeting to discuss the care and education needs of your child!