Statement from AHEA for Calgary advocacy meeting

November 12, 2016

AHEA sent the follow statement to be read at the Calgary home education advocacy meeting today:

The Alberta Home Education Association, AHEA, would like to thank you for the invitation to speak today. We regret that we are unable to attend. We wish you the best in this meeting, and want to encourage you all in your advocacy for home education .

As you are doing today, striving for the freedoms of home educators has been the heart of AHEA since its' inception. We advocate for your every parent's right to home educate their children in the manner they deem best. We advocate for legislation which reflects this and honours this, and which allows parents the latitude to meet their children's needs.

Research has shown that the children who do best in their education are those who have parents who are involved. Home education is the mode of education which affords this the most parental involvement.

In AHEA's advocacy for freedoms, we have often been asked about why we do not advocate for more money. The reasoning we have provided over the past years has become reality in the past weeks, with the financial auditing becoming a priority for Alberta Education. When government money follows children, government intervention and oversight does as well. Even when parents choose to not receive the educational resource reimbursement allowed under the Home Education Regulation, there is still government oversight. The Home Education Regulation mandates two visits per year by certified teachers, and this then results in Alberta Education providing financial resources to have this happen.

AHEA has, since it's inception, advocated for a notification only regulation. This would mean that parents are required to notify of their intent to home educate, with no further legal requirements. This would eliminate the need for public money to follow our children, and eliminate the need for government oversight and intervention.

Our desire to home educate our children comes from our desire to see our children succeed, and offer to them the very best. It is not our desire for reimbursement for educational resources that motivates, us, but our desires for the very best for our children.

AHEA has been working extremely hard to see that your ability to home educate is not placed in jeopardy. AHEA appreciates the opportunity to serve the home education community, and to serve families.