Let’s Talk About: Getting Started
Beginning Homeschooling is easy in Manitoba! So you’ve made the decision to homeschool- welcome to our wonderful world!! Now you’re wondering what your next steps are.
What Do I Have to Do for the Government?
- In Manitoba, you are asked to send a Letter of Intent to provide Home Education to the Minister of Education for all children from the ages of 7 to 17 years old. This means you must notify the Minister by September of the year your child turns 7 and you must continue to do so each year until your child is 17. This notification must happen before September 1st or 30 days after the child is withdrawn from public school.
- You can find a homeschooling notification package at the Government of Manitoba’s website Notification Package – Homeschooling | Manitoba Education (gov.mb.ca). You will want to send in the Student Notification Form Home Schooling Student Notification Form (gov.mb.ca)
- The parent or guardian will also be responsible for providing the ministry with progress reports. These reports are to be submitted in January and June; they can be found in the homeschooling notification package as well. The following forms must be used for this report. January 2021 Progress Report (gov.mb.ca) and June 2021 Progress Report (gov.mb.ca)
- Most of us also send a copy or CC the principal of the school the child has been attending. This is a courtesy that gives the school earlier notice, so they know your child won’t be joining them when they plan classes, etc. There can be a delay in the school board processing the Letter of Intent and notifying the school, so if you don’t notify the principal yourself, you could hear from the administration team about absenteeism in the first couple of weeks. Let the administration know that you have files the proper forms with the ministry.
- There are times where a government liaison needs to meet with the family you can do this in a neutral location. They are there to determine the progress of the children. Show them some work for the child from the previous year versus current work.
- Post Secondary schools are accommodating for homeschooling families.
What Am I Required to Teach?
- You are not required to teach anything specific in Manitoba.
- You do not need to use a pre-made curriculum unless you want to.
- If you think your child may be returning to public school in the future, you may choose to follow a curriculum that is Canadian and similar to the Canadian public school structure, but that is your choice.
- If you want a Canadian curriculum that aligns with the Manitoba government standards, you can shop Schoolio here: Schoolio.io | Homeschooling Canadian Curriculum Support for Parents
What Records Am I Required to Keep?
- You are not required to keep any records! However, it may be useful to keep samples of the child’s work in each subject from year to year to show progress is being made, in the case that a liaison requests a meeting.
- You are not required to do any formal planning in advance or to work on any set schedule. If you’re interested in using planning and scheduling in your homeschool for your own personal organization, you can find a lot of tips and free templates here: Welcome: Schoolio Planning Freebies – Schoolio.io | Canadian Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
- You do have to submit the progress report twice a year but it doesn’t require a lot of details. If you want to give your kids a Report Card just for fun and personal feedback, check out this alternative Report Card for Homeschoolers here: Homeschooling is about more than the “3Rs – Schoolio.io
Is There Funding for Homeschoolers?
- There are several great resources available for new homeschooling parents in Manitoba!
- The Schoolio page has information in the Blogs section from planning to finances to socializing to Kindergarten: Blog – Schoolio.io
- Covid Homeschooling- Canada is a facebook community dedicated to helping new homeschoolers in Canada: Covid Homeschooling- Canada | Facebook
- The Canadian Homeschooler has a wealth of resources for the new to veteran homeschooler: Home – The Canadian Homeschooler
- Manitoba Government Homeschooling | Manitoba Education (gov.mb.ca)
- Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home (MASH) is the largest homeschooling group in the province https://manitobahomeschool.com/
Where Can I Get More Help and Advice?
- There are several great resources available for new homeschooling parents in Manitoba!
- The Schoolio page has information in the Blogs section from planning to finances to socializing to Kindergarten: Blog – Schoolio.io | Canadian Curriculum Homeschooling Home Learning
- Covid Homeschooling- Canada is a facebook community dedicated to helping new homeschoolers in Canada: Covid Homeschooling- Canada | Facebook
- The Canadian Homeschooler has a wealth of resources for the new to veteran homeschooler: Home – The Canadian Homeschooler
- Manitoba Government Homeschooling | Manitoba Education (gov.mb.ca)
- Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home (MASH) is the largest homeschooling group in the province https://manitobahomeschool.com/
