parent education

​Recommendations from the Ministry of Education's funding model review Working Groups were released in October 2019.
Read the reports:

Financial Management
Adult and Continuing Education
Inclusive Education
Online Learning

Gaming Grants has developed a new 2019 presentation for PACs and DPACs. The presentation covers all of the basics, a few complex questions, and features an expanded list of eligible/ineligible disbursements (with better examples).

The presentation is 25 slides and should take 30 minutes to deliver. PACs and DPACs are reminded to apply online for Gaming Grants between April 1 - June 30, 2019 to receive funds in Fall 2019.

The Government of Canada's Public Health Agency created this short question and answer document for parents - "Gender Identity in Schools" (2011)

The Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Center at the University of BC is a research team which looks at health inequities and strengths among stigmatized groups of youth, as well as the programs and policies that support them. They have compiled a short fact-sheet based on a decade of research with LGBTQ that can teach us about student well-being and how we can make schools more welcoming places to improve student health.

Math for Families

Helping your child with math at home Teachers help build children’s mathematical thinking at school. Families help build it at home. Research shows that an ongoing partnership with families can help children develop math understanding. This resource suggests ways families can support children’s math development by doing activities at home.   Resource available in English, Chinese and Punjabi

Ministry of Education Factsheet: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) in Schools

Ministry of Education SOGI Policy Guide

Learn all you need to know about the new curriculum including: core competencies, assessments, orientation guide, parent's guide and the ability to give feedback. All materials housed on the government website. 

SOGI 1 2 3 Parent Resources were created in collaboration with BCCPAC, Ministry of Education and ARC Foundation to answer parent questions about what SOGI-inclusive education looks like in BC schools. Use the complementary presentation and facilitator's guide to learn within your parent community. 

SOGI 1 2 3 Parent Resources were created in collaboration with BCCPAC, Ministry of Education and ARC Foundation to answer parent questions about what SOGI-inclusive education looks like in BC schools.

SOGI 123 Parent Brochure

SOGI 123 Fact Sheet

Elementary Classrooms

Secondary Classrooms 

​In June 2021, Ministry of Education staff met with Distributed Learning educators and also met with BCCPAC President Sinclair and CEO John Gaiptman to explain the proposed plan and to engage us as part of the consultation process which is just now beginning. During that discussion, it was agreed that BCCPAC would assist the Ministry with parent focus groups in the fall of 2021 to ensure they were hearing directly from families. 

Read the Parent Information Sheet. Please review the Timeline

​For more information about the overall timeline, the consultation process, proposed changes and what to expect, please visit the Ministry’s information page on The New Model for Online (Distributed) Learning. 

Parents/guardians/caregivers are encouraged to review the materials and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

​There is a three year implementation timeline and work has only just begun as work was delayed due to the pandemic. The initial steps were completed during the Funding Model Review in 2018; online learning had its own group and BCCPAC participated in those discussions as all the education partners did. 

The OLWG published a series of recommendations around how to best modernize the delivery of online programs in BC while addressing critical gaps and facilitating better program choices and learning outcomes for students. The recommendations included a new model for Online Learning (previously referred to as DL) including a provincially supported infrastructure consisting of:

• Single Online Learning Policy
• New Online Learning Management Service
• Selected Provincial Service Providers
• New Quality Assurance Framework
• Shared resources for educators

Read that Online Learning Report.

Over the last year, the Ministry, in consultation with public and independent administrators and educators, has begun drafting the criteria, guidelines and procedures for each of the five workstreams to best enhance the equity, quality and availability of Online Learning for students. Subsequently, during the pandemic, safety measures accelerated students’ and teachers’ engagement with online learning and blended learning programs, increasing the need for implementation of the OLWG’s vision.

The proposed changes are all about improving equity and access for all students and families to programs that:
- are of high quality,
- provide flexibility for families and their students,
- ensure that wherever a child lives in the province, they have access to a program that meets their unique needs.

Families of children with unique learning needs will continue to have supports whatever type of schooling they select.

​In support of the new Online Learning legislation which came into effect July 1, the Ministry has contacted Boards of Education who currently have a DL agreement in order to sign an Interim Online Learning Agreement. Interim Online Learning Policies have also been posted. Parents can review these interim online learning policies which school districts must adhere to.
BCCPAC is supportive of the review of the DL/OL programs across all 60 school districts as they aren’t all the same as regards quality, flexibility, equity and access.

Read about Standards for K-12 Online Learning and Standards for Online Learning Content

​For more information about the overall timeline, the consultation process, proposed changes and what to expect, please visit the Ministry’s information page on The New Model for Online Learning. 

Parents/guardians/caregivers are encouraged to review the materials and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Read the Parent Information Sheet. 

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in the ground. You can’t see it or smell it. When radon gas seeps inside an enclosed space, such as a home or workplace, it can build up to high levels and become a health risk. Long term exposure to high radon levels is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second leading cause after smoking overall. All homes and buildings have some level of radon. Radon levels tend to be the highest in enclosed spaces and lower floors of a building since they are closest to the ground source. Since any building can have high radon levels, it’s important that all buildings get tested.

Learn more about Radon

Public schools in the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi regions of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) (North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Sea-to-Sky, Sunshine Coast, Powell River and Central Coast) were screened for radon during the 2017/2018 school year. VCH conducted a radon school testing project in 2017/18 where they tested over 90 schools. Read their Final Report.

Recognizing that awareness related to radon has increased significantly over the last five years, Health Canada has contracted Scout Environmental to help identify potential new opportunities to educate Canadians into action. Health Canada has funded several campaigns related to radon and while these campaigns have made significant strides, there continues to be a disconnect between education and action.

Scout Environmental (Scout) and BCCPAC have partnered to increase awareness on radon and the importance of testing through several engagement channels. Scout’s Program Ambassadors will be in attendance at our annual Parent Education Conference in May 2020 to engage parents on the topic of radon and offer an exclusive discount on Health Canada approved long-term radon test kits.

We have written a letter of support for the program as we know this is important to members. We will work with Scout Environmental to help educate parents and school boards. We will share more information with parents as we progress.

 In cooperation with Safer Schools Together, the Ministry of Education has created/updated "Raising Digitally Responsible Youth" parent guide. 

 There is more information at Safer Schools Together,  ERASE site, Common Sense Media and many others.

Understanding the BC Reading Performance Standards: A Guide for Parents

This document was developed to provide a guide for parents to the BC Performance Standards for Reading and Writing. It is hoped its use will:

• help parents know more about their child’s performance
• help support children’s learning
• help schools and families talk about reading and writing performance.

Working together, you and the teacher can help your child have a more successful school year. Together we can reach a shared goal in helping your child get the best education possible.

Sex' and 'gender' are often used interchangeably, despite having different meanings.
Gender: socially-constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men and gender diverse people.
Sex: biological attributes of humans and animals, including physical features, chromosomes, gene expression, hormones and anatomy

This simple infographic from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research helps to explain the difference.