REGISTERED HOMESCHOOLING IN BC: WHAT IS IT AND IS IT RIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY

Enshrined in Sections 12 of the BC School Act, homeschooling in BC is an educational alternative to the BC school system. On behalf of the BCHEA, Brenda Fawkes (President) and Michelle Giroux (Vice President) speak about what it means to be a registered homeschooler – your rights and obligations, common scenarios, finding community, and more.

BCHEA was founded by BC home educators in 1988 in response to an upcoming re-write of the School Act. The grassroots campaign was instrumental in the creation of the legislation that guarantees your right to home educate. BCHEA continues to be the recognised provincial voice of homeschoolers throughout BC.

STRETCHING ONE INCOME: BUDGETING FOR HOMESCHOOL FAMILIES

This session equips families with practical tools to make the most of their household income. Learn budgeting strategies, organize savings with purpose, uncover everyday savings opportunities at home, and gain confidence navigating debt—so your family can live intentionally, reduce stress, and build financial stability.

Catherine Lopez is a homeschooling mom of three alongside her husband, Gino, and is passionate about helping families thrive. With over 11 years as a Financial Education Specialist at the Credit Counselling Society, she teaches real-life money skills that help people from all walks of life build lasting financial well-being.

CHOOSING CURRICULUM

Choosing curriculum starts with understanding your family’s uniqueness, not just picking good books. This workshop explores both big-picture planning and practical tools, helping you select core subjects and personalized resources to build a thoughtful, intentional homeschool plan that guides your journey, keeping you moving in the right direction.

Cori Dean is an author, speaker, publisher, and the owner of The Learning House. With over 20 years of homeschool experience, she has traveled the country bringing support and encouragement to thousands of homeschoolers. Having graduated 3 of their four daughters, she and her husband, Mark, now enjoy grandparent life.

CREATED FOR CONNECTION: RAISING RESILIENT CHILDREN WITH HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM

Grounded in attachment science and a biblical understanding of relationship, this workshop equips homeschool parents with practical EFFT tools to build resilience and healthy self-esteem. Learn how connection, emotion coaching, and repair help children feel known, wanted, and safe.

Emily, MA, RMFT-SQ, CCC, is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Clinical Counsellor, Advanced EFFT Therapist, and undergraduate instructor at Trinity Western University. Through her clinical work and yearly parenting workshops, she equips families with research-based, attachment-focused tools to strengthen connection, resilience, and emotional confidence.

CREATING A JOYFUL START TO YOUR HOMESCHOOL JOURNEY

Homeschooling begins with relationships and rhythms, not just curriculum. Creating a Joyful Start to Your Homeschool Journey shares seven essentials to help you avoid common pitfalls and build a peaceful, purposeful homeschool. Whether you’re starting fresh or resetting, you’ll be encouraged to begin simply and confidently.

Hester is a second-generation homeschooling parent who approaches learning with humility and delight, embracing her own ongoing education. She homeschools her four children in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley and runs Classical Education Books, a labour of love supporting fellow homeschooling families through thoughtfully chosen stories and resources.

NAVIGATING AI WITH CONFIDENCE, DISCERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE

Feeling unsure about AI? In this session, we’ll explore what AI is, how it works, and what it promises...then consider how we and our children can make wise, thoughtful choices about using it (or not), grounded in a Christian worldview.

Joanne is a teacher and resource developer at Regent Christian Online Academy. She is currently working on a thesis for her Master of Digital & Online Education at Athabasca University, centered on adolescent use of AI. She works remotely from Qualicum Beach where she lives with her husband and kids.

RETHINK HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE

Focus on how to provide time, space, materials, and experiences instead of bookwork style curriculum. Learn how children build scientific understanding through play, exploration, and real life experiences in the elementary years then how to layer in vocabulary and concepts as confidence and curiosity grow through the junior high years.

Joanne is a veteran homeschooler following 23 years teaching her three children. Holding a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, she blends a love of child development, math, science, and learning with practical home education insight. She now mentors parents, sharing research-informed, play-based approaches that build strong foundations for lifelong learning.

EMBRACING NATURE: HOW THE OUTDOORS SUPPORTS LEARNING, FAMILY CONNECTION, AND DEEPER GROWTH

Bring homeschooling outside! Grounded in Métis perspectives and research on nature connection, this workshop explores how the outdoors supports flourishing—family connection, wellbeing, and learning across subjects. With gratitude for creation, you’ll leave with mixed-age ideas for every season and routines to build a learning rhythm beyond the front door.

Josée Bergeron is the founder of Backwoods Mama and author of Beyond the Front Door. A Métis, Catholic outdoor educator and writer, she helps homeschooling families use nature to support learning and connection. She’s a mom of five (ages 3–18) and has homeschooled since 2013.

CONNECTED & GROUNDED: EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH DIGITAL FLUENCY THROUGH TECH-WISE PARENTING

In this workshop, Karen and her teenage son Ben will share strategies to build digital fluency and healthy technology discipline through a Biblical lens. They will explore strategies for autonomy, responsible tech use, and digital supports. Families will discover actionable steps in equipping their children to become empowered digital citizens.

Dr. Karen Roeck is a speaker, teacher, and administrator with experience in K-12 and higher education. As Director of Learning at HCOS, she leads professional development for 900 staff, focusing on digital pedagogy and online best practices. Karen and her husband Aaron have two teenagers who home educate with HCOS.

BUILDING A SOLID MATH FOUNDATION: BECAUSE CONFIDENCE MATTERS

Just like a house needs a strong foundation, children need a solid base in math to handle complex ideas with confidence. This session shares simple, effective ways to teach from the ground up, building understanding. A foundation doesn’t just produce right answers—it creates learners who keep growing and enjoy math.

Leana and her husband have homeschooled their children their entire lives. Her passion for math has become a gift she shares daily, helping her children see its beauty and purpose everywhere. Watching this understanding grow gives her confidence in their future.

SUCCESSFUL POST SECONDARY ADMISSIONS

Discover how homeschooled students are successfully applying to post-secondary institutions without a high school diploma. Understand the admissions process for colleges, universities, and the trades, and hear why top institutions are actually giving preference to home educated applicants. Learn how to gain acceptance to the program and institution of your choice.

Peter Stock is the President of the Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada. For 30 years, Peter has been a successful pro-family leader and strategist in government, media, and public relations. His experience with public policy, from conception to implementation, naturally progressed into protecting and promoting home education. For over 16 years, Peter and his wife, Tarah, have homeschooled their four children. Peter shares the teaching responsibilities with his wife and understands the needs of homeschooling families.

ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT FOR HOME EDUCATING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES OR DIVERSE ABILITIES

This session offers encouragement and practical ideas for parents home educating children with disabilities. Parents will leave with simple, realistic strategies to support learning, reduce pressure at home, and feel more confident and hopeful in their home education journey.

Phyllis has worked with families as a home learning support teacher and is currently the principal of RCOA. As a parent of a daughter with Down Syndrome, she understands the professional and personal sides of supporting children with diverse abilities and enjoys encouraging parents with practical support and hope.

STOP RUNNING OUT OF YOURSELF: WHAT EVERY HOMESCHOOL MOM NEEDS TO HEAR

You didn't choose homeschooling to feel depleted, guilty, and like you're failing every day. But somewhere along the way, the dream got heavy. In this workshop, we finally name why — the 7 specific things nobody told you would make this hard — and how to begin the path back to yourself. Because when you get what you need, so does everyone else.

Teresa Wiedrick is a certified life coach, author, and host of Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast. She spent years homeschooling four children without a seat at her table — and has spent the years since helping moms understand why.

FAMILY FRIENDLY LEARNING: TIPS, PROJECTS, AND RHYTHMS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF MULTI-AGE HOMELEARNING

Homeschooling with older and younger children doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. This workshop offers practical tips, adaptable projects, and sustainable rhythms to help families learn together with confidence, purpose, and joy!

Tori is a BC-certified teacher and Assistant Director at Regent Christian Online Academy. She has 10 years of homeschooling her four kids and 20+ years in education. Tori loves slow mornings, read-alouds, impromptu dance parties, and creating a joyful, family-centered approach to learning.