What Parents and Families Need to Know for September

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Today’s BC Liberals care about the public education system, our teachers and our children. We are working toward a solution to the ongoing negotiations between the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). 

We want our students and teachers back in the classroom as soon as possible. B.C. students have some of the best outcomes in the world – and we want to keep it that way.

Although it’s our goal to resolve the situation as soon as possible, we recognize that if a labour agreement isn’t reached a strike will be a disruption to B.C. families.

We want to help B.C. families be prepared for any outcome. This includes making alternate arrangements for things like child care, which may place a financial burden on some of B.C.’s families. That’s why we’ve come up with a contingency plan. 

What is the Temporary Education Support for Parents?

The Temporary Education Support for Parents is a one-time payment available to the primary caregiver of eligible children under the age of 13 attending B.C. public schools.

The primary caregiver may receive $40 per eligible child for each day the child is not in school because of the labour disruption.

The primary caregiver may register for the payment by completing a simple online form starting in September. A paper registration form will be available for those who are not able to access online registration.

Most payments will be processed within 30 days after the month in which the labour disruption ends. 

Unclaimed money will stay in the education system.

Please see BCParentInfo.ca for more details.

There’s no substitute for getting back to class.

British Columbia surpasses all provinces and ranks behind only Finland and Japan among peer countries in terms of student achievement.^[1] We want our children in school so that we can continue to support their achievements and performance.

In the event of a strike, free learning resources are available to help keep students of all ages learning.

There are several programs available at no cost through Open School BC and LearnNowBC geared to young learners, elementary students and secondary school students.

Although these are not a substitute for the classroom, these interactive and free activities provide some opportunities for kids to learn at home.

Please see BCParentInfo.ca for more details.

We need a long-term agreement.

It’s essential we get students and teachers back to school. Although a strike is disruptive, it’s crucial that both sides take the time to reach an agreement that is fair and sustainable to avoid future disruptions in our children’s education.

There’s a place you can turn to for help.

BCParentInfo.ca is your one-stop resource to apply for support, learn about the strike and find the latest news about the negotiations.

Here, you will find the information about bargaining proposals, parent support and learning resources. You will also find fact sheets on class size and composition in B.C., student achievement in B.C.’s public schools and record levels of B.C. education funding.