What is the AQED?
The Quebec Association for Home-Based Education (AQED) is a citizen’s organization, voluntary and secular, founded in 1997 by family educators wishing to better support each other in their home education project. The association brings together more than 1,500 families, which represents more than 3,000 home-educated children in Quebec.
The AQED’s mission is threefold:
- It informs and supports Quebec parents who choose to home educate.
- It represents its members to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, school service centres/school boards and other organizations related to youth and education.
- It supports and defends the rights of parents to educate their children according to the pedagogical method they prefer, while protecting the child’s right to receive a healthy and balanced education.
Why become a member of the AQED?
AQED is an association that exists for its members, but also thanks to its members. By joining our dynamic and committed community, you will benefit from many advantages and services exclusive to members to meet your needs as a family educator. You will find them all in the Members’ Zone.
The Latest News and Updates
The world of education is constantly changing. It can be difficult to keep up with the latest changes or important news. To make sure you don’t miss anything, check out the updates that AQED provides to keep its members informed at all times.
A Specialized FAQ
When one embarks on the adventure of home education, many questions arise. In this FAQ, you will find answers adapted to the reality of the members of the association, going deeper than the information found in the FAQ in the support section for all.
Support for Your Journey
In order to enrich the experience of its members, AQED offers several support options that meet a wide range of needs. Our experienced volunteers are available to answer your questions, whether by email, phone or through our members-only Facebook group.
AQED members are located throughout Quebec, with regional representatives providing assistance and support in many areas of the province. Also, in the Members’ Zone, you can find a list of community centres.
In addition to this exclusive content, AQED members have privileged access to the AQED members-only Facebook group.
Examples, templates and resource documents
With the decision to home educate comes a lot of documentation. Resources are available to help guide members in the development of these documents.
These include additional examples of learning projects and assessments, documents grouping competencies by core subjects and end-of-cycle expectations for those competencies, a sample letter for the evaluation of a teacher licensee and much more.
Teaching resources
It can sometimes be difficult to navigate the multitude of teaching resources that are available. To assist members, AQED offers suggestions for books, blogs and Facebook pages that may be helpful.
As well, there are many types of pedagogy available and it can be difficult to understand the differences. Through the AQED, it is possible to find a description of the main educational approaches which could be useful for educating families.
Discounts with our partners, on our services and at our events
AQED has negotiated various discounts for its members with several companies and publishing houses offering educational products or services.
AQED members also receive a discount on services offered by the association, such as the teacher evaluation service. A discount is also available on tickets to the AQED conferences, which are inspiring talks by parent educators, educators and other experts. This is also an opportunity to attend the association’s annual general meeting, where the board of directors is elected and many decisions are made. An archive of filmed conferences is available for viewing by members.
A Subscription to Our Publications
Members are offered a subscription to Le Portfolio magazine, as well as access to past editions. It contains articles on all aspects of home education in Quebec, opinions from experts and parents, explanations of different pedagogy, presentations on support groups, pedagogical tips, sections on legal aspects, news from the association. It is THE magazine for Quebecers teaching at home.
Members receive the Infolettres regularly by e-mail. The most up-to-date news, news from the Board of Directors and AQED activities (events, discounts, meetings with MPs, media releases, etc.) are included. In addition, special editions are added to the regular mailings when an issue needs to be addressed in depth.
Legal Support in Case of Need
AQED’s lawyers offer the most affordable and responsive legal support in Quebec. A lawyer and experienced volunteers are also available to support you, if needed, in your dealings with your school board, youth centres or in court. Conditions apply.
Access to Official Documents of the Association
It is possible to consult all the official documents of the AQED in the Members’ Zone, whether it is the official by-laws of the AQED, the roles of the board of directors or the annual reports. Important policies, briefs and other documents produced by the association are also available to members.
The Power to Influence Home Education in Quebec
AQED regularly consults with its members to understand the reality of home educators in Quebec and the challenges they face. We relay these concerns to the Minister of Education, the Direction de l’enseignement à la maison (DEM), as well as to any other concerned actor in the school and health systems.