What each province expects
| Province | Curriculum expectation | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | None | Any curriculum; the Ontario Curriculum is a free reference |
| Alberta | Alberta Programs of Study or a parent program meeting the Schedule of Learning Outcomes | Broad outcomes; most families use their own program and describe coverage |
| British Columbia | None for registered homeschoolers; BC curriculum for enrolled DL students | Choose registered for freedom or enrolled for funding and the BC curriculum |
| Quebec | Learning project aligned to the Quebec Education Program compulsory subjects | Plan must show coverage of each subject; Ministry exams apply |
| Saskatchewan | Address the broad areas of the provincial curriculum | Plan by area; portfolio and progress report |
| Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, others | None prescribed | Program description at notification; progress reports in some |
Canadian-made programs and the gaps they fill
- Canadian history and social studies: Donna Ward's Northwoods Press (Canada's Natives Long Ago, Courage and Conquest, Canada My Country), Canadian Studies from Ontario publishers, and the Complete Canadian Curriculum workbooks (Popular Book Company) for grades 1–8 as a provincial-standards reference.
- French: French Essentials, Ouvrez la Porte, Nallenart's L'Art de Lire and L'Art de Dire, Duolingo, and CBC Kids in French; in Quebec, the French requirement is central to the learning project.
- Canadian math: JUMP Math (Toronto, grades 1–8, cheap and well regarded), Math Mammoth's Canadian version, and the provincial workbooks.
- Complete Canadian options: Heritage Christian Online School and other DL providers in BC, the Alberta school authorities' resource libraries, and Tree of Life School and Book Service (Canadian classical Christian).
- Canadian science and geography: Canadian Geographic Education resources, Let's Talk Science, and provincial museum programs.
Imported programs Canadian families use
- Math: Singapore, Math-U-See, Saxon, Beast Academy, RightStart; metric editions where offered.
- Reading and phonics: All About Reading, Logic of English, The Ordinary Parent's Guide.
- Writing: IEW, Brave Writer, Writing With Ease.
- History and science: Story of the World with Canadian units added, Real Science Odyssey, Apologia, Mystery Science.
- Complete: The Good and the Beautiful, Sonlight and BookShark, Oak Meadow, Time4Learning; add Canadian social studies and French.
Free Canadian resources
- Provincial curriculum documents: Ontario's are the most readable and useful as a checklist for any province.
- TVO Learn (Ontario), CBC Kids, Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada's Heritage Minutes and education resources.
- Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids, Mystery Science, CK-12.
- Kuraplan's free worksheets and a generator that writes lessons in provincial curriculum terms.
- Library systems: most Canadian public libraries lend curriculum-adjacent kits and give free access to databases and language apps.
Spending Alberta and BC funds well
- Alberta: the supervising school authority reimburses at least half of the roughly $928 grant for approved resources: curriculum, books, lessons, supplies, some technology. Buy the systematic programs (math, phonics) with it and use free resources for the rest.
- BC enrolled DL: the resource allowance (often several hundred dollars) goes through the school; many DL schools also lend curriculum and kits.
- Keep receipts and check the authority's approved list before buying; religious curriculum is generally reimbursable in Alberta's system but check the authority.