The Government of Alberta says parents will be able to apply on Tuesday for financial support to offset costs while schools remain closed due to labour action in schools. On its official website, the province states that “the parent portal will launch October 14.” It warns that “any website requesting personal or financial information to register for payments is fraudulent and not affiliated with the Government of Alberta.” Under the Parent Payment Program, eligible parents and guardians will receive $30 per child per instructional day for students aged 12 and under who attend a public, Catholic or francophone school affected by the disruption. To be eligible, you and your child must be Alberta residents. For a five-day school week, that equals $150 per week per child. Payments will be retroactive to October 6 and delivered monthly by e-transfer beginning October 31. Payments will continue for the duration of the labour disruption. The province says the payments are non-taxable income and do not have to be paid back. They are available to all eligible parents or guardians regardless of household income. Only one parent or guardian per child is eligible. To apply, parents must log in with a verified Alberta.ca Account when the portal opens. Applications “will be reviewed and validated to ensure eligibility criteria are met,” according to Alberta.ca. Children with disabilities Families with active Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) agreements — for children aged 5 to 17 — may apply through the portal for additional payments of $30 per child per instructional day for children aged 12 and under, and $60 per child per instructional day for children aged 13 and older. Applicants must provide their FSCD file ID number, which appears on the FSCD agreement. Child-care subsidy and options To ease costs for families requiring extra hours of care, the province will temporarily increase October subsidy rates for eligible children in Grades 1 to 6 attending licensed out-of-school care full time. After five consecutive days of a strike, the subsidy increases to a maximum of $644 — the rate used during summer months when children need full-time care. The increase applies for all of October, regardless of how long the strike lasts. The province notes that “child care programs are not required to offer extended hours of care during a teacher strike” and advises parents to confirm availability with providers. Parents can find licensed child-care programs and family day-home agencies using the Child Care Lookup tool or contact Child Care Connect toll-free at 1-844-644-5165 for assistance. Out-of-school care programs may extend hours to provide full-time care for children under 13 when classes are not offered. Programs should contact their licensing officer if they have questions about extending hours. Parent toolkit Alberta Education and Child Care has released a free Parent Toolkit to help families support independent learning during a teachers’ strike or school closures. The toolkit provides weekly K-to-12 resources in English, French and French Immersion and is described as “an optional resource that supplements instruction by your child’s teachers or school board.” If you have received a syllabus, course outline, textbook, workbooks, assignments or access codes for websites and software, consider using them as well. Video guides on how to use the toolkit are available in both languages. Distance education and home education The province has temporarily lifted the 10-credit-per-year limit on non-primary distance education so that students in Grades 10 to 12 can continue earning credits during the disruption. Students may enrol in distance learning with an independent school at any time during the strike while remaining enrolled at their primary school authority. The flexible program applies for the rest of the fall term, allowing students to remain registered in their distance education courses when labour action ends. Parents may also choose to enrol their child in a home education program with a supervising independent school. Both the family and the supervising school are eligible for up to 50 per cent of the home-education grant for the first term, up to $450.50 per child. The government cautions that students enrolled in home education “are not guaranteed to return to the same school they attended prior to making the change.” However, it adds that if a family ends a home-education program, “school authorities are required to accept returning resident Grade 1 to 12 students and must place them in a school within the school authority.” Family programming During the strike, provincial heritage sites and museums will offer free admission for Albertans aged 18 and under. Participating locations include: Frank Slide Interpretive Centre (Crowsnest Pass) Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (Fort Macleod) Oil Sands Discovery Centre (Fort McMurray) Remington Carriage Museum (Cardston) Reynolds Museum (Wetaskiwin) Royal Alberta Museum (Edmonton) Royal Tyrrell Museum (Drumheller) Rutherford House (Edmonton) Parents and family members must still pay admission fees. Guests 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Some museums will also be expanding hours. Families are encouraged to visit the website of each participating museum for details on hours and programming. The government says “the Family Programming initiative will come into effect once labour action begins and will remain in place until labour action ends.” Fraud warning and official updates The province reiterates that “the official parent payment portal has not launched” as of Oct. 13, and any site asking for personal or financial information is fraudulent. Official updates and registration details will be posted only on Alberta.ca. In a separate post on social media last week, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said: “The two parties will be sitting down for formal bargaining talks with the mediator next Tuesday [October 14]. We are focused on securing a deal that is fair to teachers, students and Alberta taxpayers.” Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. 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