Funding is available for each student in the amount of $901. This is available via refund or direct purchase, with half available beginning in fall, and the second half in spring. Submissions are accepted throughout the school year, collected on the last business day of each month and paid six weeks from that date.
Read more for some frequently asked questions and answers about funding.
1. Why do we need receipts? Why can't WISDOM just give us the money?
AB Education does not consider the funding as belonging to the family, but to Alberta Education. The associate board or associate, accredited, funded private school must offer to the parents of a home education student 50% of the home education funding amount for the purchase or instructional materials. Non-consumables are regarded by AB Education as remaining the property of the associate board or associate private school, returnable when the student is done using them (but the Gilbertine Institute chooses to exercise the option of leaving non-consumable resources with the parents). Consistent with the Alberta Home Education Regulation, AB Education would not allow a school to give money to home schooling parents without approved receipts or invoices. AB Education will allow us to reimburse you 100% of available funding upon your submission of 75% of acceptable receipts.
2. Do resources belong to us or do we have to return them to WISDOM?
According to Alberta Education, all resources are the property of the school administration to dispose of as the associate board or associate private school sees fit. Thus, The Gilbertine Academy has the option of retaining these resources or turning them over to the parents. The Gilbertine Institute policy is to turn all resources over to the parents of the student for whom they are purchased. We choose to retain no right to these resources, but we do encourage parents to share these resources with other home education families when they no longer need them.
3. Why does WISDOM wait until October to begin refunding families?
Each Fall, Alberta Education provides The Gilbertine Institute with the first monthly funding installment of 10% in October. At that time, we may begin reimbursing parents for a portion of the year's funding.
4. Why doesn't WISDOM pay the full amount in the beginning of the year?
Although we provide our families with 50% of their funding in the Fall, we only receive 10% per month from Alberta Education. We are only able to offer more because some families do not take funding and some families do not submit claims until later in the year.
5. Do I have to wait until certain times to send in receipts?
You may send receipts to us at any time during the year, with the last main receipt submission deadline of May 31. We really appreciate it when you send receipts in right at the beginning of the school year! Receipts must be sent with a completed expense claim form or our secure online claim submitter. For a full schedule of submission deadlines and refund dates, please click here.
6. How do I use available funding?
There are two ways to use allocated funding.
The first way to use available funding is to purchase resources from home school providors using Purchase Orders. In this scenario, The Gilbertine Institute directly pays the vendor for your purchase, out of your family funding account.
The second is to send receipts to us at any point in the year, up to May 31. When we receive and process your receipts, you will receive an electronic funds transfer (EFT) for the receipt amount (up to the amount of funding you have available at that time, provided you have no outstanding purchase orders and that we have your EFT information on file). To send your receipts to us, please complete the Expense Form, sign it and mail it to us with your original receipts.
Note: If you send us more receipts in a year than you have funds for, we will automatically hold the extra receipts until the following school year, when you have more funds available. We then issue payment for the acceptable receipts in the amount of funds available at that time.
7. Can I carry over unclaimed funding?
Unclaimed funding may be automatically carried over to the next year, and expires after those two years are up. At two years, Alberta Education takes back that funding, or you may choose to allocate the unclaimed funds to The Gilbertine Institute for use supporting WISDOM Home Schooling programs and services in support of our students.
8. Homeschooling Kindergarten
In spring 2023, AB Education has announced a pilot project to offer funding to kindergarten homeschoolers in the 2023-2024 school year. Kindergarten is not mandatory, so parents may home educate their under-6-year-old child without having to enrol anywhere. Those who do wish to join WISDOM for their children under 6 have two options:
- WISDOM has offered free early support prior to now, and we will continue to do so. Join our early support mailing list, chat with knowledgeable staff, receive our magazine, and attend WISDOM camps and events. Be part of the WISDOM family without having specific requirements. Email us to join our mailing list.
- Join us with a kindergarten notification. As with grades 1-12, kindergarten parents will submit an Education Program Plan and receive two facilitator evaluations in the year. Parents will be able to access $450.50 per student to offset resource costs. Those who choose option 2 may enroll their child through our Parent Portal. Students must be 5 by December 31. Click here to notify us of your intent to home educate.
Do you have questions not answered here? Ask us! wisdomfinance@gilbertineinstitute.com