Children’s education outside Canada: Educational screening

There are several sections of the Children's Educational Screening form that must be completed by the Canadian Armed Forces member and their family. To complete Part 5: Student Profile, the member will need to book appointments with the new school principal, current teachers, doctors, and specialists as soon as the member receives the screening message. The purpose of Part 5: Student Profile is to provide an overview of the child’s education level and to identify the need for any special education assessments or Individual Education Plans.

When posted OUTCAN, a Canadian Armed Forces member must review and select the nearest compatible non-fee paying school for their children from the List of Compatible Schools. When a non-fee paying school is not available, they can select from the list of compatible fee-paying schools. The member is then responsible for contacting the schools. If a fee-paying school is not on the list of compatible schools, then a Working Group B submission, prepared by the receiving URS clerk, is required for approval to enroll the child in that school and be reimbursed for those school fees. Working Group B is an interdepartmental sub-committee of Working Group A that provides recommendations on specific interpretations and applications on the provision of Foreign Service Directives, including that of children’s education outside Canada.

In exceptional circumstances, the alternative schooling options outlined below can be considered. For more information about schooling options, members should contact their Education Clerk at the gaining Unit Records Support (URS) (available on the Defence Team Intranet) identified on their posting message.

Roman Catholic

Eligible Canadian Armed Forces members posted abroad are entitled to have their children’s educational curriculum and services compatible with those normally provided without charge in schools in Ontario (or equivalent in other provinces and territories).^{Footnote 2}  As such, eligible members on an OUTCAN posting are entitled to have their children enrolled in Roman Catholic schools. In locations where a non-fee-paying Roman Catholic school is not available, members may be reimbursed the cost of a private Roman Catholic school. All requests for Roman Catholic education must be approved by Working Group B. For more information on the specific criteria required to apply for Roman Catholic schooling, review the Educational Screening (Posting Outside Canada) Instructions.

Canadian Armed Forces Overseas Schools

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces operate two schools overseas: AFNORTH International School in Brunssum, The Netherlands and SHAPE International School – Canadian Section in Casteau, Belgium. The goal of the Canadian Armed Forces Overseas Schools is to provide children with the same level of schooling they would receive in the province of Ontario. To lessen the potential impact on a child’s educational success, AFNORTH and SHAPE are staffed by Canadian teachers on loan from school boards in Canada.

Home school

Canadian Armed Forces members may choose to educate their children at home while posted OUTCAN. Although a military family may be posted OUTCAN, their child’s education must be based on a compatible system within Ontario. Members who choose to home school their children will be required to complete Part 6: Home schooling of the Children's Educational Screening form and develop a yearly Education Plan to be submitted to Children’s Education Management for approval.

For more information, refer to FSD 34 – Education Allowances.

Boarding (in Canada and outside Canada)

Given a lack of compatible schools at a posting location, or personal circumstances, Children’s Education Management may approve education away from a post (in Canada and outside Canada) for children in secondary school (Grade 9-12 or provincial/territorial equivalent). As such, actual and reasonable expenses for board and lodging during the school term may be reimbursedin accordance with the Annual Rates.

For more information on boarding schools, Canadian Armed Forces members should review the Secondary Education Away From Post but Not in Canada FAQs.

eLearning

eLearning is provided to assist high school level children in meeting graduation requirements. Enrollment is dependent on factors such as grade and age of the child, anticipated graduation date, provincial high school graduation requirements, and length of posting.

For more information on eLearning, Canadian Armed Forces members should speak with a Children’s Education Management Guidance Counsellor. They can also review the Children’s Education Management Distance Learning Services FAQs.

Post-Secondary Education

Once a child has decided to attend a full-time post-secondary institution in Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces member may be eligible for shelter assistance up to and including the school year of the child’s 23rd birthday. Shelter assistance may cover up to eight months of university or nine months of college per school year.^{Footnote 3}  For students who identify as post-secondary, members are required to only complete Parts 1- 4 of the Children's Educational Screening Form. Shelter assistance does not apply for paid co-op placements or internships.

For planning purposes, members should review the Annual Rates and Post-Secondary Education in Canada - Shelter Assistance FAQ for additional information.

Canadian Armed Forces members may receive their screening message after the registration deadline for compatible non-fee paying schools. Members should still apply for non-fee paying schools past the deadline, as there may be some spaces available. If there are no longer spaces available, members are required to apply for a compatible fee-paying school or alternative schooling options, and request the receiving URS clerk complete a Working Group B submission.

For more information, members can review the CAF Connection website.

To complete an Educational Screening, Canadian Armed Forces members, or the Education Clerk are required to submit the following documents to Children’s Education Management by email at CEMGEE@forces.gc.ca:

• Children's Educational Screening form;
• last two report cards;
• Individual Education Plan (IEP) (where applicable);
• education reports or assessments (where applicable); and
• screening message

For more information, members should review the Educational Screening (Posting Outside Canada) Instructions.

Within 24 hours, members can expect an email from Children’s Education Management acknowledging receipt of their documents.

After the Canadian Armed Forces member completes the Children's Educational Screening form and submits the necessary documents, Children’s Education Management will advise the member to contact one of their Guidance Counsellors for a telephone interview. The Guidance Counsellor’s role is to assist with a child’s transition between school years and posting locations. The Guidance Counsellor offers information and advice regarding educational options, curriculum interpretations, explanation of credit requirements, and can recommend eLearning. Following the telephone interview, the Guidance Counsellor will email the member a summary of their conversation and information on the process moving forward.

More information can be found on the Children's Education Management - Guidance Counselling website and the Children's Education Management - Guidance Counsellor FAQs.

Following the Guidance Counsellor interview, the Educational Screening Committee will email the screening decision to the member. During the decision-making process, the Children's Education Management section must consider all risks of educational issues and potential future challenges. The member is to circulate the email to their losing and gaining units.

The Educational Screening process takes approximately seven to ten business days to be completed after Children’s Education Management receives all the required documents. Timelines will likely be extended if information or documentation is missing or the Guidance Counsellor and Educational Screening Committee identify any additional concerns. Members can expect to receive regular updates from Children’s Education Management throughout the processing of their file.