What is Home Quest?

Home Quest School a Provincial Online School.

What is a POLS?

  • Provincial Online Learning Schools are schools in BC that are held accountable to following the Ministry of Education and Child Care’s expectations and guidelines to provide quality educational opportunities for students anywhere in British Columbia who wish for an alternative to traditional classroom learning. There are currently 36 schools in BC approved to provide this service. Home Quest is the Delta School District’s Provincial Online School (POLS) for grade.   K- 9 students. For more information on B.C’s provincial online schools please check out the following link. Online Learning BC
  • Through a blended program we provide support for families who wish to learn at home but also have access to optional virtual classes, in-person learning, outdoor learning, workshops and field trips.
  • We operate out of Annieville school in Delta, where we have two classrooms, a resource centre and library where families can borrow and get more information on resources.
  • Established in 2005 we have successfully helped students and families navigate their own, personal, educational journey while staying aligned with the BC Ministry of Education’s guidelines ever since.

To learn more about the way our program works:


What Our Families have to Say About Us . . .

o “Home Quest has been a great experience for our son. The school is supportive, flexible and encouraging, not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ lockstep approach to education. This online school allowed our son to find his passion and joy in learning while taking ownership over his education, abilities and individual growth.”

o “This is our family’s fifth year with Home Quest and we love it – the flexibility to let our kids follow their interests and learn in their own way. The staff is so kind and caring, and dedicated to supporting us in finding the best learning options for each of our kids. They’ve played a huge part in supporting our teens that would otherwise have fallen through the cracks in mainstream school. Our youngest has been with Home Quest since day 1 and is thriving. We only wish we’d known about it sooner!”

o “We wanted to have more time at home with our children and more flexibility in their learning program than was possible in a traditional school setting. We ultimately chose Home Quest because the staff are warm and engaged with each learner and provide support and enrichment when developing learning plans. After five years with three children enrolled at Home Quest, we could not be happier – it has been the ideal program for our children.”

o “There is a famous quote by Ben Franklin that says, ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ The benefits of homeschooling with assistance and support from Home Quest are that my son feels involved in his education, he can build up his own interests and he has a community of children and adults that makes him feel like he belongs. The Home Quest staff are always an email or call away to assist in anything you need. Your support teacher becomes your teammate and makes sure all B.C. curriculum requirements are being met.”

o “After two years with an independent homeschooling group, this is my child’s first year with Home Quest. As I have experienced two different homeschoolings, I can confidently say how amazingly Home Quest is working for my child. The best part of HQ is its blended approach of a perfect mix of home learning, outdoor day and once-a-week in school day for the sake of socializing, meeting with teachers and getting along with peers. Not to mention the fact that teacher supervision and interaction matters a lot which is the unique selling point of HQ, and my child loves it…HomeQuest, keep thriving!”

o “Home Quest is a hidden jewel and I am so glad we came across this option. I’ve always wanted to try homeschooling but never had the guts! In 2020, I jumped in and haven’t looked back! You get so much support from every single team mate, it really is like a family. They work with all the different needs every student has and in our family that is a lot. We have never been turned down from any special request we have asked for and, in many cases, we are offered multiple options. Our family specifically has benefited by attending and don’t have plans to stop!”

 


 

Additional Home Quest Information

What Learning Choices Do I have?

Want to learn more about the different learning choices? Click on the attached link to go to the BC Government website to learning more about the differences between Homeschooling, Online Learning with B.C. public or Independent Schools and In-Person Learning at a BC public or Independent school.  Learning Choices

What does Home Quest offer?

Home Quest is a blended program that can be a link for homeschooling families to the Ministry of Education or an in-person, hands-on approach to Online Learning. Ultimately, Home Quest takes care to build special relationships with families and students in order to build a supportive structure and a home base from which families can launch their educational adventure.

At Home Quest you will find . . .

. . . Certified B.C. teachers offering families guidance and support on navigating the BC Curriculum and developing individualized student learning plans.

. . . Students may opt to come to in-person classes and/or virtual workshops once or twice a week and/or make use of memberships to online educational programs like IXL and Mathletics.

. . . Home Quest runs an optional year long, place-based learning program once a week in South Delta, as well. Students spend much of their day outside and learning through an Indigenous lens.

. . . Families may choose to go on field trips and attend workshops that connect them to the curriculum, community and one another.

. . . Home Quest’s base in Annieville Elementary offers two classrooms, roomy office and meeting space, an area for parents to research, prep and plan activities and an extensive resource library.

. . . As a public education school of the Delta School District, Home Quest is free to all BC Residents and offers funding to families throughout the year.

Home Quest Requirements

Families who choose Home Quest need to have an adult at home full-time with their student(s). This adult becomes the Home Facilitator and is the main point of contact with Home Quest. It is
the Home Facilitator who assumes responsibility for the plans created with the Home Quest teacher, the Home Facilitator delivers the learning experiences and opportunities at home with the student. The Home Quest teacher will be responsible for tracking and assessing progress and providing feedback.

Frequent communication between the Home Facilitator and Home Quest is necessary to create a fluid support system. Teachers are here to support and guide families along this educational path and make sure that Ministry requirements are met. Home Quest offers parent workshops, frequent communication and expertise on resources to help in any area of need. Families are never alone on the journey and are encouraged to seek the teacher’s support and feedback often.

When joining Home Quest, families are committing to taking on a big role in helping to ensure their children are following an individualized educational path within the BC Ministry of Education guidelines. Families are not following a scripted curriculum assigned by Home Quest, but rather a carefully, cooperatively crafted plan. To make this work within Ministry expectations, there are essential elements that families must commit and agree to when enrolling at Home Quest (outlined below, in orientation, and in our program agreement form).

The first step in the journey is to set up an appointment to meet with the Home Quest Coordinator. Your meeting will be a discussion of what Home Quest is like and if it feels like a good fit for your family. Once you decide to register, then you will sign a form agreeing to these things:

  1. Mandatory orientation online course to be completed by the Home Facilitator. (September)
  2. Mandatory Home Facilitator and Teacher SLP meeting to create the Student Learning Plan. (September/October) 
  3. Mandatory Home Facilitator, Student and Teacher Portfolio meeting at the end of each term. (December, March and June)
  4. Student participation in Home Quest baseline assessments of student reading, writing and numeracy skills. 
  5. Throughout the term, Home Facilitator must support the student in submission of regular student work samples, subject summaries and use of online Brightspace account.
  6. Home Facilitator must regularly check emails and online Brightspace account, student work progress, announcements, and general Teacher and HQ communication.    
  7. Home Facilitator must adhere to BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Curriculum and the agreed upon Student Learning Plan.
  8. Willingness to learn and work with the online Brightspace platform.
  9. Adherence to spending guidelines as outlined in “Home Quest Spending Guidelines”.

The key to success at Home Quest is definitely communication! Teachers and Home Facilitators work closely together to create the ultimate in diversified learning for their students.