PEI Homeschool Notice of Intent: What to Submit, Where to Send It, and What Schools Can't Ask For

You've decided to homeschool in PEI. You've read that the province is "simple" and "notification-only." But now you're staring at the actual process wondering: where exactly does the form go, what happens if the school asks for more, and what is that $50 deposit everyone mentions? This post answers all of that precisely.

The Legal Foundation: Section 95 and EC526/16

The authority to homeschool in Prince Edward Island comes from Section 95 of the Education Act (R.S.P.E.I. 1988, Cap. E-.02). That section creates a statutory exemption from compulsory school attendance for children receiving a home education program.

The specific mechanics — what you must do, and what the government can ask of you — are spelled out in the Home Education Regulations (EC526/16), established under Section 107 of the Education Act. These regulations came into their current form after 2015, when the province removed the previous requirement for parents to submit an education plan for approval by a certified teacher. That change was largely driven by the growing Amish community in PEI, but it benefited all families.

Section 3 of the Regulations defines your legal obligation this way: "A parent who provides a home education program to his or her child has a responsibility to ensure, to the best of his or her ability, that the child has an opportunity to acquire knowledge and develop skills that will prepare the child for life as an adult."

That is it. The law does not mandate a specific curriculum, minimum daily hours, adherence to the provincial program of studies, standardized testing, or any form of progress reporting. PEI is one of the least regulated homeschool jurisdictions in Canada.

The One Required Step: Filing the Notice of Intent

Your entire legal compliance rests on a single document: the "Home Education — Notice of Intent" form. Under EC526/16, this must be submitted to the Department of Education and Early Years before the beginning of the school year in which you intend to homeschool.

The form itself is brief. Section 2 of the Regulations specifies exactly what it must contain:

• The child's full name and date of birth
• The parent or guardian's name, complete address, and telephone number
• The name of the last school the child attended (if applicable)
• The parent's signed declaration acknowledging responsibility for the home education program

Nothing else is required at this stage. There is no section for curriculum submission, no teacher signature requirement, and no departmental approval process.

The completed form is sent to the Home Education Program office at the Holman Centre in Summerside. You can deliver it by:

• Mail to the Holman Centre, Summerside
• Fax
• Email to [email protected]

Keep a dated copy of whatever you send. If you email, save the confirmation. This timestamp matters if a question ever arises about when your program commenced.

What About Mid-Year Withdrawal?

The government's Notice of Intent guidance focuses on pre-school-year submission, which creates confusion for families who need to withdraw in October, January, or March. The regulations do not prohibit mid-year withdrawal — they simply describe the normal timeline. If you are pulling your child out mid-year due to bullying, anxiety, or a curriculum mismatch, you can file the Notice of Intent at the point of withdrawal. You should do two things simultaneously:

1. Send the Notice of Intent to the Department (email is fastest)
2. Submit a written withdrawal letter to the school principal confirming the student's last day and citing Section 95 of the Education Act

The withdrawal letter to the school handles the institutional side — it removes the child from the active register and prevents automated truancy protocols from being triggered. The Notice of Intent satisfies the provincial legal requirement. Both should go out on the same day.

What the School Can and Cannot Ask For

This is where many PEI families run into unnecessary friction. Because the pre-2015 regulations required curriculum approval, some school administrators still carry that institutional memory and may ask to see your lesson plans, review your materials, or schedule ongoing check-ins.

Under EC526/16 as it currently stands, none of these requests are legally enforceable. Here is what the law requires versus what schools sometimes ask for:

If a principal requests materials beyond acknowledging receipt of your withdrawal, the appropriate response is polite but firm: "We have fulfilled all statutory obligations under Section 95 of the Education Act by submitting the Notice of Intent to the Department of Education. We are not required to provide additional documentation."

Do not debate the merits of homeschooling or attempt to justify your curriculum choice. Engaging that conversation often escalates scrutiny rather than ending it.

The Home Education Coordinator at the Holman Centre

The Home Education Coordinator, based at the Holman Centre in Summerside, processes your Notice of Intent and manages resource requests. The Coordinator functions as an administrative intake point — not an inspector or supervisor. They will not schedule monitoring visits or evaluate your program. Their practical role is to:

• Receive and file your annual Notice of Intent
• Process requests for provincial curriculum materials
• Answer general administrative questions about the home education program

If you have questions about the process, the Holman Centre office is a reasonable first contact. Just be aware that the Coordinator represents the Department's administrative interests, not yours specifically. For questions about what you are legally required to share, consult an independent resource or an advocacy organization.

The $50 Provincial Curriculum Deposit

PEI gives homeschooling families optional access to the same curriculum materials used in public schools. If you want textbooks from the provincial catalog, you submit a "Request for Home Education Learning Resources" form alongside your Notice of Intent, with a $50 refundable deposit per child.

The deposit is returned when you return the authorized textbooks in good condition at the end of the year. The materials come from the Provincial Learning Materials Distribution Centre (PLMDC). Navigating the catalog requires knowing the specific course codes — for example, MAT521A for Grade 11 Academic Math — which the Department can help you identify.

This option is entirely voluntary. Many PEI families choose their own commercial curricula, use free resources like Khan Academy, or follow approaches like Charlotte Mason or classical education that draw on entirely different materials. The provincial curriculum is simply available if you want it.

The Annual Renewal Requirement

One detail parents sometimes miss: the Notice of Intent must be filed annually. It does not automatically renew. Each school year, you file a new form before that year begins. This is a lightweight administrative step, but missing it means your home education program technically lacks formal notification for that year.

Set a calendar reminder in early August. The form takes five minutes to complete. Email it to [email protected] and you are legally set for the year.

Getting the Process Right From Day One

PEI's home education law is genuinely straightforward — one form, one annual filing, no reporting requirements, no curriculum mandates. But "straightforward" does not mean frictionless. The social dynamics of a small province, the institutional memory of stricter pre-2015 rules, and the anxiety around post-secondary pathways all create friction that the statute itself does not explain.

The Prince Edward Island Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks through the complete process: a ready-to-use Notice of Intent walkthrough, a principal withdrawal letter template citing the exact statute, a mid-year protocol, and a post-secondary portfolio tracker so your child's path to UPEI or Holland College is documented from the start. All of it is built on the current text of the Education Act and EC526/16 — not outdated pre-2015 procedures.

PEI gives you the legal latitude. The Blueprint gives you the practical map.

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