- OFTP provides information about home learning in Ontario. We can
be contacted by phone, email, or visit our website. We also provide information
through Area Reps. These reps are homeschooling
parents who have graciously agreed to volunteer their time to field calls
about homeschooling, in general, as well as connect homeschoolers with others
in their area.
- OFTP maintains this website with information on just about
anything you would ever want to know about homeschooling.
- OFTP has created a membership brochure as well as information
sheets on topics such as: homeschooling fact sheet, curriculum resources,
suggested books to read, dealing with school boards, information from Education
Act, Support Group list, plus many others.
- OFTP produces and distributes a bi-monthly newsletter,
Home Rules, to its membership. Regular features include book reviews,
homeschooling families sharing their stories, upcoming conferences and other
events, questions and answers, curriculum resources, websites and much more.
- OFTP has prepared three booklets: Family and Community Based Education which includes selected articles, readings, quotations and excerpts on the topic of homeschooling and education in general; The Best of Home Rules I and The Best of Home Rules II which include articles from various issues of our newsletter, Home Rules.
- OFTP provides information on the legal status of home education
in Ontario and offers directions to places where people can find support
for their decision to teach their children using alternative educational
methods.
- OFTP provides a continuing presence for home learners in Ontario with
the government through numerous letters, phone calls and meetings with
Ministry of Education officials all the way up to the Minister's office.
- Through letters and phone calls to school board officials, OFTP provides
school boards with information about the legalities of homeschooling under
the Ontario Education Act.
- OFTP is a member of the Ontario Federation of Independent Schools
(OFIS) which helps to provide a continuing presence for home learners in
Ontario with the Ministry of Education. Some of the objectives of OFIS are:
working for parental choice in education, providing a liaison with government
agencies, assisting groups to obtain health services for children.
- OFTP has hosted and sponsored homeschooling
conferences. These conferences help to bring homeschoolers across the
province together to obtain support and information as well as provide opportunities
to view and purchase curriculum resources. If you are interested in hosting
an OFTP-sponsored conference in your area, please see our policy
on OFTP Funding of Regional Conferences.
- OFTP responds to media inquiries regarding
the nature of homeschooling in Ontario and gives interviews to radio, TV
and newspapers.
- OFTP continually attends various homeschooling
conferences and curriculum fairs across the province on a regular basis
in order to offer support, advice, encouragement and information.
- Information Meetings, organized by homeschoolers, have been held across Ontario. These meetings are attended by representatives of OFTP who can provide information about home learning as well as share their knowledge and experiences. Please contact OFTP if you are interested in organizing an information meeting in your area.
