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Friday February 20, 2026

Kaye Krishna
Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care

250-880-3451
Kaye.Krishna@gov.bc.ca

I hope you are all finding ways to enjoy the longer daylight as we head towards the start of spring. I know all of our thoughts remain with the community of Tumbler Ridge this week, and our colleagues in the Peace River South School District.

Earlier this week, government introduced Budget 2026, which prioritizes investments in critical services, such as health care, education and child care. The Ministry’s budget will increase $924M over the three-year fiscal plan to support enrolment across the K-12 system, stabilize the child care system, and increase support to Future Ready K-12 Career Connections and Dual Credit.  

We have accomplished a tremendous amount over the last 8 years of the 10-year ChildCareBC plan, and as we look to the next 10 years of child care in the province, this year marks a transition year. To protect investments to date and ensure future changes are thoughtful and sustainable, the Province is pausing new enrolment into the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program and Operating Funding Model, as well as the New Spaces Fund. This does not affect families or providers already participating in these programs.

The future of child care includes a prominent role for schools and, while other areas of the system will pause, we will continue our focus on expanding child care on school grounds.  I’m happy to share that funding will continue for another year for Early Learning and Child Care Leads through a $10.5-million investment. We are also increasing efforts to expand before- and after-school care through a new $5-million capital investment to help school districts leverage existing school facilities, supported by an additional $20 million in operating funding over three years.

We covered much of these budget updates in our All-Superintendent and All-Chairs calls this week, but we welcome additional questions you may have on how these funding commitments translate to meaningful outcomes for children and families in your districts throughout B.C.

Below you will find key updates and resources to support the work happening in your districts.

Enjoy your weekend.

Kaye

For Action

  • New Materials for Learning Resources Policy Implementation

    Published

    New Materials for Learning Resources Policy Implementation

    In partnership with teachers, teacher-librarians, principals, and vice-principals, the Ministry of Education and Child Care has developed a new resource called Guidance on Learning Resources Selection. This resource:

    • outlines ways learning resources are used in classrooms, school libraries, library learning commons and schools;
    • provides considerations for educators to support the review, selection and use of learning resources; and
    • offers suggestions for educators to strengthen relationships with families and build understanding about resources used in schools.

    The ministry has also developed a Learning Resources Policy Clarification and FAQ document for Boards, schools, and district leaders. The document clarifies provincial policy requirements for the approval, selection, and review of learning resources and provides answers to frequently asked questions about learning resources. It also reminds Boards of Education that local district policies should address all learning resources available in a school, whether they are in a classroom or a school library.

    School districts are asked to share their current learning resources policy with parents and caregivers in their school community, including information or links to the challenge process should a family have a concern about the use of a learning resource.

    The resources are now available in English and are coming soon in French.  They will be available on the erase website and updated as needed moving forward.

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For Information

  • Framework for Enhancing Student Learning: Annual Review Update

    Published

    Framework for Enhancing Student Learning: Annual Review Update

    The ministry would like to thank district teams for all their work on and submission of the 2025 Enhancing Student Learning Reports/Interim Progress Reports.

    As per the commitment in the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning Policy, all 2025 Enhancing Student Learning Reports and Interim Progress Reports have now been reviewed. District feedback and provincial themes will be shared with the sector in the coming weeks.

    All superintendents will also receive a survey seeking feedback on the 2025 Enhancing Student Learning Report templates. The templates will continue to be refined based on sector feedback.

    Thank you to the 20 district teams who volunteered and submitted the full Enhancing Student Learning Report this past year. As we continue to implement the three-year cycle of reporting, the 20 districts identified to submit the full Enhancing Student Learning Report in 2026 have been randomly selected and are listed below:

    2026 Enhancing Student Learning Reports: 

    SD06 – Rocky MountainSD48 – Sea to Sky
    SD19 – RevelstokeSD52 – Prince Rupert
    SD20 – Kootenay-ColumbiaSD62 – Sooke
    SD23 – Central OkanaganSD67 – Okanagan-Skaha
    SD35 – LangleySD68 – Nanaimo-Ladysmith
    SD37 – DeltaSD71 – Comox Valley
    SD39 – VancouverSD78 – Fraser-Cascade
    SD45 – West VancouverSD81 – Fort Nelson
    SD46 – Sunshine CoastSD92 – Nisga’a
    SD47 – qathetSD93 – Conseil Scolaire Francophone

    All other districts will be submitting an Interim Progress Report in 2026. If you have any questions or concerns, please email EDUC.Framework@gov.bc.ca.

  • Every Child Matters Graduation Event Cancelled

    Published

    Every Child Matters Graduation Event Cancelled

    *Please be aware that as of March 3, 2026, this event has been postponed to April 2027

    The 2026 Every Child Matters Graduation Ceremony marks a historic milestone in Canada’s ongoing journey toward Truth and Reconciliation. On Monday, April 13 at BC Place, this landmark event will honour the Class of 2026, the first students in B.C. to complete their K–12 education with Orange Shirt Day and Indian Residential School history integrated into their curriculum. 

    The 2026 celebration is the first in a series of graduation events planned throughout Canada and is open to graduates, families, community members, allies, media and anyone committed to honouring this important milestone to witness this historic moment. 

    To celebrate, empower, and support students, the event will include a career fair and education expo, an artisan marketplace and graduation ceremony. More information is available in the 2026 Every Child Matters Graduation Celebration flyer. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. 

    The Orange Shirt Society is partnering with school districts throughout B.C. to bring student representatives from each graduating class to BC Place. Community members, organizations, and partners are invited to sponsor a 2026 graduate and chaperone to help cover transportation, accommodation, and event ticket costs. 

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  • Register for the Learning First Peoples Spring Institute

    Published

    Register for the Learning First Peoples Spring Institute

    RRegistration is now open for the Learning First Peoples Spring Institute taking place from March 16 to 17 in Richmond. Hosted by the First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association, the institute is designed to support teachers to bring quality, authentic First Peoples teaching and learning into B.C. classrooms.

    Workshops:

    • March 16, 2026 (9:00 am-3:00 pm):  BC First Peoples 12 and BC First Nations Land, Title and Governance Teacher Resource Guides
    • March 17, 2026 (9:00 am-3:00 pm):  First Nations Applied Design, Skills and Technologies (ADST) Teacher Resource Guide (K-12)

    Visit the First Nations Education Steering Committee website to register.

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  • erase Organized Crime and Exploitation Prevention Information Series – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Safety and Co-Regulation

    Published

    erase Organized Crime and Exploitation Prevention Information Series – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Safety and Co-Regulation

    As part of their eraseOrganized Crime and Exploitation Prevention Information Series, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (PSSG) is hosting a presentation on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 10:30 am-12:00 pm PST.

    The session will be delivered by the Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (POPFASD) and will introduce the overlapping brain and body‑based characteristics linked to prenatal alcohol exposure. The session will also:

    • provide effective communication and co‑regulation strategies for adults working with students
    • explore vulnerabilities associated with FASD in the context of school safety and justice involvement
    • offer practical tools that school staff can use to support children and youth with neurodevelopmental needs, including FASD

    Please reach out by email to SOC.hub@gov.bc.ca with any questions. 

    Registration for this session is now open. 

    This is the fourteenth presentation in PSSG’s erase series. 

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  • TRB Discipline Outcomes

    Published

    TRB Discipline Outcomes

    Discipline outcomes are posted to enhance the transparency of the processes and decisions made with respect to complaints and reports about educators. Recently, outcomes were posted regarding Tasha Dawn Whitney, whose teaching certificate was suspended for five days, and Joel Nathanael Dyck, who agreed to a reprimand.

  • Enhanced Family Health Program Naming Survey

    Published

    Enhanced Family Health Program Naming Survey

    Child Health BC and Perinatal Services BCare working with partners throughout BC to create a new, voluntary family visiting program available to families during pregnancy until their child enters school.

    In the program, a provider works with each family to build on their strengths, support their child’s health and development, and connect parents/caregivers to helpful health and community resources for their family goals.

    Families are invited to share their ideas to help create a name for the program that feels welcoming, supportive, trustworthy, and inclusive. This survey will be open until February 27, 2026. 

    If you have any questions please contact Zahra Hussein (Zahra.Hussein@phsa.ca).

    For questions about the collection of information, please contact the PHSA Privacy Office by emailing privacy@phsa.ca or calling 1-855-229-9800. 

  • New Board Policy Review Guidance Released by BCSTA

    Published

    New Board Policy Review Guidance Released by BCSTA

    Last summer, the BC School Trustees Association established the Board Policy Review Advisory Committee to develop guidance to support boards of education to review and modernize their policy manuals.

    As boards of education govern through policy, this work is integral to ensure effective governance and accountability to the local community and to support the board’s statutory role under the School Act.

    BCSTA released the guidance, Policy Review for Boards of Education, this week and it is available on the BCSTA member portal. Boards are encouraged to engage with BCSTA and senior district staff to establish a process to review and modernize their policies.

  • Graduation Records and Achievement Data Collection now on EDX

    Published

    Graduation Records and Achievement Data Collection now on EDX

    Starting Monday, February 23, 2026, graduation records and achievement data collection (often known as “TRAX”) will move to the Education Data Exchange (EDX). EDX replaces the School Secure Web (SSW) for graduation-related activities, further bringing student data collections together into a single platform.

    • New Graduation and Graduation Assessments tiles are available to EDX users that have a Graduation Administrator or Graduation Viewer role.
    • EDX School and District Account Managers should ensure staff roles are updated as needed.
    • Schools should continue to extract the same set of ‘TRAX’ files (DEM, CRS, XAM) from their systems and upload them through EDX Graduation.
    • The School Secure Web (SSW) is no longer available for graduation-related activities, including reports, which are also now available through EDX.
    • Files sent via SSW prior to February 23 do not need to be resubmitted to EDX Graduation unless corrections or updates are required.

    For more information and resources, please visit Graduation Records and Achievement Data (GRAD) Information.  

    Questions about EDX role management can be sent to educationdataexchange@gov.bc.ca.

    Questions about graduation data collection can be sent to GRAD.Support@gov.bc.ca.

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