The Short Answer
Your learning project lists, subject by subject, the resources and activities you will use to build the competencies in the Quebec Education Program. It must cover five compulsory subjects: French, English, mathematics, science and technology, and social sciences. Send it to the Direction de l'enseignement a la maison (DEM) by September 30, or within 30 days of the day your child last attended school. You do not need a Quebec curriculum, and you do not need to wait for a reply before you start.
Verified June 2026 against quebec.ca and the Regulation respecting homeschooling (chapter I-13.3, r. 6.01).
Quebec Learning Project at a Glance
| What it is | A subject-by-subject plan of resources and activities for the year |
|---|---|
| Who reads it | Direction de l'enseignement a la maison (DEM), Ministere de l'Education |
| Deadline | By September 30, or within 30 days of the last day your child attended school |
| Compulsory subjects | French, English, mathematics, science and technology, social sciences |
| Length | About three pages is reasonable |
| Curriculum required? | No. You choose your own resources and methods |
| Wait for approval? | No. Start as soon as you submit |
| Cost | None. Homeschooling in Quebec has no funding and no fee |
What the Quebec Learning Project Is
The learning project is a personalized, subject-by-subject plan for the year. You name the resources and the activities you will use, and you tie them to the competencies in the Quebec Education Program (QEP). It is not a school timetable and it is not a contract. It is your account of how your child will learn each compulsory subject this year, and the Ministry uses it to confirm your plan meets the regulation.
Many parents build up the document in their heads into something far larger than it needs to be. AQED, the Quebec homeschooling association, says a complete project fits in about three pages, so resist the urge to pad it. A clear, general plan that names your five subjects and the resources you will use is enough. Before you write it, our free reading assessment can give you a concrete baseline on where your child currently stands, which makes writing the language and literacy sections of the plan much more grounded.
The Five Compulsory Subjects You Have to Cover
Every learning project has to target the QEP competencies in five subjects: French (as language of instruction or second language), English (as language of instruction or second language), mathematics, science and technology, and social sciences. You can add Personal Development and Arts Education if you want, but the five above are the floor, and every project that passes the DEM review covers all five.
For each subject, list the activities and resources you plan to use and note which competencies each one builds. Keep descriptions general rather than listing every worksheet or book, because a broad plan leaves room to adjust without triggering a formal change notice. A family might write, for mathematics: "We will use a structured math program and weekly measurement activities such as cooking and building projects to develop number sense, operations, and problem-solving competencies." That is enough. You are not submitting a curriculum map.
The Eight Things the Regulation Asks For
Article 5 of the Regulation respecting homeschooling sets out what a learning project has to include. The eight elements are:
- a description of the educational approach you have chosen
- the programs of study you will teach, with a brief description of the activities for each
- any other knowledge and skills your child is expected to gain, with the activities chosen for them
- the educational resources you will use
- a plan showing the approximate time you will give to learning activities
- the name and contact details of any organization that will help with your child's learning, and what it will contribute
- the means of evaluation you will use to assess progress
- the last level of schooling your child received from an educational institution
You do not have to name individuals who help at home, such as a grandparent who reads with your child, or list the support groups you attend informally. You can declare tutors you hire who make a formal contribution to your program.
When the Learning Project Is Due
Two deadlines govern when you submit. If you are homeschooling from the start of the school year, you submit the learning project and begin carrying it out by September 30. If your child leaves school partway through the year, you have 30 days from the last day they attended to submit and start.
The 30-day clock runs from the last day of attendance, which is not always the same as the day you filed your notice of intent. Your annual notice of intent is a separate document, due by July 1 or within 10 days of the last day at school. Make sure you track both dates. Filing the notice on time does not reset the project deadline. If you are starting from scratch on Quebec's full annual calendar, the complete guide to homeschooling in Quebec covers every deadline in sequence.
Choosing the right curriculum gets easier when you know what to teach, what to skip, and where to start.
Get the GuideA simple step-by-step plan for getting started.
How to Write Each Part
Sit down with the regulation's eight elements and work through them one at a time. Start with your child's identity: name, date of birth, grade level, and permanent code if they have attended a Quebec school. If they have never attended school in Quebec, write "not applicable" for the permanent code.
Describe your educational approach in one short paragraph. Whether you use a structured boxed curriculum, project-based learning, literature and real-life activities, or a combination, state it plainly. Keep this consistent with the rest of the plan. If your approach is eclectic, you can say so, and then name the main resources in the subject sections.
Lay out your rough time plan next. You do not have to produce a school-style daily schedule. Describing a typical week, such as two hours of core subjects each morning plus afternoon projects three days a week, is enough. The regulation asks for approximate time, not a timetable, and DEM reviewers understand that home learning does not look like a classroom.
Then go subject by subject through the five compulsory areas. For each one, write the activities you plan and the resources you will use, and name the QEP competencies you are targeting. Two or three sentences per subject is fine if they are clear and specific enough to show the Ministry your child will genuinely engage with the subject. Close with your chosen evaluation method and the last grade level your child completed at school.
Submit the completed project to the Direction de l'enseignement a la maison (DEM) and your school service centre at the same time, and keep a copy for your own records. If you are choosing a curriculum and want help matching resources to what you plan to write in the project, our guide on how to choose homeschool curriculum walks through the decision without the overwhelm.
You Do Not Need a Quebec Curriculum
Your choice of materials is entirely yours. Many families use programs from outside Quebec, such as a curriculum from another province or another country, and add discussions, outings, or activities to connect those materials to the required QEP competencies. You do not have to match the Ministry's Progression of Learning document word for word, and you do not need a curriculum labelled or approved by the Ministry.
You also do not need to wait for a response from the DEM before you start teaching. Begin as soon as you submit. A resource person may not be assigned to your file until later in the year. You only hear back from the Ministry if it judges the project not to comply with the regulation. In that case, the Minister writes to you with the specific reasons, and you have 30 days to submit a revised version. At the DEM level, if there is a gap, a resource person calls to say what is missing before any formal notice goes out.
This means a first project that covers the five subjects and addresses the eight elements will pass in the vast majority of cases, even if the writing is plain and the formatting is simple. Write a plan you can follow, not a plan designed to look impressive.
Changing the Project Later
You can change the learning project whenever you need to during the year. You only have to notify the DEM within 15 days if the change is significant: a substantial shift in approach, such as moving from a structured curriculum to informal learning, or a situation where illness or a major life event makes the planned activities impossible to carry out.
Swapping one math program for another, adjusting how often you work on a subject, or skipping a planned outing are minor changes. You mention those in your status report instead, which you send to the Minister between months three and five of your learning year. Keeping brief notes as you go, a line or two each week on what you covered and how long you spent, makes that status report much quicker to write when the time comes.
Not sure where to start? This gives you a clear next step in minutes.
Start the Free AssessmentTakes about 10 minutes. Know exactly where to start.
Val's Note: What This Really Means for You
The first learning project I wrote took me a whole weekend because I treated it like a school document. It is not. The DEM is checking that you have a plan and that the five subjects are covered, not grading your prose or your curriculum choices. Write it general enough that a swapped workbook does not become paperwork, and use AQED's templates if you can find them, because they show you exactly what a finished project looks like at the right level of detail.
Keep a copy of what you do as you go. A short note each week on what you covered, how long you spent, and how your child engaged with it is enough to feed your status report and your two progress reports later in the year. Do that from day one, and the reporting calendar becomes manageable rather than a scramble. For a complete breakdown of what each report requires and when it is due, see our guide on Quebec homeschool reporting. For the full picture of how everything connects across the year, start with our guide on how to homeschool in Quebec.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should a Quebec Learning Project Be?
About three pages is reasonable. There is no need to list every activity and resource. A clear, general plan that covers the five subjects and addresses the eight required elements is enough to satisfy the DEM review.
Do I Have to Use a Quebec Curriculum?
No. You choose your own resources and methods. Many families use materials from outside Quebec and add activities to connect them to the required QEP competencies. No Ministry approval is needed for your curriculum choice.
When Is the Learning Project Due?
By September 30, or within 30 days of the last day your child attended school if they leave partway through the year. The deadline runs from the last day of attendance, not from the day you filed your notice of intent.
Do I Have to Wait for the DEM to Approve It Before I Start?
No. You begin teaching as soon as you submit. You only hear back if the project is judged not to comply with the regulation, at which point you have 30 days to revise and resubmit.
What If My Plan Changes During the Year?
You can change it anytime. You only need to notify the DEM within 15 days if the change is significant, such as a major shift in your overall approach. Minor changes, like swapping a textbook or adjusting your schedule, go in your status report instead.
Is There Any Funding for Homeschooling in Quebec?
No. Quebec does not fund homeschooling families and there is no fee to register. The annual evaluation and any ministerial exams are arranged at no cost.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Confirm current deadlines and required elements with the Ministere de l'Education and your school service centre before each year.