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By rdnewsNOW staff

Province announces supports for parents and students through teacher strike

Sep 30, 2025 | 1:01 PM

Alberta’s government says it will be providing financial assistance and educational resources to support parents and students in the event of a teacher strike.

On Monday night, the ATA announced that Alberta teachers have rejected a four-year deal, putting the ATA in a position to strike by Oct. 6.

As a teacher strike becomes more likely, the government says it has developed a plan to support kids and keep them learning while paying parents back for unexpected education expenses in the event of a strike.

This plan is said to include a new payment program to directly support parents experiencing financial strains because of the strike. An online learning toolkit following the grades K-12 curriculum has also been developed to support students with at-home learning.

“I’m disappointed that ATA members have rejected the settlement, choosing instead to go on strike,” said Premier Danielle Smith, in a media release Tuesday. “Students and families need to know we will support them during this time of uncertainty, so we are releasing our plan today to provide payments directly to families and to support at-home student learning.“

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“Our goal is to keep our kids in the classroom,” added Nate Horner, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance. “Our government is ready, willing and able to head back to the bargaining table at any time.”

According to the province, 80,000 new students have joined the education system in the last two years alone, with the government responding by investing $8.6 billion to build and renovate more than 130 schools. The government says this is more than any provincial government has invested in the history of the province.

Payment program

To help ease the extra costs families may face while children are away from their desks during labour action, Alberta’s government is introducing a new payment program for parents. Officials say this program would be available to parents and guardians of students aged 12 and under who attend a public, separate or francophone school and are affected by teacher strikes.

Eligible parents or guardians would receive $30 per day, or $150 per week, per student for the duration of the ATA’s labour action. The first payment will be made on Oct. 31.

Government officials say the payments would support families while students are unable to attend school to help offset additional costs like childcare, educational supports such as tutoring, or other activities to keep students engaged.

The province says more information about the application process will be available shortly. To get ready, parents can set up an Alberta.ca verified account at alberta.ca/alberta-ca-account.

Learning supports

To give families flexibility during a potential labour disruption, the government says Alberta Education and Childcare created a free toolkit for parents to support their child’s learning in the event that schools are closed.

Officials say the toolkit provides resources that follow the grades K-12 curriculum. The government says the resources are available in English, French and French immersion and focus on the core subjects of language arts, social studies, math and sciences. These resources are anticipated to be updated weekly.

“We understand that the possibility of a teacher strike brings uncertainty and concerns for families,” acknowledged Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare. “That’s why Alberta’s government is supporting families with practical tools and resources to help maintain their child’s learning if schools are closed. This parent toolkit offers flexibility, choice, and curriculum-aligned materials to empower families, ease the pressure they’re facing and keep students engaged.”

Classroom complexity funding

Throughout bargaining, the government says teachers have advocated for more support to deal with the issue of increasing classroom complexity. The government says it remains committed to help address increasing classroom complexity and will be allocating $100 million per year over three years. Officials say these funds will hire 1,500 net new education assistants. To further address classroom complexity, the remaining funds may be used to hire up to 725 more education assistants, or used to complete autism, mental health, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or speech-language pathology assessments for students, the province points out.

Related: Teachers reject agreement, strike set for October 6