Children and Students

For the purposes of education in Alberta, children are younger than 6 years of age and students are 6 or older.

According to the School Act (RSA 2000), individuals who are 6 years of age or older and younger that 19 as of September 1 are considered resident students of a board. The standards for resident students identified with special education needs are outlined in Standards for Special Education, Amended June 2004.

The School Act states that a board or an approved school authority may provide an ECS program to a child who is younger than 6 years of age as of September 1. Under Alberta Education policy, children identified with disabilities/delays are eligible for up to three years of ECS programming, depending on age, severity of the disability/delay and its impact on the child’s learning and development. Standards for the Provision of Early Childhood Special Education applies to children who meet the eligibility criteria for special education programming.