First Nations Parents Club
Parents and families play a key role in the education of their children. First Nations parents and guardians have a right to be involved in all decisions about their children’s education.
For over two decades, FNESC and the First Nations Schools Association have organized a First Nations Parents Club to promote the key role of parents and families in the educational success of their children.
The First Nations Parents Club is comprised of locally based parent clubs in British Columbia. Clubs receive newsletters and a variety of practical resources to support parental engagement and advocacy. In addition, funding grants are distributed each year for local Club activities, such as sponsoring guest speakers, training opportunities, and other activities to encourage parental engagement in education.
Registering a New Club
All Parent Clubs must be associated with a BC First Nation or First Nation school.
Registering a new Club requires that you have a local person who is willing to take responsibility for registering the club, organizing meetings/activities, and being the primary contact person for the Club.
If you would like to register a new club or update the details of your existing Club, please reach out to parentsclub@fnesc.ca.
Once registered, Clubs receive a welcome package that includes start-up materials and incentive items.
Parents Club Grants
The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and The First Nations Schools Association (FNSA) are pleased to announce continued support for First Nations Parents Club activities, with grants of up to $10,000.00 available to support parent and family engagement and learning opportunities.
Eligibility
Grants can only be provided to parent clubs that are associated with a BC First Nation or First Nations school. A maximum of one grant will be allocated per First Nation per year.
To be eligible, clubs must:
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Be a registered First Nations Parents Club with FNESC and the FNSA.
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Have submitted their 2025-26 Parents Club Grant final report, if the club received funding during that year.
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Submit a completed proposal form – a call for proposal, with proposal form link, will be sent out to all registered clubs and you must use the provided proposal form.
Contact
For questions, club registrations and updates, and sharing photos and news, please contact parentsclub@fnesc.ca.
For simplicity, the First Nations Parents Club uses the term “parents,” but the Club intends the term to be inclusive of grandparents, family members, and other caregivers who contribute to the lives of First Nations children.
Related Resources
A Toolkit for First Nations Parents and Families is available, which includes a series of papers that can be adapted and shared with parents to provide information about the importance of parental involvement in education, how to interact with the school system, and creating healthy and supportive learning environments at home.
To raise awareness about the importance of regular school attendance, FNESC and FNSA created Attendance Counts! An Information Guide for Families, which highlights key information to help families work with schools and the broader community to plan and implement attendance campaigns and capacity building sessions.
Guiding Your Education Journey: A Handbook for First Nations Families shares information to help families decide what courses students should take – especially in Grades 10, 11 and 12 – assists with planning for post-secondary education, training and future careers.
Recognizing that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, FNESC and FNSA developed the resource Fun Activities for Learning Together at Home, which has suggestions to help families enjoy learning opportunities together.
