he Alberta Home Education Association (AHEA) began as the response to challenges that had begun to plague home educators in the province of Alberta. Home education had, for many years, been the domain of families who had poor access to regular educational facilities, due to distance and other factors. In the seventies, a movement began that was to change the face of education in Alberta. More parents were becoming concerned about the secularization of education in the province, and as a result, alternative education methods began to spring up. Included in the movement was a growing body of parents who decided that educating their children at home was the preferred method. For some, the school authorities were supportive, but for many more, the authorities were hostile. Because of the small numbers in this environment, school authorities found it easy to intimidate parents, and methods of appeal were limited. As a result, a small but knowledgeable group of parents decided to develop a provincial organization. On November 26th, 1986, AHEA registered under the Societies Act of Alberta