I have to register my son for kindergarten sometime in the next week. I thought I had his birth certificate put away. But, I've looked everywhere in my house and I can't find it (or any of ours for that matter -- they were all together).
Can I still put him in school if I don't have his birth certificate? I don't even have his registration anymore, it was lost when we moved here. I don't know what to do. Anybody know?
go to the city/town hall in the city/town he was born in, here they cost $5 and the parent has to show their ID.
there is usually a vital statistic office in the county health department in the county he was born in and they will give you one dont know how much though i payed 12 for jaydens.
I had to pay $27 for my son's BC birth certificate, but it may be a different amount depending on what province he was born in?
http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/births/certificate.html There's a link that should help.
I paid $15 for my kid's. I went to the county recorder. Where I live, you cna also do it by mail and print the forms online.
It's $25 for an Ontario birth certificate (which is where he was born), but you can't just walk in and get it, even if we still lived in that province. There's approximately a 9 month wait to between the time you send in your application and the time you receive it. You can have it expidited if you can prove that it's an immediate necessity, which it would be if it were absolutely necessary for school registration, but even that takes at least 2 months.
So, does that mean I just can't register him and he won't be able to start school if I don't receive it by September?
i have several copies of my birth certificate, just in case. it's probably a good idea. and for things like registering for school, i'm not sure, but it may be good enough.
Like photocopies? I've never copied it because generally it's not valid if it's copied. But, when I applied for welfare they took a copy as well as copies of my photo ID, so maybe I could contact my old caseworker and see if she could maybe fax the copy to the school. Because then I could go down there with my ID and they would know it was me and I was his mom, right? I guess that's worth a try.
For an Ontario birth certificate, if you do it online, you receive it within 15 days.
If you still live in Ontario, you can go to a land registry office and get it that day.
You can walk in and get it at a land registry office, but it sounds like you don't live here any more.
http://www.cbs.gov.on.ca/mcbs/english/649QE4.htm
The 9 month wait was only for the initial regsitration, but they have recently implemented new measures so even new registrations do not take that long any more.
i meant photocopies
you don't need a birth certificate to register in Canada. You can also use your health care card, your baptismal certificate if you have one or your childs passport until you get a BC. None of my kids have one and they are all in school just fine.
Really? That's what I was hoping to hear. When I called the school, they said "you need to bring in his birth certificate", so I figured it was a definate that I needed it, of course they said the same thing about the immunization record, which isn't required. I'll go to the school with his care card and see what I can do.
Well, I called the school and the receptionist seemed pretty stumped. She's going to talk to someone and give me a call back, hopefully with a solution. But, she is still insisting that she absolutely needs his immunization record. I know the process there, I am supposed to be able to sign an "opt-out" form, which apparently they've never heard of.
Well, I'm sure they can't just say my kid can't go to school. I mean, it's mandatory to have a 6 year old registered in a school, even if they are homeschooled.
What province are you in? I can help you with vax exemptions if you need.
Does that link I gave you help?
I'm in BC, if you have any info on the vax exemption that is Canada wide, that would be great. Although, I already know that it is within my rights to refuse those vaxes, no matter what they tell me.
The link didn't help, only because I just went through getting all the birth certificates last year, and I know what's going on with that. You can no longer walk in with your application and get your certificate, you can walk in and pick up or drop off the application, which we can't do fro out here anyway. I do know that the wait is "unofficial", basically they are so backed up that it takes about that long. Maybe even longer now with the looming requirement for passports to cross the boarder. Last year, we had them expidite the birth certificates because they were required in order for us to collect welfare, and it still took about 4 months.
But, anyway, I think I've got it all figured out. I convinced the school to take a photocopy of his birth certificate, and I convinced the secretary at the welfare office to print me out a copy of the photocopy they took. So, I should be able to pick it up tomorrow, and then bring it down to the school.
Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I probably wouldn't have figured anything out if it weren't for some of them.
That's bizarre about the vax records. I thought B.C. didn't require them. But anyways, all you need for an exemption in Canada is a letter stating you do not vax (you don't need to giev a reason) and have it notarized, and that is a valid exemption.
The b.c. stuff is new. The 15 day thing is new, and it is actually holding up for everyone I know who has done it. I just got my b.c. replaced last month, and I went in to the land registry office and walked out with a replacement b.c.
BC isn't allowed to "require" vax records, but most places (schools, daycares) believe that they are required.
So, the ON government took away all quick access to birth certificates, and then put them back? Looks like they realised that it was a mistake to get rid of them in the first place.
Yeah I think people were pissed.
Well, I was able to get the photocopy of his BC, and brought it to the school to get him all registered. The vax thing wasn't a problem at all, they just noted it on his form and we're good. He has his orientation this evening, and then the principal is going to observe him and see if he'll need an aid (he's autistic).
The school seems really good. We're in a really low income area, and I think that will work to our advantage, because the staff seems so dedicated, concerned and totally understanding of our situation.