Parents spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies before their children’s first day of school. But for many Canadian families, covering the cost of expensive school supplies is very difficult, if not impossible.
With other expenses like food, gas, and rent or mortgage payments on the rise, many households find themselves with less and less money available to buy back-to-school items. Fortunately, several resources are available to help offset the cost of school supplies, both from government and private agencies.
How Much Do Back-To-School Supplies Cost?
The cost of school supplies ranges, depending on whether parents choose to stick with the basics or splurge to ensure their kids have every item at their disposal. The increase in remote learning is also affecting how much parents spend on back-to-school supplies, as in-person class settings may have different supply requirements compared to at-home learning.
That said, basic supplies can cost an average of $200 to $300 per student. The basics include things such as backpacks, pens and pencils, binders, and calculators.
Types Of Back-To-School Products Canadians Buy
Students need basic supplies to help them get through their school days, including those mentioned above. But in addition to these items, there are many other popular products that Canadian parents are spending their money on, which can skyrocket their back-to-school budget. These include the following.
- Clothing and shoes
- Books
- Laptops and tablets
- Earbuds
- Scientific and graphic calculators
- Pencil cases
What Can You Do If You Can’t Afford Your Child’s School Supplies?
If you’re struggling to cover the cost of all the supplies your children need for school, there are many charities, government programs and loan products available to help you.
Spread Your School Supplies Cost With A Personal Loan
If you’re comfortable adding a little more debt to your finances, then a personal loan might be something to consider. You can use the money from a personal loan to spread the cost of all the supplies your children need.
Moreover, if your finances are in good condition and you have decent credit, you may qualify for a personal loan at an affordable interest rate. Find out what your credit score is before applying for a personal loan by using Loans Canada’s CompareHub tool.
School Supply Charities
There are several charitable organizations in each province across Canada that provide students with various supplies they need for each academic year. To receive supplies or assistance from any one of these programs, you generally must apply by filling out a form or by contacting them via email or phone. In some cases, you may need to contact your child’s school to be part of the program.
Similarly, you may need to provide proof of income to ensure you’re eligible for the program.
British Columbia
Salvation Army: Boundless Vancouver. Every summer, The Salvation Army’s Boundless Vancouver program provides children from low-income households with much-needed school supplies before school starts.
Maple Leaf School Supply Drive. The Burnaby Board of Trade runs the Maple Leaf Self Storage School Supply Drive to help deliver school supplies to kids in BC and Alberta.
Alberta
Outreach Centre. The Outreach Centre and United Way of Central Alberta aims to remove obstacles hindering children from achieving academic success. Every year, the agency’s Resources for Education program provides backpacks and educational materials to low-income students in kindergarten through grade 12. This initiative relies on contributions from residents and businesses in local communities.
Tools for School. The United Way of the Alberta Capital Region supplies school items for the Tools for School program, which are delivered to needy children in Alberta communities.
Backpacks for Brighter Futures. The Calgary Police Youth Foundation provides backpacks filled with school supplies and gift cards to up to 800 Indigenous and marginalized kids throughout Calgary.
Saskatchewan
Salvation Army Saskatoon School Programs. The Salvation Army in Saskatoon runs a Back-to-School School Supply program that offers basic school supplies to children in need.
Good News Chapel School Supplies Drive. The Good News Chapel runs an annual School Supplies Drive to provide school materials to families in their congregation and students in the Muskowekwan School on Muskowekwan First Nation.
Manitoba
Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba. This Manitoba-based charitable organization helps support children in school by supplying school meal and snack programs.
Project Backpack Winnipeg. This charitable initiative provides children in Winnipeg with backpacks filled with basic school supplies.
Ontario
Toronto Cares. The Toronto Cares Initiative collects new educational items for kids from kindergarten to grade 12 throughout Toronto, with a specific focus on households with disabilities. Backpacks will contain items such as pens and pencils, sharpeners, notepads, paper, and school snacks, to name a few.
Penny Appeal. This program successfully distributed 3,000 backpacks filled with school materials last year to disadvantaged students across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and throughout Alberta. The agency organized temporary stores where children and their families could choose new supplies they needed for school. For the upcoming school year, Penny Appeal will again be providing thousands of backpacks to students in need across the GTA and Alberta.
Quebec
Share the Warmth. This local non-profit organization in Montreal collects donations for its annual Magasin-Partage that takes place the third week of August.
Centraide Outaouais Back to School Program. This initiative provides back-to-school supplies to low-income families in the Outaouais region.
Magasin partage – Retour à l’école. Since 2002, Magasins-Partage stores across Montreal have distributed school materials to low-income children and families across 19 Montreal neighborhoods. Over the third week of August, children are invited to select backpacks, school materials, and lunch bags. This service is provided for free to families experiencing financial hardship.
New Brunswick
Moncton Headstart School Supplies Drive. Moncton Headstart accepts school supply donations between August and September every year for distribution to schools, which hand out supplies to students accordingly.
Miramichi Youth House School Supply Drive. The Miramichi Youth House in NB accepts donations from the community for school supplies to support its youth.
Nova Scotia
The Salvation Army Back to School Assistance. The Halifax Community and Family Services of The Salvation Army run a program every year to provide backpacks and school supplies to children of families who are unable to afford supplies on their own.
Colchester County UN Back 2 School Program. The United Way of Colchester County’s Back 2 School program provides free backpacks and school supplies every year to needy children and families.
Nova Scotia School Food Fund. This program ensures that students in Nova Scotia are nourished by distributing food to public school partners and supporting school food program funding across the province.
Newfoundland & Labrador
Spanl Back to School Program. Children from kindergarten to grade 12 from single-parent families are given school supplies and backpacks in time for the start of the school year.
Bridges to Hope Bag to School Program. The Bag to School Program accepts contributions from local residents and businesses to help provide children with customized school bags filled with all necessary school supplies.
Prince Edward Island
PEI Big Brothers & Big Sisters’ Big Giveback. The Big Giveback program runs in the middle of August and encourages donations of school supplies that needy kids require at the start of each school year.
Operation Backpack PEI. Locals volunteer and donate money and school supplies to local children from low-income households in PEI.
Government Financial Assistance For School Supplies
Many provincial governments also provide programs specifically to cover the cost of school supplies.
- British Columbia School Start-Up Supplement. The BC government’s School Start-Up Supplement program supports residents receiving income assistance or disability assistance. The support can be used to help cover any extra costs associated with purchasing school supplies for kids under 19.
- Alberta Children’s School Expenses Support. The government of Alberta offers a benefit for expenses related to having children in school.
- Quebec Special benefit. The Quebec government offers a special benefit to qualifying residents with dependent children attending school. The funds are meant to help cover school-related expenses.
- New Brunswick School Supplement (NBSS). This benefit is paid out to low-income households in New Brunswick to help offset the costs of back-to-school items for their children.
- Prince Edward Island Free School Supply Program. All students from kindergarten to Grade 9 receive free school supplies for each school year.
Other Tips On Affording School Supplies
There are other options to consider besides charities, government assistance, and loan programs to help keep the cost of all your back-to-school spending low, including the following:
Coupons
There are tons of online resources you can look at to find coupons for back-to-school shopping. Sites like Groupon.com, CouponCabin.com, 1001CouponCodes.ca, and RetailMeNot.com are just some of the websites that feature dozens of coupons for all sorts of school supply retailers.
Second-Hand Items
You can find used school supply items from garage sales, thrift stores, or even from friends and family who are looking to de-clutter.
Free Items
Again, friends and family might be the best sources of free things for your kids. But some online resources might also be great places to look for freebies, including Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Just Free Stuff, and Smiley360, to name a few.
Final Thoughts
Back-to-school shopping can put many Canadian families over the edge financially, especially when factoring in the rising costs of other necessities of life, like food, gas, and rent. If you’re struggling to pay for your children’s school supplies, look into the various charities in your area, or consider taking out a loan.
School Supply Cost FAQs
How much does child care cost in Canada?
What kind of financial assistance does the government of Canada offer?
- Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
- Child Disability Benefit (CDB)
- Canada Pension Plan (CPP) children’s benefits
- Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime
- Caregiving benefits
