Our team

AQED is run almost entirely by volunteers. Its management is divided between a board of directors and an administrative director. The people who work within the association are part of committees overseeing various projects and mandates.

Board of directors

Marine Dumond-Després, chair

Marine is first and foremost a mother of two homeschooled children. For her, learning as a family is a logical decision allowing her to spend quality time with her children and to follow their pace and interests.

In 2017, she completed her master's degree in educational administration focusing on social norms in family learning support groups,  and she is currently preparing a doctorate on the socialization of family-educated youths at the Université de Montréal. She is also co-founder of an activity group for out-of-school children in the Montreal area.

Marine has served as chair of AQED’s board of directors since March 2020. Among her many responsibilities, she is in charge of relations with the Direction de l'enseignement à la maison.

Nadia Mercier, secretary

At a young age, she pictured herself at home with her children, letting them live in nature and learn freely. Life led her to become a special education teacher in school and at the CLSC, working with children and adults in need. For her, it was a revelation: she wanted to offer another path to her own children than that of traditional school. So, she left her career and never returned to work after her pregnancies, enjoying these tender moments with them, continuing on to today, realizing along the way this childhood dream of a whole life, calmer and based on their needs.

For her family, it is a big accomplishment, and for herself it was important to join the ranks of AQED to help all the families across Quebec that also wish to live more slowly and especially more healthily!

Tanya Gagné, treasurer

As a mother of three homeschooled children who have never attended school, Tanya enjoys getting involved in causes that are dear to her heart. For her, family education is an important right that needs to be protected. This way, all families can choose to live this adventure together, an experience to which Tanya believes few things can compare.

Tanya began her involvement with the association by volunteering with the team providing support to members. In May 2019, she became a member of AQED's board of directors. She serves as treasurer.

Claire Daran, director

After her studies in Law and trips to Europe, legal research brings Claire to Quebec. While she carries out her doctorate, she plunges, with her partner, in maternity. With the birth of their first child, all their depictions of motherhood are transformed. Everything they envisioned is transformed: breastfeeding, daycare, baby carrying, without forgetting sleep. In this new path, they discover proximal parenting and therefore see homeschooling as a logical continuation.

Today, they are parents to three children and pursuing this route is in their hearts. Claire is passionate about Law and maternity; investing herself in AQED is therefore conspicuous.

Émilie Vallière, director

How to describe Emilie... First of all, she does nothing like everybody else. She's a creative girl with her head in the clouds. Overflowing with imagination and always ready to seek solutions, she loves helping others, but above all, defending her convictions! She gets involved in everything and loves to move things forward with her various roles.

Emilie is AQED's regional representative for the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean region and a new member of its Board of Directors.  She wants to be there for a long time, because when she does something, she doesn't give up! She is a stay-at-home mom of three boys.  The eldest, Colin, is autistic, Arthur has a language disorder and the youngest, who is still just a baby, is just too cute.

To Emilie, homeschooling equals peace of mind. As soon as she knew it was possible in Quebec, when her eldest was only 3 years old, homeschooling became an obvious goal for her and her family. Thus, since 2017, she is immersed in the adventure of homeschooling with her autistic son who recently started following the CAPS program, adapted for children with special needs.

Administrative management

Noémi Berlus, executive director

Mother of two elementary-aged children, Noémi and her husband have been homeschooling since 2013. In 2015 they discovered the joys of independent learning. Founder of two companies and management consultant for multinational companies, Noémi helps large companies solve their problems and better organize themselves.

Noémi has been on AQED's board of directors since May 2016 and was president from November 2016 to November 2018.  She has been the director of the association since January 2019.

Committees

• Welcome to new members
• Member support
• Recruitment and volunteer recognition
• Public relations
• Political action
• Content creation and communications
• Research, studies, and statistics
• Administration