Our Production Services
Ahimsa Kids is a full service set teaching agency that caters to the needs of production and child actors in British Columbia. We offer our services for:
- set teaching (tutoring)
- child coordinating
Services for Production
- Certified teachers who have undergone criminal record checks.
- Free consultation prior to and during production regarding health, welfare and schooling requirements for minors and school aged youth.
- Communication with the parents and school regarding the child's schooling.
- Organized paperwork for production on schooling.
- Substitute teachers in the event of an illness.
- School supplies.
Our Teachers
- Are certified in BC, Ontario and the United States.
- Have undergone criminal record checks.
- Have a full complement of specialties including French, French Immersion, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese, Science, Math, Business, Language Arts, Social Studies, Drama, Fine Arts, PE, and the middle and primary years.
- Are set trained.
To learn more about our teachers, visit Our Teachers.
Ahimsa Kids' Unique Qualifications
The founder of Ahimsa Kids, Erica Hargreave, is in the unique position of having both taught and produced. This gives her an understanding of how best to meet production needs, while ensuring that the youth are well looked after on set and are kept
up-to-date and engaged in their schooling.
As a teacher, Erica has built an independant school and resided as the Head Teacher there. She has also had both investors and parents approach her about running two other independent schools. As a producer, Erica has produced both broadcast and educational media projects of her own. Many of these have involved the use of child actors. These experiences have given Erica an understanding of both the needs of production and the child. She has set up Ahimsa Kids to best meet the needs of both parties and has trained her teachers to reflect this understanding.
The Regulations
Click on the headings below for the basic guidelines pertaining to child actors.
While school is in session, all school aged youth (who have not yet graduated high school) who are working 3 or more days in the production week require a certified teacher on-set schooling them for a minimum of 3 hours each day they are working. (See BC Labour Standards & UBCP Article A27 and Appendix F)
If the youth has a teacher written into their acting contract as a requirement.
While school is in session, all school aged youth (who have not yet graduated high school) require a certified teacher schooling them for a minimum of 3 hours each day for at least 5 of the 7 days in the week, unless the week has a statuatory holiday, in which case only 4 days of tutoring are required. (See BC Labour Standards & UBCP Article A27 and Appendix F)
All LA youth under 16 require a Studio Teacher on set with them. If school is in session, they require a minimum of 3 hours of school time each day.
16 – 18 year olds from LA require a Studio Teacher on-set with them while school is in session, if they are still in school. They require a minimum of 3 hours of school time each day.
When 6 or more youth are engaged on a production, a Child Coordinator is required to look after all matters relating to the welfare and comfort of the youth. By law, the welfare and comfort of the youth shall be the Child Coordinator's sole responsibility on the set. (See BC Labour Standards & UBCP Article A27 and Appendix F)
A Studio Teacher is required on set at all times for youth under the age of 16, even when school is not in session.
For full guidelines, visit the following links:
UBCP Agreement (Review Article A 27 of the BCMPA and Appendix F)