David O. announces cash for parents

NEWS RELEASE DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP ************************** Provincial Government Providing Supports for Students, Parents and Teachers The Ontario government is providing Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grants to local school councils to help increase p

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

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Provincial Government Providing Supports for Students, Parents and Teachers

The Ontario government is providing Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grants to local school councils to help increase parent involvement in support of student achievement, David Orazietti MPP announced today.

“Our government’s commitment to support parent engagement initiatives has proven to significantly improve a child’s academic performance,” said Orazietti. “Parents Reaching Out grants provide an opportunity for parents to participate in their child’s education through projects to support student success and well-being.”

More than 2,200 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants for the 2014-15 school year have been approved.

These grants help school councils identify local barriers to parent engagement, and find solutions to get more parents involved in their children's education at home and at school.

School councils in Sault Ste. Marie will receive $15,315 for 16 local parent engagement projects as follows:

$8,925 for Huron Superior Catholic District School Board
$6,390 for Algoma District School Board

Providing strong supports to help student achievement is part of the government's plan to invest in people, build modern infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate.

“We greatly appreciate the province providing Parents Reaching Out Grants to our schools. The funds have enhanced our Catholic school communities by engaging parents in the education of their children and building stronger ties with staff. These PRO Grants are helping us to meet many of our strategic goals related to student achievement, relationships, supportive environments and well-being,” said Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board Director of Education, John Stadnyk.

“We have been very fortunate to have had many school council projects funded by the Ontario government over the past several years across the Algoma District. These projects allow parents to become engaged in meaningful and unique projects that address a particular need or focus within their school community. Parents are priority partners in student success, and these projects offer not only an opportunity for parents to model engagement for their children, but also another way to ultimately support student achievement and well-being,” said ADSB Director of Education, Lucia Reece.

Quick Facts

Helping students achieve excellence is a key goal of Ontario’s renewed vision for education.
Since 2006, the government has supported more than 15,000 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants to school councils and 568 regional/provincial grants, a total investment of more than $24 million.
Ontario’s five-year graduation rate is 83 percent, which is 15 percentage points higher than the 2004 rate of 68 percent. The percentage of students graduating in four years is now 75 percent, up from 54 percent in 2004.

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