More Support For Crown Ward Students
November 12, 2009 9:30 AM
McGuinty Government Building Tomorrow's Highly Skilled Workforce
Seven new Crown Ward Education Championship Teams will offer mentorship, peer support, motivation, and guidance to Crown wards across the province. This doubles the number of teams in Ontario to 14.
The teams will help these students access and succeed in postsecondary education and training. Teams include volunteers from local school boards, Children's Aid Societies, postsecondary institutions, community agencies, Employment Ontario and provincial ministries.
Support of Crown wards is part of Breaking the Cycle: Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy, which aims to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over five years -- lifting 90,000 kids out of poverty -- by boosting benefits for low-income families and enhancing publicly-funded education.
QUICK FACTS
- There are approximately 9,500 Crown wards in Ontario, and 53 Children's Aid Societies.
- The seven new Championship Teams will be located in: Windsor/Chatham-Kent; Niagara; Peel/Halton/Dufferin; Durham/York; Kingston-Frontenac/Lennox-Addington/Hastings; Nipissing/Parry Sound/Muskoka, and Sudbury/Manitoulin. Each team will receive $150,000 in start-up funding.
- In their first year alone, the first four Championship Teams helped about 350 students directly, and many more were helped indirectly through the availability of new training and resource materials.
LEARN MORE
CONTACTS
- Annette Phillips (For media)
Minister's Office
416-326-5748
Annette.Phillips@ontario.ca - Tanya Blazina (For media)
Communications Branch
416-325-2746
tanya.blazina@ontario.ca
- For public inquiries call
416-325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514
TTY 1-800-263-2892
ontario.ca/postsecondary
"Ontario's future success as a knowledge-based economy will depend on our ability to tap into the potential, gifts and talents of all Ontarians. By continuing to remove the barriers to education faced by our Crown wards, we are even closer to realizing our goal."
– John Milloy
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and Minister of Research and Innovation
"Our government is working to improve the educational outcomes for our students in care by making sure they take advantage of the opportunities available to them. It is in all of our best interest to help all students, especially those who need it most."
– Kathleen Wynne
Minister of Education
"We're committed to helping Crown wards succeed in school and make a smooth transition to adulthood. With these new championship teams in place, kids in care can get the support they need to get an education and achieve their full potential."
– Laurel Broten
Minister of Children and Youth Services
Communities
