Ford government cuts to Parents Reaching Out Grants causing deep damage to communities

Doug Ford’s cuts to education includes parent council programs like the one that helped parents navigate digital safety with their kids.

For the second day in a row, Ford’s Education minister refused to explain why Ford has cut the Parents Reaching Out Grants for 2018-19, or why parents were not notified about the decision. And parent workshops focused on mental, physical and sexual health, a school event on boosting participation in STEM, and resources for parents of children with special needs are just a few of the hundreds of parent engagement events that have hit Ford’s chopping block.

“Parent and school councils have been blindsided by the government’s sudden cut to this program – and they deserve to know why,” NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said. “Will the minister explain to these parents why supporting parent engagement in education ranks so low on their priority list?”

Last year, 2,497 schools received up to $1,000 each through the school council stream of the grant. The funding helps support parent engagement in schools that do not otherwise have community support, or where language, socio-economic and geographic barriers come between parents and their children’s education.

Schools across the province will see the impact of this cut and parents are outraged that they had to hear the news second-hand.
New Democrats want the decision reversed, funding for Parents Reaching Out Grants restored immediately, and for parents to be respected by the government.