The Ministry of Education has announced that each school board will receive funding to support the parent engagement activities of its school councils and Parent Involvement Committee (PIC).
Effective this school year, the Parents Reaching Out (PRO) funding will be allocated through the annual Grants for Student Needs (GSN) with the expectation that boards will work with their PICs to lead initiatives that address local parent needs and/or remove barriers that prevent parents from participating and engaging fully in their children's learning and educational progress.
Essential to this process is ensuring parents have access and inclusive means to support their engagement. "School boards, through their PICs, are encouraged to work with their Indigenous advisory council (IAC), special education advisory committee (SEAC), school board's equity and access body, school councils, and community organizations to identify projects that support the diversity of parent needs and parent communities at the local level through an equity and inclusion lens."
For the 2022-23 school year, the Parent Engagement allocation has three components:
- PIC component ($5000 + $0.17 per average daily enrolment of pupils)
- School Council Component ($500 per school)
- PRO component ($1500 + $500 per school)
More information will be shared in the coming months.