Parents Reaching Out Grants and Funding
The Ontario Parent Involvement Policy was developed to support and enhance parental involvement in education. In addition to new resources for parents/guardian, the Ministry has also made funds available to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and school councils to support our efforts at the regional and local levels.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board encourages all school councils, parent and community organizations to consider these grants and apply for funding. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact Paula Marble, Policy Analyst at paula.marble@ocdsb.ca or by telephone at 613-596-8253.
Available Grants:
Funding to School Councils for Parent Involvement Activities - $500.00 per school council
Each school council will receive $500.00 to be spent at its discretion on activities that support and enhance parental involvement and communication in their school community. Some examples of activities include workshops, guest speakers, translations, school barbeques or other social events, resources, including newsletters or school council meeting information. The OCDSB will send your school council’s cheque directly to your school council chair via your school office by early October.
Parents Reaching Out (PRO)Grants for School Councils – maximum $1,000
This grant program offers funding to school councils for projects that enhance the participation of parents who face challenges in getting involved in their children’s education, such communication, geography, parents new to the school system, or others.
School councils may submit applications, individually or in partnership with other school councils or community groups. Only one application per school council may be submitted. Projects must comply with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s policies and strategies for parental engagement. Proposals should be submitted directly to the Ministry and a copy should be sent to the policy analyst, Paula Marble at paula.marble@ocdsb.ca. For more information about this program, please click here. To view previous grant winners please check the tabs below.
2012-2013 Ministry PRO Grant Program Announcement - Deadline: Friday, June 8, 2012
The Ministry of Education just announced the launch of its annual Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grant program for the 2012-2013 school year. The PRO grants are available to school councils for a maximum of $1,000 for school-based initiatives. A maximum of $30,000 per project will be made available for the PRO regional/provincial grant program. The PRO grants for school councils are intended to support school-based initiatives to reach parents who face barriers to becoming involved in their children’s education. School councils may develop proposals individually, with other school councils in the same board, or with other groups in the school or in the community.
The PRO grants for regional/provincial projects are available to parent organizations, school boards, non-profit organizations and post-secondary institutions working in partnership with parents to support student achievement and well-being. Eligible projects must be in at least one of the following areas: Parents as Partners; Welcoming School Board and School Environment for all Parents; Skill Building Opportunities for Parents; and Enhancing Communication between School and Parents. Please note that the deadline for the 2012-13 PRO grant submissions is Friday 08 June 2012. Applications are required to be submitted electronically.
For more information on the 2012-13 PRO grants, please visit the ministry website. If you have questions, please contact Glenn Court (Lead Policy/Program Co-ordinator) at (416) 325-7802 glenn.court@ontario.ca or Brian Desrosiers-Tam, Senior Policy Advisor at (416) 325-6549 brian.desrosiers-tam@ontario.ca.
Parents Reaching Out (PRO Regional/Provincial Grants – maximum $30,000) - Deadline: Friday, June 8, 2012
This grants program offers funding to school boards and parent organizations for regional and provincial projects to enhance parental involvement. School councils are not eligible to apply for these grants. If you are a part of a parent organization, for more information, please click here.
Grant Awarded 2011-2012
The OCDSB and its Parent Involvement Committee received approval for a grant project entitled, Engaging Parents: Implementing a Successful Parent Involvement Committee. The project was developed to help engage parents of the OCDSB community and have them understand and support the learning needs of their children. Specifically, the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) will have a three-strand approach including parent engagement and skill building workshops, speakers’ series for parents, and connecting and communication activities.
Grant Awarded 2009-2010
The OCDSB and its Parental Involvement Committee received approval for a grant project entitled, Connected Conversation – Parents and Teachers Helping Students Learn. This funding will allow the District to continue this series that was started in 2008-2009. The goal of the project is to host a seminar series intended to develop awareness, leadership and skills of both parents/guardians and educators. Separate seminars are being developed and delivered specifically for a parent/guardian/school council and an educator audience.
Grant Awarded 2008-2009
The OCDSB and its Parental Involvement Committee received approval for a grant project entitled, Connected Conversation – Parents and Teachers Helping Students Learn. Through this project, four sessions were held on the following focus areas: Boy Smarts, Engaging English Language Learners, Parental Engagement, and Assessment and Evaluation
Grant Awarded 2007-2008
The OCDSB and its Parental Involvement Committee received approval for a grant project entitled, Welcoming Parents in the their First Language. This project examined language barriers for parents who do not speak English and seek to provide some concrete strategies to encourage parent engagement.
Funding for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Parent Involvement Committee
Funding is provided to support the activities of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee. For more information about the mandate and activities of this committee, please visit our website.
See the Parental Involvement Committee’s latest booklet (Your Child's Education - Be a Part of It!) that describes what other parents are doing at home, in the school, and in the community. The booklet is available 8 languages by visiting the Publications page and checking under Communications.
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PRO Grants Awarded