Ministry of Education Funding Announcement and PoBC

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ONTARIO MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT

We are exceptionally pleased to announce that Parents of Black Children (PoBC) is one of eight Black-led organizations receiving funding through a Ministry of Education’s Safe Return to School grant.

We have received short-term funding in the amount of $300,000 to be delivered from May 2021-August 31, 2021.

As a grassroots organization, this funding is critical in allowing us to deliver programs designed to address the systemic barriers and anti-Black racism in schools.

How the Funding Will Be Used

In what we believe will be a first in Canada, we will be working to create a virtual Africentric campus for Black students. The campus will be a fully immersive and affirming online space for Black students. Drop-in tutoring will be available four times per week and students will be able to sign up for homework help with a tutor each night. There will also be space for parents to come together, meet collectively, learn and support each other. The campus will truly be an interactive experience. We are currently in the process of creating the virtual space. The platform will launch at the end of August. Stay tuned!

Last November we received funding from the Children’s Aid Foundation to support 30 students with free tutoring 2x per week to March 2021. This new funding received from the Ministry of Education Safe Return to School initiative allows us to continue offering tutoring supports to those 30 students and add 30 more students for a total of 60. Students will receive tutoring from May 2021- January 2022. Tutoring will be offered twice weekly in Math, English, Literacy, Science, or Social Students.

As well, each student will receive a backpack in September with PPE and gift cards to support learning in the new school year.

While we push for Black experiences to be included in both the Education Act and curriculums, we are also working actively to ensure teachers understand how their pedagogy and practice can be anti-racist. Funding from the Safe Returns to School initiative will also be used to create an educators toolkit that will share the history and experience of Black students, help educators challenge systemic racism operating within schools and their classrooms. The toolkit will be ready for launch at the start of the school year in September.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FUNDING FOR BLACK ORGANIZATIONS

While we are extremely pleased to be the recipients of this short-term funding, it is still important to note that Black grassroots organizations require long-term sustainable funding.

PoBC is still staffed primarily by volunteers. Black organizations are in desperate need of sustainable funding so we aren’t starting programs that we need to stop when the funding runs out.

In the coming months, PoBC will be looking to engage the Ontario government in conversations about funding sustainability for Black organizations, so we too can grow, thrive and hire staff long-term.