Lead Table March 1, 2017

Advocacy Around School Closures Recommendation: that a letter be written to Ministry of Education with possible cc. to UCDSB Rationale: To advocate for consideration of specific needs of rural communities in terms of possible school closures To promote the use of schools as community hubs

Key Points Closing a rural school has far reaching consequences: … long bus rides can mean lack of access to after school recreation … rural schools are often used as community space for recreation, social events. Closing of schools creates barriers for all members of the community … schools are natural hubs in rural communities

Key Points (cont’d) Relationships are key – family and child to school, school to community; difficult to achieve when child is attending school in a different community.

Update on Hubs Guthrie House Key messages: Access: Bringing 20 organizations to North Leeds to meet community needs Integration: Single point of access for services delivered by multiple providers and funded by multiple  ministries. People Centred: A service navigator to directly assist clients to find “the right service at the right time” Health Promotion: Continued emphasis on the social determinants of health reflected in services such as employment, housing, mental health, income and food security as part of the delivery of healthcare. Resources: Guthrie House generates revenue through its rental of affordable office spaces which, in conjunction with the generosity of United Way Leeds Grenville, makes the project sustainable.  

Guthrie House “A lesson learned in our first year offering the Child and Family Hub is that family struggles are a factor of a variety of social determinants and are not limited to traditional child and family service options. As a result, our array of services needs to include employment, food, income security, counselling and support.” Comments?

Bartholomew St.

Canada Learning Bond Uptake in LG is low www.StartMyRESP.ca/ Leeds-Grenville Families need to: File income tax Have birth certificate for child S.I.N. number Be connected to financial institution

How can EKIOC support? Suggestions Set agency targets? Hold sign up events? Friendly competition? ??

Opportunities Government emphasis on development of community hubs Ministry of Education can work across Ministries and with local boards to facilitate the development of unused space as community hubs…(e.g. seniors programs, family support, childcare etc.) Community hubs can improve access to services and supports for rural communities

Next Steps for EKIOC Explore with boards/schools the development of schools as community hubs. E.g. pilot with one or two schools