Ontario Helping Kids Stay Active and Healthy in the Ottawa Communities
More fun activities and sport as province invests in local after school programs
OTTAWA —The Ontario government is allocating $939,000 through Ontario’s After School Program to support thirteen program delivery partners in Ottawa communities.
The investment in Ottawa area communities is part of an overall investment of $13.5 million by the Ontario government through Ontario’s After School Program to support 110 organizations that provide opportunities for children and youth in priority neighbourhoods to be active and healthy.
“The experience of the past two years has highlighted the importance of sport and recreation programs to individual and community well-being,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “These programs are at the heart of Ontario’s communities and our government is committed to working with our partners, educators and community leaders to support opportunities for children, youth and families to be active and healthy.”
Ontario’s After School Program provides supervised sport and recreational activities to more than 20,000 children and youth, from kindergarten to Grade 12, in more than 80 communities across the province, including 11 First Nations communities. In addition to helping kids in Ottawa area communities stay active and engaged through unstructured play and activities like basketball, dancing or soccer, the program helps children and youth develop leadership skills and provides personal wellness, anti-bullying and nutrition education.
The Ontario After School Program has been shown to contribute to higher self-esteem and well-being, leading to improvements in academic performance.
QUOTES
“I am pleased to see all these great Ottawa based organizations receive provincial support for their After School Programs. This financial support will ensure students have a chance to play sports, participate in arts and crafts or music programs, or get some needed homework help. We can all agree that these extracurricular activities add a great deal to students’ education experience.”
Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, MPP for Kanata—Carleton
“This funding will enable our partners to continue to deliver after school programming to children in high priority neighbourhoods. I sincerely hope that this investment will benefit the Nepean Rideau Osgoode Community Resource Centre located in my riding of Nepean and will provide children and youth with every opportunity to be active and healthy.”
Lisa MacLeod, MPP for Nepean
QUICK FACTS
- Ottawa community program delivery partners include:
- Regroupement ethnoculturel des parents francophones de l’Ontario (REPFO)
- Wabano Centre For Aboriginal Health
- Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families
- Sandy Hill Community Centre
- Lowertown Community Resource Centre
- Somerset West Community Health Centre
- Carlington Community Health Centre
- Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa
- Nepean Rideau Osgoode Community Resource Centre
- Ottawa Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Association
- Ontario’s After School Program is currently delivered by 110 organizations across Ontario supporting low-income and northern/rural communities, Francophone neighbourhoods and First Nations.
- Programming is tailored to the needs of each community and may also include homework help, arts and crafts, music, and cultural activities such traditional French cooking or Indigenous drumming and dance.
- Families interested in After School Program can contact an After School Program delivery partner for more information about eligibility requirements and services offered by their program.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Ontario’s After School Program