Implementing After School Programs For The Canadian Federal Government Essay

The Toronto Star published an article reporting that Toronto currently has the highest rate of children living in households that are considered low income in Canada (Monsebraaten, 2015). The article reports that in Toronto the child poverty rate is higher than the poverty rate of any other age group. This paper will discuss child poverty, how this is a challenge to public health practices and policies, and finally, discuss potential solutions for public policy that address this issue.

More parents than ever these days are working outside of the home. This means that when the school bell rings, many children are left unsupervised and with no where to go but an empty house with no supervision. Not only that, but some parents are also struggling to provide adequate after-school care. Either they cannot afford the monthly payments of a daycare, or the programs are just simply not available to them. (Ansell, 2004).

In NYC, access to after-school programs remains a problem for many children especially those from low-income/unstable families due to the lack of funding by the government. After school programs are slowly diminishing in the city and many people are not interested in reviving them. Over the years, many people have downplayed afterschool programs and their benefits to children especially those that come from low-income/unstable families. The social development of children from unstable backgrounds could greatly improve by the promotion and valuation of afterschool programs. They offer activities, memories, and a sense of community all of which these kids need to excel and gear away from the negativity that surrounds them.

Education-based intervention and prevention play a crucial role in influencing young children from at-risk communities. Many researchers have concluded that early interventions improve the child’s academic performance, behaviours and learning abilities in the short and long term (McMahon, Washburn, Felix, Yakin & Childrey, 2000). Based on developmental and social theories, the child’s experiences in the earlier years have great impact on their future achievement. In turn, the foundation of a child’s academic success is formed at a very young age, before they enter the school system (Ansari & Gershoff, 2015). Intervention strategies that target young children, have a greater impact for future development since they provide them with guidance,

Often children are moved around between several different homes or are removed several times if not permanently from their families. This prevents the children from developing a sense of security that is necessary for them to become confident in themselves in order to become successful and healthy individuals. Disrupting the family unit can also inhibit children from becoming connected to their culture during the time they are discovering their identity. The connection between First Nations youth being removed from their homes and in turn becoming a part of the homeless population in Canada is shown in the following statement: “In general, many youth that are homeless come from the care of the child protection system such as adoptive homes, foster homes, or group homes ((Cauce and Morgan, 1994; Fall and Berg, 1996; Fitzgerald, 1995; Lindsey et al., 2000; Maclean et al., 1999), as quoted by Baskin, 2011, p. 194). Whenever it is a safe possibility, it is crucial for a child to be raised by their family to serve the child’s best

For the purpose of giving awareness and clarity to the topic of Children Poverty in Canada, this research will include primary and secondary research data to identify an increasing epidemic of impoverished children in Canada.

Child poverty is not something that is often discussed in Ontario, but it is a real issue for millions of children that have to live it every day. Breaking the Cycle is a provincial program designed to eliminate poverty by 25% in five years for children, their families and the overall community. In this paper I will discuss the background of poverty in Ontario, and the people who are more likely to be affected by it. Secondly, I will introduce a new provincial program called Breaking the Cycle: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and the desired goals for the province of Ontario. Thirdly, I will discuss the

1 in 3 children live under the poverty line in Canada, including Aboriginal children, immigrants and citizens (Lightman & Riches, 2000; 186). There are ways that the Canadian government would be able to provide for those who are in need, with specific attention to

When we think of children growing up in Canada, the words privileged, nurtured and precious come to mind. As one of the most affluent nations in the world, Canada has a reputation for being well-off, wealthy and a well-developed industrialized nation. For many children living in Canada this is the case, yet for 1 in 5 children (approximately 1.3 million), they live in conditions of poverty (Canada Without Poverty). As a prosperous nation, Canada has fallen behind other industrialized nations at an alarming rate. Indigenous children have a child poverty rate of 50% while the national average is 14% after taxes and transfers and 26% before taxes and transfers (Canada Without Poverty). According to UNICEF’s 2016 Report Card on Child and Family

The Simcoe County council is currently focusing on providing financial assistance for child care fees to those in poverty (County of Simcoe, 2014c). Simcoe county should make a revision to the current plan using a family impact lens to ensure that all families in poverty with children are able to access afford childcare. The policy should be that if the family falls under the low-income poverty rate of Ontario and is employed then they should be allowed to pay only 7$ for childcare. This recommendation aligns with the province of Quebec, as Quebec is the only province in Canada that supplies 7$ a day childcare for the entire population of Quebec, not just those in poverty (Anderssen and Mackrael, 2013). The pros

Life Skills Training (LST) is a school based intervention; the goal of the program is to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use along with violence. This is done by targeting major social and psychological factors that increase the start of substance abuse and additional risky behaviors. Substance abuse problems are multifaceted; LST addresses multiple risk and protective factors.

Children who are subject to negative or bad environments are more prone to engaging in drugs and alcohol. There are many programs that bring awareness and prevention to alcohol and drugs. The South Carolina Afterschool Alliance program provides groups and organizations with an effective after-school program plan. The after-school programs are essential in promoting awareness and prevention of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, abstinence, and violence to young children or adolescents.

The most significant understanding of Sonnert and Holton’s argument is that refugee students are held up to the standards of the average students in the nation through standardized testing and grade level placement without consideration that they tend to perform below average and often fall behind, foregoing more stress and anxiety to reach the level their classmates are at. To fight this the IRC is going through attempts at translating their principles to aid the youth asylum seekers in gaining proper education. Holton; however, suggests conducting assessments within refugee youth so that they can be tested for English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, correct grade level placement, learning disabilities, and mental/

Volunteering as a teaching assistant for Action for Refugees has exposed me to situations involving children from disadvantaged background and taught me that there is a massive need for change in education. During my

Globalisation and mass migration means that Australia is a diverse and dynamic place. In Australia, many refugee background students experience difficulties adjusting to their new environment and school settings. The increasing diversity in Australian schools present various challenges for not only refugee students and their learning experiences, but for teachers as well. Therefore, the consideration and evaluation of educational research is crucial, so that educational practices and pedagogies are informed by research for the benefit of students’ learning and development. With the increase of refugee background students there has been a need for the implementation and evaluation of strategies and policies in order to establish appropriate ways to engage with the complex issues around refugee background students’ transition to education. This can be seen through the creation of the Refugee Action Support Program (RAS) that was designed to provide tutoring to students from refugee backgrounds in Western Sydney schools. In regards to educational policy, the Multicultural Educational Policy aims to ‘respond to the cultural diversity of New South Wales by committing schools to providing opportunities that enable all students to achieve equitable education and social outcomes’ (“Multicultural Education Policy, 2016). Such programs and policies reinforce that Australia recognises the increasing cultural diversity and needs of refugee background students in Australian schools. In