Mental Health supports, School Food, Collaboration discussed at Atlantic Caucus
Press Release – For Immediate Release
Members of the Atlantic Caucus of Home & School Associations/School Council Federations held a very productive meeting in Fredericton NB on May 13, 2017.
Representatives from the Home & School Federations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils met to discuss priority issues in education and share ideas and concerns impacting schools in their respective provinces.
The meeting was chaired by Leola Langille, President of New Brunswick Federation of Home and School Associations Inc. The meeting provided the opportunity for each representative to discuss new education initiatives, provide updates on current policies and programs, as well as celebrate the successes happening in schools throughout Atlantic Canada.
The discussions focused on the need for more supports for Mental Health in schools as well as better access to programs in the community. It was a common consensus that wait times for evaluations and testing are far too long. There needs to be increased funding and resources for students suffering from not only Mental Health issues but also addictions.
The Atlantic Caucus also discussed how important it is for all children to have access to healthy foods. One of the main areas of discussion was the Coalition for Healthy School Food. The Coalition for Healthy School Food comprises over 30 organizations from across Canada that are seeking an investment by the federal government in a cost-shared Universal Healthy School Food Program that will enable all students in Canada to have access to healthy meals at school every day. Building on existing programs across the country, all schools will eventually serve a healthy meal or snack at little or no cost to students. These programs will include food education and serve culturally appropriate, local, sustainable food to the fullest extent possible. For more information please go to https://foodsecurecanada.org/coalitionforhealthyschoolfood
Each Province Representative offered an update of what was happening in their province; including but not limited to government funding, services available to parents/guardians, provincial initiatives, how effective were their communications with the Departments of Education and their respective Ministers of Education as well as other provincial organizations.
The common goal of the Atlantic Caucus is to collaborate with other parent organizations within other provinces to improve education for all Canadian children. The key to success is the sharing of information with all provincial jurisdictions. The Atlantic Caucus recognizes that there have been many important initiatives to improve the quality of life for all and to create more prosperous provinces and these types of initiatives can be shared and duplicated in other provinces. The Atlantic Caucus will now share information with all the Canadian Provinces and Territories.
In compliance with the objectives of the Atlantic Caucus, we want to encourage discussion on common issues in public education in Atlantic Canada and bring added value to all provincial associations. The Atlantic Caucus will continue to communicate with key partners in education including the Ministries of Education, School Boards, and other governing bodies such as the District Advisory Councils and School Advisory Councils.
As our respective governments continue to invest in education, we will continue to work with them in our advocacy efforts for equitable access to quality programs and services for all students in the smallest community to the largest!
The Atlantic Caucus looks forward to future discussions and collaboration with our many education partners as we all aim to ensure the best education system possible for students.
For more information contact:
Charla Dorrington, President Nova Scotia Federation of Home and School Associations
Telephone: 902-266-9507