Ontario Helping Kids Stay Active and Healthy

NEWS RELEASE

Province investing $15 million in local sport and recreation programs for children and youth

October 02, 2024
Ministry of Sport

HAMILTON — The Ontario government is investing $15.3 million in more than 100 organizations that provide fun, safe and supervised activities for children and youth across the province through inclusive team sports and active recreation programs.

"Our government is proud to support opportunities for children and youth throughout Ontario to lead active and healthy lifestyles,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Sport. “This funding will expand access to vital resources and enable partner organizations to continue delivering high-quality, tailored active recreation programming that aligns with the needs of local communities.”

This investment of wraparound supports through the Ministries of Sport and Education will help more than 13,000 children and youth, from kindergarten to Grade 12, in more than 80 communities across the province to enjoy supervised sport and recreation activities. This year, the government is providing:

• $14.6 million through Ontario’s After School Program (ASP) to help children and youth in more than 80 communities be active and healthy
• $550,000 to Special Olympics Ontario to expand the Unified Sport Program to more schools across the province. This program strengthens student engagement and well-being through inclusive team sport activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities
• $100,000 to Jays Care to help more girls benefit from sports programming, while training educators and coaches on how to promote inclusion in sport
• $59,000 to Canadian Women & Sport to research the underrepresentation of girls, young women and marginalized youth in sport/physical activity and share findings with school boards. The funding will also be used to help boards identify and address gender equity challenges in their schools.

Families interested in Ontario’s After School Program can contact a participating organization for more information about eligibility requirements and services offered by their program.

“Promoting physical and mental well-being inside and outside the classroom is key to helping students stay healthy and focused on getting back to basics, including reading, writing, math and STEM,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. “In addition to modernizing Ontario’s curriculum, removing cellphone distractions and banning vaping, today’s announcement supports our efforts to help all students succeed.”

As part of the government’s investments to support initiatives that help promote equity in sport and recreation, this funding will create opportunities for children and youth across the province to be more physically active and engaged, and to develop leadership skills.

Quick Facts

• Ontario’s After School Program was launched in 2009 and is currently delivered by 111 organizations across Ontario including municipalities, First Nations and community-based, non-profits with a sport and recreation mandate, such as YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs.
• As part of this funding, the Ministry of Education is providing $709,000 in funding to several organizations to support initiatives that help promote equity in sport and activity. Organizations include Special Olympics Ontario, Jays Care and Canadian Women and Sport.
• Currently, 11,000 students with and without intellectual disabilities in 500 schools across the province participate in the Unified Sports Program, which promotes social inclusion through sports training and competition. Today’s announcement expands the program to up to 3,000 more students in 100 additional schools.
• Jays Care’s Girls At Bat baseball program focuses on increasing sport participation rates among self-identifying girls by providing an inclusive baseball program at various public schools.
• According to Canadian Women & Sport’s Rallying for Girls’ Mental Health—The Benefits of Safe and Healthy Sport Participation:
  • 78 per cent of girls who participate in sports report positive mental health (compared to 68 per cent of those who do not participate)
  • 76 per cent of girls said that sport participation enhances their mental and emotional health

Quotes

"On behalf of our entire organization, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Government of Ontario for their invaluable support and funding. The investment not only fuels our vision, it also demonstrates our shared commitment to an inclusive future. Funding will go directly to our Unified Champion Schools program where students with and without intellectual disabilities compete together on the same team instilling confidence, contributing to a healthier lifestyle, and building lifelong friendships. Together, we continue to build a more inclusive society."

- Cody Jansma
President and CEO, Special Olympics Ontario

"We are thrilled to partner with the Government of Ontario on new research and learning opportunities that will help ensure more girls have access to quality sport and physical activity within their schools. Girls who play sports and are physically active are not only more physically fit, they also have stronger mental health, have better academic outcomes, and are equipped for leadership. Educators have a key role to play in creating these outcomes and we’re excited to support them through this project."

- Allison Sandmeyer-Graves
CEO, Canadian Women & Sport

"Jays Care is grateful to the Government of Ontario for its generous support. Through the Girls At Bat program, this contribution will empower more young girls across the province to experience the transformative power of sport, while helping them foster a sense of connection, leadership, confidence, and belonging. We are thrilled that the provincial government shares in our vision that sport and play should be inclusive and equitable for all children and youth across Ontario."

- Robert Witchel
Executive Director, Jays Care Foundation

"We are very grateful to the Government of Ontario for their continued investment in the Ontario After School Program. This funding allows us to provide high quality programs for children during the critical after school hours when parents are often still at work or school. With our focus on helping young people to be active and well, these programs promote physical literacy and activity, nutrition and wellness education, and positive social development; all key factors in enabling healthy, confident, and resilient young people. This is a critical investment by the Ministry of Sport - to create brighter futures and stronger communities now, and for the next generation."

- Duane Dahl
Chief Executive Officer, BGC Hamilton-Halton