POSITIVE MEASURES IN CHALLENGING TIMES

The Star’s Louise Brown reports on Oshawa’s battle against child poverty. Photos by Melissa Renwick

Battered economy

Once boasting one of the highest average incomes in the country based on the hardy hourly wages of its GM lines, Oshawa has lost 60 per cent of those jobs over the past decade and earned a spot on the Conference Board of Canada’s list of least attractive places to live. Poverty affects families and kids’ learning, as more children arrive at kindergarten weak in key areas: physical health; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; social competence; communications skills and general knowledge. The Durham school board is trying to change this with its Make a Difference anti-poverty campaign.

Never too late to learn

Last year, principal Cristina Guidotti Cox discovered that one parent of a student at Dr. C.F. Cannon P.S. was so worried her child would get yelled at when she was late, she kept her home all morning and sent her at lunch. No good, thought Cox, who is working to change school culture to be more forgiving for children whose home lives can make it hard to arrive on time. They now take attendance after O Canada, not before — five minutes makes a difference — and if someone is late, staff knows to smile and say “We’re happy to see you!”

Parent engagement

When Clara Hughes Public School principal Sue Simeson (not pictured) first tried to persuade parents to get involved, most lacked confidence. “Me? Volunteer in a class? I can’t read well enough.” Many had bad memories of education. So the school launched a monthly Family Friday morning with parenting experts speaking on issues from raising boys to technology to head lice (standing room only). Afterwards parents were invited to hang out in their kids’ classrooms. Now some volunteer and more show up for teacher interviews. Likewise at Dr. C.F. Cannon Public School, Family Fun Nights that mix free pancake dinners with curriculum are a hit with parents.

Family pressures

When principal Cristina Guidotti Cox noticed student athletes weren’t bringing their jerseys back to school laundered, she discovered it would cost families in this low-income community the extra time and money of a trip to the laundromat. So Cox had a washer and dryer donated to Dr. C.F. Cannon Public School. Many parents also can’t afford the Internet at home and often change their cellphone numbers, so Cox is fundraising for a digital bulletin board outside the school to publicize upcoming events. Agencies have donated knapsacks, school supplies and new winter coats and boots.

Feeding the body

The first thing principal Cox will say to kids sent to the office for bad behaviour is “Do you need something to eat first before we sort this out?” In this lowincome neighbourhood, staff at Dr. C.F. Cannon P.S. hear students say they’re hungry every day. Cox keeps a bowl of fruit in the office for anyone — including visitors. Every class has a bin of healthy snacks. A new board-wide breakfast program initiative provides rolling carts for each classroom at the school with cereal, milk and fruit kids can eat at their desk in the morning.

Mental health

Hailey Viau had been to five schools before landing at Oshawa’s Dr. C.F. Cannon last year — her family moves a lot for work and family reasons. A victim of bullying, Hailey had become too anxious to make friends or speak up in class. But a new mental health counselling program last summer worked magic. Part of the board’s Make a Difference anti-poverty program, “we talked about good and bad ways of coping, healthy eating habits and having a support system. It helped me become a better, happier person” Hailey said in a speech — to the entire Durham District School Board.