School Partners
Toronto District School Board Partners

Many of the children living in Canada’s largest city are the youngest generation of new Canadians, struggling to learn English, a new culture and a new school system. Their parents might be “working poor” or socially assisted, with minimal education. Their communities are plagued with high crime rates, unemployment and complex social problems. Budget cuts to Toronto public schools during the last decade mean that students are provided with the basics, but not much more. Hardest hit are inner city schools with a high percentage of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners. Public schools in Toronto that receive Leacock funding are educating hundreds of disadvantaged and at-risk students situated in the heart of its poorest and most vulnerable communities. Here’s why:

• The gap between richer and poorer is growing in the GTA: one-third of Toronto’s children are poor, a statistic that has grown steadily during the past 10 years. There is a direct correlation between income and education; a polarized society can expect to see its rate of crime increase and its economy suffer.
• Emerging powers like China and India are now global competitors; Canada needs a better educated workforce to expand our knowledge-based economy and maintain our living standards, yet in troubled areas of the city, 60% of students will drop out of high school.
• We rely on immigration for population growth; Canada receives more than 200,000 immigrants annually, mostly to the Toronto area. We must invest in programs that help these important newcomers become culturally savvy, literate and language proficient. Yet in Toronto, 49% of elementary schools and 29% of secondary schools with ESL students have no ESL teacher.

Toronto’s disadvantaged and at-risk children need more personalized attention, specialized interventions and opportunities like after-school programs and summer camps to help bridge the gaps. Children, as early as Gr. 3, who lag at the start of school, fall further behind without serious interventions. They simply need more school opportunities, and sooner. The Triangle of Hope program adds value to our existing education system, enveloping participants in a culture of excellence, increasing their opportunities for success. The common thread that plagues our inner city schools is their need for greater, more effective literacy interventions, so our programs are divided into three distinct literacy-based categories.

1)Triangle Reads and Writes: We develop sustainable literacy programs in all partner schools to support students and their families, including literacy day camps, homework clubs, tutoring and weekend academic programs.

2) Triangle Connects and Shares: We encourage communication between all school partners to share ideas and best practices and maximize resources, including professional development. We use technology effectively, while providing invaluable opportunities for face-to-face relationship building.

3) Triangle Speaks: We establish connecting programs focused on public speaking and oral literacy skills that unite our Triangle partner schools. Leacock funding meets local needs as determined by teachers and community members familiar with existing gaps in programming and resources. Programs range in cost and scope.