Helping every child thrive means ensuring all children have the opportunity to learn, participate and succeed.
But children don’t leave the circumstances of their lives at the school doors each morning. Hunger, financial stress, transportation challenges, mental wellness, access to recreation and other factors outside the classroom can all affect a student’s experience at school.
Schools cannot solve these challenges alone, and they shouldn’t be expected to.
But schools are an important part of a larger community of people and organizations supporting children and families.
As Manitoba’s school trustee elections approach on October 28, it’s an opportunity to consider how schools and communities can work together to help every child thrive.
LEARNING DOESN’T HAPPEN IN ISOLATION
A student’s ability to learn can be influenced by much more than what happens during a lesson.
A child who arrives at school hungry may have difficulty concentrating. A student whose family can’t afford certain activities may miss opportunities to participate alongside their peers. Mental health challenges can affect attendance, relationships and learning. Financial pressures at home can create stress that children carry with them into the classroom.
None of these circumstances determines what a child is capable of achieving. But they can create barriers.
Creating equitable opportunities doesn’t necessarily mean giving every student exactly the same thing. It means recognizing that students come to school with different circumstances and may need different supports to have a fair opportunity to participate and succeed.
SCHOOLS AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITY
Schools are places of learning, but their role in a community often reaches much further. They are places where children build relationships, discover interests and develop a sense of belonging. They connect families with one another and can be important points of connection to programs, services and supports.
That makes collaboration between schools and community organizations especially valuable.
Non-profits, recreation programs, family resource organizations, healthcare providers and other community partners can bring expertise and resources that complement the work already happening within schools.
Working together can also make it easier for families to find and access support. A parent shouldn’t have to navigate a complicated system alone to figure out where to turn for help. Strong relationships between schools and community organizations can help create clearer pathways to services while allowing each organization to focus on what it does best.
REMOVING BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION
Supporting students also means looking at the barriers that can prevent children from fully participating in school life. The cost of supplies, activities, transportation or extracurricular opportunities may seem manageable to some households while creating a significant challenge for others.
Sometimes those barriers are obvious. Often, they aren’t.
Families may not feel comfortable explaining why their child isn’t participating. Students themselves may try to hide financial challenges because they don’t want to feel different from their classmates.
That’s why considering accessibility and inclusion when programs and policies are developed can make a meaningful difference.
The question isn’t simply whether an opportunity exists. It’s whether every student has a reasonable opportunity to access it.
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY
Education & Employment and Affordable Recreation & Leisure are among Carman Wellness Connections’ six Working Groups, but the issues affecting children and families connect across all areas of our work.
Food security matters when a student comes to school hungry.
Transportation matters when a child needs a way to participate in an activity.
Mental wellness matters when a young person is struggling.
Housing stability matters when families are under stress or facing uncertainty.
These are community challenges, and meaningful solutions require community partnerships.
School divisions don’t need to become social service agencies, and community organizations don’t replace the important role of educators. Instead, each can bring its own strengths to the table.
When schools, families, community organizations, healthcare providers, municipalities and volunteers communicate and collaborate, we can build a stronger network around children and youth.
THE ROLE OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES
School trustees help establish priorities and make decisions that shape public education within their division. Election season provides residents with an opportunity to learn how trustee candidates view not only education itself, but also issues such as equity, accessibility, student wellbeing and community partnerships.
It is also an opportunity to ask what role collaboration should play in supporting students whose circumstances may create additional barriers to learning and participation.
These aren’t questions with simple answers. But asking them helps keep the needs of all students part of the conversation.
A QUESTION TO CONSIDER
As we approach the October 28 school trustee election, CWC is encouraging residents to think about how schools and communities can work together to support children and families.
We invite you to consider this question:
When children arrive at school nourished, supported and able to participate, they are better positioned to learn. How can our school division strengthen partnerships with families and community organizations to reduce barriers and help every student thrive?
Supporting children is a responsibility shared across our community.
As you learn more about the candidates running for school trustee this year, consider asking how they would approach equity, accessibility and student wellbeing, and how they envision schools working alongside community partners to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.