Ontario Helping Kids Stay Active and Healthy

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.

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