Mindfulness for School Councils
“Families today live in a society that is rapidly changing, increasingly demanding, faster moving, overly stimulating, increasingly unpredictable, and financially insecure. In the midst of this, stress-related symptoms and conditions in adults and children alike have become common, and cross all socioeconomic lines. There is an increasing need for both children and parents to develop stress management skills, and cultivate qualities of resilience in order to thrive in our current culture, and to prevent illness.”
~Dr. M. Lee Freedman (Mindful Parents, Resilient Children Parenting in a Rapidly Changing World)
Mindfulness Training for School Councils are designed to improve health and well-being by providing essential skills and strategies for managing stress, cultivating resilience and developing emotional regulation. Parents and Caregivers can achieve immediate benefits for themselves and receive support for implementing mindfulness skills in their family life.
Studies have shown that parents and children who have received mindfulness training had reductions in stress and anxiety, significant increases in self-compassion and self- awareness.
The trainings are experiential, providing parents with practical skills and knowledge about mindfulness: what it is, what are the benefits to both parents and children and how it can be practiced.
Techniques and resources on practicing mindful awareness within family dynamics will be provided.
Learn how:
- parents can support their children through mindful parenting techniques
- mindfulness can support well-being for families
- practicing mindfulness at home can support students in school
Grants for School Councils
Since March 2006, the Ontario Ministry of Education has been providing funding to school councils and regional parent groups to encourage parent involvement. Individual school councils have access to Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) grants which is explained in the section below.
Please fill out the form below if you wish to be kept informed of when the applications for the School Council Grants are open, and if you wish to chat with us about an idea for your submission. We would be pleased to help.
PIC Grants
Each school council receives $500 to assist with parent communication and other parent engagement efforts. Schools with both an intermediate (Grades 7-8) and secondary (Grades 9-11) stream receives $500 for each, for a total of $1,000.
The Ministry provides this money to the school board, which in turn works with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) to distribute the funds through budget allocations provided to each school administration. The School Council should collaboratively decide how the money is to be spent. All funds are to be spent on activities that support or enhance parental involvement, parental engagement, in-person and virtually, or on improved communication between the school and home.
Some ideas for spending this Parent Involvement funding that support Mindfulness include:
Eligible PIC and PRO Activities or Initiatives
Initiatives that identify and address local barriers to parent engagement and may include, but not limited to:
✓ Development of parent resources (e.g., leadership resource for parents, resources addressing well-being, mental
health, etc.);
✓ Delivery of parent information sessions (e.g., how to support children and families at home; transition to high school, etc.);
✓ Creating a parent lending library (e.g., books, curriculum documents, pamphlets, information packages, that provide parents with information and strategies to assist their children).
Projects must be completed by May 16, 2025
Mindfulness Everyday, as a long-time partner with the TDSB, and an approved vendor with TCDSB, YRDSB, YRCSB, is experienced at providing workshops that focus on supporting student well-being at school and supporting parents and care-givers with authentic, practical skills and strategies that are of benefit to their families at home.
School Councils may submit one request for support up to $1,500 to support innovative (the development of new ideas) projects/activities that engages parents/caregivers (in-person, virtual and hybrid) and builds School Councils’ parents/caregivers/guardians capability around:
- Anti-Black racism
- Anti-Indigenous racism
- Anti-racism
- Equity/anti-oppression
- Food sovereignty
- Human Rights
- Mental health and well-being
- Creating safe spaces of belonging (tackling bullying and violence)
- Engaging parents/caregivers in early literacy and numeracy
To learn more about the grant thematic areas, please visit the FAQ tab.