June 25th, 2013

About the Administrative Changes to New Dawn – Background and Current Status

Background:

The program at New Dawn (Kitchener), and the program at Z by the Y (Cambridge) are not closing.

These programs will now be offered through a different funding relationship, as Section 23 programs. Section 23 programs are partnerships with agencies who are funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to provide clinical support to young people who are experiencing issues requiring treatment and care.

School Boards are provided funding through the Ministry of Education to provide teaching support to the agencies serving these young people. Section 23 programs and Alternative programs are not classified as Special Education programs in the Education sector, as students requiring treatment and care do not necessarily have an identified exceptionality as described by the Ministry of Education.

More often, students in Section 23 and Alternative programs present as chronic non-attenders, and have a potential underlying mental health challenge that is causing them to miss school. This is why the treatment, such as counselling, is so very important in serving these young people.

The current Alternative programs run by the Board at New Dawn and Z by the Y lack the on-going clinical support that is increasingly necessary to support our learners in these programs.

Status:

  • In April 2013, Family and Children’s Services, in a review of their program delivery model, indicated to the Board that they would not be continuing with three of the Section 23 programs they operate
  • Recognizing the current budget pressures faced by the Board, staff examined ways to maintain Section 23 programs and apply this funding to programs already operating in the Board
  • Agency partners, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ministry of Education staff, and Board staff met to determine where current gaps in alternative, treatment and care programs existed
  • New agency partners are being secured, and the programs at New Dawn and Z by the Y that were previously funded by the Board will now be operated as Section 23.
  • Both programs will continue to serve the same demographic as before. T
  • he mandate of the programs has not changed as they will continue to serve students who are at risk of dropping out of school
  • Until these arrangements were made, it has been difficult to communicate with the broader community and school staff in detail. Some communication has occurred with staff to date and an additional staff meeting is planned for Monday June 24, 2013
  • The net loss of spaces at New Dawn and Z by the Y is 8 per site (from 20 spaces to 12) due to the requirements of Section 23 funding. Note, however, the current program at Z by the Y site regularly operated with fewer than 20 students, (generally the enrolment is around 15), so the loss of spaces in this program is mitigated
  • Students currently in the New Dawn program and Z by the Y programs are being transitioned. Of the current enrolment at New Dawn, 7 students will be returning to the program in 2013-14, 4 new admissions will be joining the program. The remaining current students are graduating from the program and returning to their home school, in keeping with the purpose of the programs.
  • The alternative to realigning Board programs and funding them through Section 23 programs would have been a loss of three Section 23 programs, and the clinical support these programs can offer. Additionally, the Board would have lost this funding stream for three programs. The Alternative programs currently operated at New Dawn and Z by the Y would continue to be operated out of base Board budget and no cost savings would occur, creating further pressure on the Board’s budget shortfall
  • Making these changes will save the Board approximately $600,000 in operating costs annually and still afford the opportunity to provide service to children in need of treatment and care, with the appropriate clinical support
  • The New Dawn program will remain at its current site for September.  The location of the program is under review as part of the 2013-14 System Fiscal Review.  Regardless of the location, the program will continue to operate
  • Overall, there is no change to the staffing levels for these programs.  The programs will still be staffed with 1 teacher and 3 Child and Youth Workers (CYWs), 2 of which will remain WRDSB employees and 1 of which will be provided through the partner agency.