students at a table talkingPoverty and Education Task Force

Establish a Poverty and Education Task Force to identify actions to remove barriers to participation and engagement in learning.

What's New

On February 24, 2023, Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning released both the Final Report of the Poverty and Education Task Force (PDF Document 2.2 MB) and the Targeted Engagement on Poverty and Education Consultant Report (PDF Document 915 KB). The government has committed to an ongoing review of recommendations outlined in the Final Report.


The Commitment

The Poverty and Education Task Force, in connection with Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, examined linkages between poverty and education, and will support the implementation of strategies to improve educational, and well-being outcomes for students, particularly those who are living with low income.

The key responsibilities were to examine the impact of poverty on education and put forth recommendations and actionable strategies with an initial focus on:

  • food access and security
  • access to technology, transportation, and other socio-economic barriers that impact participation
  • outcomes and continuity of education for children in care

What This Means for Manitobans

The final report, informed by community engagement, consultation, input from Task Force members and relevant research includes recommendations at the school, school division, community, and government level. Solutions will support students and families who are affected by poverty to ensure equitable access to education


What We’ve Done

Since the fall of 2021, the Task Force on Poverty and Education engaged more than 2,000 youth, community members and stakeholders through targeted surveys, virtual and in-person sessions. The Task Force collaborated with an Indigenous-led consultant firm to ensure consultations respected and included Indigenous communities and voices. The Task Force also collaborated with several government departments on a variety of issues related to poverty and education, including providing advice to the Province on the implementation of free menstrual products in schools initiative, which resulted in an agreement to have 3.3 million products donated annually over the next three years.


Next Steps:

In addition to committing to an ongoing review of the report recommendations, the government also committed to the following three recommendations:

  1. Review in-school meal programs and partnerships to improve access and ensure equitable distribution of funding and resources.
    • Planning for the review of school-based nutrition programs will be done in collaboration with our education partners.
  2. Develop and implement a provincial anti-racism policy for all school divisions as a means of providing additional pathways to students living in poverty to report and reduce incidents of racism and discrimination.
    • To disrupt the compounded effects of poverty and racism on student learning and success, Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning will develop a clear anti-racism policy directive that will set expectations and guidance to ensure anti-racism measures are actively in place in all Manitoba schools.
  3. Expand the Community Schools Program to include additional schools within high poverty communities.
    • The Community Schools Program is one highly-effective initiative that supports youth and families who live in communities with low income by providing community-based, wraparound holistic approaches. An additional $595,000 will expand the capacity of five additional schools to strategically gather and deploy school-community services and resources as hubs within their communities, bringing these services to a total of 41 schools across the province.

Advisory Bodies: Poverty and Education Task Force

News Releases


Reports

Related Documents

Poverty and Education Task Force Engagement Infographics