Published plans and annual reports 2023-2024: Ministry of Education

Ministry overview

Ministry’s vision

The Ministry of Education is responsible for delivering a world-class, high quality publicly funded education system from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and for the oversight of Ontario’s child care and early years system. The ministry is committed to ensuring Ontario remains a leading education system, both in English and French, that focuses on important, life-long skills like reading, writing and math.

Key performance indicators

The ministry is committed to improving the results of all students across Ontario and is focused on the following indicators to track our success.

Improving math scores

The ministry is working to increase the percentage of students who achieve at or above Level 3 on Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments of mathematics in Grades 3 and 6 and to increase the percentage of students who achieve at or above Level 3 on EQAO assessments of mathematics in Grade 9. In October 2022, following two years of learning disruptions due to COVID-19, the EQAO publicly released assessment results for student achievement in literacy and math. These results are new baselines in student performance with the opportunity to inform the agenda for student achievement moving forward.

Improving Ontario's placement in international education assessments

Ontario is recognized as a world leader in education. Monitoring the province’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is one way to gauge Ontario’s international placement in education assessments. PISA is an international system-level assessment of 15 year olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real life challenges. Through systemwide efforts, the ministry intends to maintain or improve the province's relative PISA standing in these three domains.

Results from PISA 2015 serve as the baseline measure where out of 82 international and national jurisdictions, Ontario was among the top performing 22 per cent of jurisdictions in math, the top 6 per cent of jurisdictions in reading, and the top 15 per cent in science. Subsequent PISA 2018 results indicated that Ontario improved its standing in math and science and maintained its high standing in reading. Most recently, Ontario participated in PISA in 2022 with results expected in December 2023.

Equipping students with the skills they need for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

The ministry is committed to promoting learning that equips students with the skills they need to advance in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The ministry tracks enrolment for all students in Grades 9 to 12, including female representation in both compulsory and elective courses that lead to preparedness for STEM success. STEM courses include the subjects of Science, Technological Education, Computer Studies, and Mathematics. The intended outcome is to increase the number of students enrolled in STEM courses, including increasing female representation of students enrolled in STEM courses. Preliminary Ontario School Information System (OnSIS) data from the 2020-21 school year shows a slight increase in the number of students enrolled in STEM courses compared to 2019-20.

Preparing students for job skills and employment

The ministry is committed to helping students develop and acquire the skills and knowledge needed to participate in Ontario's labour market and the changing economy by measuring targeted enrolment in job skills programs and related courses. The ministry will maintain, and where possible, increase participation in the number of unique students enrolled in job skills programs, including Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM), Dual Credit, Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), and in Technological Education and Cooperative Education courses.

During the 2020-21 school year, 47 per cent of Grade 11 and 12 students were enrolled in any one of: SHSM, Dual Credit, OYAP, at least one Grade 11 or 12 Technological Education course, or at least two Cooperative Education courses. Note: students who are enrolled in more than one of these programs/courses are only counted once; based on 2020-21 preliminary OnSIS data as of September 21, 2022.

The ministry is providing funding for bursaries for students who are enrolled in a cooperative education (co-op) program and have financial and other barriers to completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), as well as students who are enrolled in a co-op program and have plans to pursue the skilled trades. As part of the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, the government committed an additional $4.8 million over two years, beginning in 2023-24, to expand the dual credit program. This expansion will enable an additional 2,200 students to participate in apprenticeship training, technological education-related, and early childhood education-related dual credit courses.

As part of the 2023 Ontario Budget: Building a Stronger Ontario, the government also committed to an additional $3.3 million over the next three years, beginning in 2023-24, to expand access to dual credit opportunities in health care related courses for an additional 1,400 secondary students.

The ministry issued Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 167 in February 2022, outlining a new graduation requirement that students must earn two online learning credits to obtain their OSSD. The PPM outlines eligibility and implementation requirements and parent opt-out provisions. This new requirement will support the development of digital literacy and other important transferable skills that help prepare students for success after graduation and in all aspects of their lives, including entering postsecondary education and the workforce.

Increasing postsecondary transitions

The ministry tracks the percentage of students from the Grade 9 cohort in Ontario’s publicly funded schools who first entered an Ontario publicly assisted college, university, or apprenticeship within seven years of starting Grade 9. Probabilistic matching is used to integrate data sets from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and the Ministry of Education. There has been a slight increase in the percentage of students transitioning to postsecondary education within seven years of starting Grade 9. The most currently available data shows that 75.8 per cent of students transitioned to postsecondary education within seven years of starting Grade 9 in 2013-14. Additionally, this data shows that 1.71 per cent of students first entered into a Registered Training Agreement in Ontario within seven years of starting Grade 9. This has remained steady overtime.

Improving ontario’s child care system

As part of Ontario’s action plan for 2023-24 and 2024-25 under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement, the ministry committed to creating up to 42,000 new child care spaces (relative to 2019 levels) by end of 2023. In addition, an additional two per cent of the child care workforce in spaces serving children under six will be Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECE) by the end of fiscal year 2023-24.

2023-24 strategic plan

Ministry programs

Kindergarten to grade 12

The ministry oversees publicly funded elementary and secondary education, develops and issues curriculum, teaching and learning resources (including online learning courses and resources), and sets provincial standards and guidelines for assessment, evaluation and reporting for students who attend public or private schools in the province. The ministry also develops and implements policies and programs that eliminate barriers to success and support students in their education and career/life planning, including job skills programs such as Dual Credit and Specialist High Skills Major.

The ministry provides policy and program direction, and financial support to district school boards, school authorities, and agencies. Ontario’s annual Grants for Student Needs (GSN) funding is projected to be $27.1 billion for the 2023-24 school year, while the average provincial per-pupil base (excludes one-time funding and funding for debt service costs) funding is projected to be $13,125. Priorities and Partnerships Funding (PPF) is supplemental to the GSN, and provides funding to school boards and third parties. In 2023-24, the PPF will provide $516.2 million to support programs that have the greatest impact in the classroom and on students.

The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act

On April 17, the ministry introduced The Better Schools and Students Outcomes Act. If passed, the new legislative changes would improve accountability and transparency for parents and families, and ensure consistent approaches to student learning and well-being. It would also ensure standardized processes and expectations for school board trustees, Directors of Education and supervisory officers, maximize capital assets of school boards, strengthen teacher oversight and improve student outcomes by focusing on strengthening students’ reading, writing, and math skills and preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow.

Early years and child care programs

Ontario is committed to ensuring more children have access to a range of high-quality early years and child care programs, and providing more families with the support they need, which will help build a stronger economy into the future.

On March 28, 2022, Ontario and Canada signed a six-year, $13.2 billion agreement that will ensure that Ontario’s families benefit from a high-quality child care system that is accessible, affordable, inclusive, and sustainable. Under the CWELCC system, the government will support the phased-in reduction of child care fees to an average of $10 a day per child under age six by September 2025. As of December 2022, thousands of Ontario families with children under age six in CWELCC-enrolled child care programs are benefitting from fee reductions of an average of 50 per cent, relative to 2020 levels, that will help keep their costs down.

In the upcoming year, the ministry will continue working to implement the CWELCC system and will be focussed on the immediate goals of continuing to increase child care spaces with priority for those regions that need it most, improving recruitment and retention for the early years workforce, and developing a new cost-based child care funding formula for 2024.

In addition to licensed child care, the ministry funds 1,119 EarlyON child and family centres which deliver free, high-quality programs for families and children from birth to six years old.

Capital programs

High-quality, modern school buildings and learning spaces are an essential part of Ontario’s education system. The ministry is committed to supporting healthy and safe learning environments that accommodate student needs.

For the upcoming school year, the ministry will continue to invest approximately $1.4 billion to maintain and improve the condition of existing schools, including optimizing ventilation and improving accessibility.

The ministry continues to work in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario and several school boards on capital projects selected through the 2021-22 Capital Priorities Program. The Rapid Build Pilot initiative includes two new schools and three additions. All projects are currently in the planning and design phase with construction anticipated to be underway starting in the Summer of 2023.

Labour relations

The 2019-22 collective agreements with trustees’ associations, teacher federations, and education worker unions expired on August 31, 2022. New central agreements for 2022-26 were achieved and ratified with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in December 2022 and the Ontario Council of Educational Workers in January 2023.

In 2023-24, the ministry will continue good faith discussions with the remaining seven central bargaining tables to reach negotiated settlements within a responsible fiscal framework. This will support Ontario’s students by enabling them to benefit from a normal school experience, including in-person classroom learning, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities that contribute to their learning.

Next steps in Ontario’s plan to catch up

While Ontario has established itself as a leading jurisdiction in education, the most recent EQAO provincial assessment results underscore a weak performance in math across all grades, as well as in reading, and writing in Grade 3. This is consistent with other jurisdictions following the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting disruptions to learning. Building on existing investments in Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up, the ministry’s work in 2023-24 will focus on providing support for students as they continue to catch up and prepare for successful futures.

Math

Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, and building on the previous $200 million, four-year math strategy that was impacted by pandemic-related learning disruptions, the ministry will begin implementing a new Math Recovery Plan that will help to improve student math performance.

The province will be providing $71 million to school boards to double the number of school math coaches in classrooms to provide training to teachers on high-impact and early intervention strategies, as well as working directly with students in the classroom. The province will introduce one math lead for every board to lead math curriculum implementation and standardize testing, and provide additional supports for math coaches in the classroom. To support student learning, the province will also expand access to digital math tools.

Reading

To help more students catch up, and in response to the Right to Read report, the ministry will help teachers address reading challenges faced by younger students.

For the 2023-24 school year, the province will be providing $109 million in funding to school boards for early screening tools for young learners and to support training for educators. Early reading screening will ensure that students who need more support in reading at a young age are identified early to allow appropriate supports to be put in place sooner, supporting long-term reading success.

Preparing students for the jobs of the future

To help ensure that students have the critical life and job skills they need to succeed for the jobs of tomorrow, Ontario will require all high school students to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. This will be a new high school graduation requirement, starting with the cohort of students entering Grade 9 in September 2024. It will also encourage greater diversity in the skilled trades.

The new requirement builds on previous announcements regarding revisions to the Technological Education curriculum, and introduction of the accelerated apprenticeship pathway for students.

Financial literacy

Ontario will provide $6.8 million over three years to support practical, hands-on experiences to help students strengthen their financial literacy learning. Ontario will also introduce self-directed learning modules on financial literacy to help Grade 9 and 10 students prepare for their transition to postsecondary education.

Mental health supports

To support student mental health and well-being in 2023-24, Ontario will provide approximately $114 million in total mental health funding including $12 million to ensure students continue to have access to school based mental health professionals and services during the summer of 2023. In addition, the ministry intends to provide $14 million for the summer of 2024. The majority of this funding is secured in the GSN, reducing administrative burden and providing more stable funding for school boards to support long term planning, staff retention, and program continuity for students. In addition, the ministry is updating the Grade 10 Career Studies curriculum and is introducing mandatory resources for teachers and students on mental health literacy in Grades 7 and 8.

The ministry will continue to operate within the broader system of mental health care and work closely with the Ministry of Health and other external partners.

The ministry also funds School Mental Health Ontario, the ministry’s implementation partner for student mental health, to develop evidence-based and culturally responsive mental health resources, programs, and training so there are consistent, high quality supports across all school boards.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, the ministry conducted a cross-sector consultation on student mental health in Fall 2022 with over 100 organizations from the child and youth mental health and education sectors, including student and parent groups. The ministries are currently reviewing and considering the recommendations made.

Alignment of programs with the government’s priorities

The following chart outlines the key government priorities that the ministry directly supports through its range of services and supports.

Ministry financial information

The following chart depicts the ministry’s investment in 2023-24 to provide Ontarians with an excellent and accountable child care and elementary and secondary education, so their futures and that of the province will be characterized by continued prosperity, stability, and growth.

Chart: 2023–24 Ministry Expenditure — Total $36,6423(M$)^{footnote 1[1]}

Note: Numbers and percentages may not appear to add due to rounding.

Total operating and capital summary by vote

For additional financial information, see:

• Expenditure Estimates
• Public Accounts of Ontario: past editions
• 2023 Ontario Budget: Ontario’s Plan to Build

Operational Enterprise Agencies

The ministry is responsible for the following classified agencies:

Ontario Educational Communications Authority

The Ontario Educational Communications Authority (TVO) is Ontario’s publicly funded English-language educational media organization. TVO provides high-quality educational programming and services through broadcasting, distance education, and interactive web resources. TVO Digital Learning provides a wide range of learning resources for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 aligned with the Ontario curriculum. Distance education for secondary school credits is provided through the Independent Learning Centre. TVO is governed by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority Act, and its broadcast licence is governed by the federal Broadcasting Act and Canadian Radio-television, and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) licensing.

Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l’Ontario

The Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority (TFO) provides high-quality educational and cultural multimedia services and content to the 12 French-language district school boards, the Consortium Centre Jules-Léger, and the broader Franco-Ontarian community. The organization also provides French as a Second Language resources to Ontario’s 60 English-language district school boards. TFO’s programming, support services and resources contribute to meeting the ministry’s student success priorities. TFO focuses on French-language and culture initiatives that support the early years, literacy and numeracy, digital educational programming and resources development, and the Politique d’aménagement linguistique (PAL).

Operational Service Agencies

Education Quality and Accountability Office

EQAO conducts large-scale census assessments of student achievement: Grade 3 and Grade 6 students in reading, writing and mathematics; Grade 9 students in Mathematics; and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test/Test provincial de compétences linguistiques (OSSLT/TPCL). Typically administered in Grade 10, the OSSLT/TPCL is the primary means of satisfying the Ontario secondary school literacy graduation requirement. EQAO publishes annual results for each of its assessments in English and French and provides the education system with board, school and individual student level results. EQAO also administers Ontario’s participation in national and international testing such as the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).

Provincial Schools Authority

The Provincial Schools Authority (PSA) was established as an agency of the ministry in 1975 under the Provincial Schools Negotiations Act. The PSA is the employer of record for teachers employed in provincially operated schools. These employees are represented by the Provincial Schools Authority Teachers (PSAT), which is a district of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. The PSA is also the employer of record for principals and vice principals in provincially operated schools. The principals and vice principals are not represented by a union and do not have a collective agreement. The PSA reviews and advises on the terms and conditions of employment for principals and vice-principals. The PSA also decides on leave applications, hears grievances, provides input to the settlement of grievances and ratifies agreements reached between the parties at the central and local negotiations tables.

Advisory Agencies

Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education

The Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education advises the Minister on any matters related to the establishment and provision of special education programs and services for students with special education needs.

Ministry organization chart

• Minister, Stephen Lecce
  • Parliamentary Assistant, Patrice Barnes
  • Deputy Minister, Nancy Naylor
    • Executive Assistant, Vanessa Bennett
    • Director, Communications Branch, Ian Ross
    • Special Projects, Sean Court
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Education Equity Secretariat, Patrick Case
      • Executive Assistant, Cheska Bent
      • Director, Equity Secretariat Branch, Rachel Osborne
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy & Planning Division, Phil Graham
      • Executive Assistant, Lillian Lo
      • Director, Strategic Policy & Education Workforce Branch, Josephine Cusumano
      • Director, Strategic Planning, Coordination & Intergovernmental Affairs Branch, Sarah Dunsford
      • Director, Education Data Branch, Eric Ward
      • Director, Education Analytics Branch, Nam Bains
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Education Labour & Finance Division, Andrew Davis
      • Executive Assistant, Helen Fang
      • Director, Labour Relations Operations Branch, Matthew Beattie
      • Director, Labour Relations Operations (Bilingual), Heather Diggle
      • Executive Director, Education Finance Office, Doreen Lamarche
      • Director, Education Modelling and Forecasting Branch, Xiaofei Wang
      • Director, Financial Analysis & Accountability Branch, Med Ahmadoun
      • Director, Enrolment, Funding and Labour Policy Branch, Romina Di Pasquale
      • Director, Child Care, Finacial Modeling, Policy and Accountability Branch, Matthew DesRosiers
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Capital & Business Support Division, Didem Proulx
      • Executive Assistant, Elena Wagner
      • Director, Capital Policy Branch, Andrea Dutton
      • Director, Capital Program Branch, Paul Bloye
      • Director, School Board Advanced Supports Branch, Mehul Mehta
      • Director, Business Operations Strategic Support Branch, Patrizia Del Riccio
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Years & Child Care Division, Holly Moran
      • Executive Assistant, Robyn Trew
      • Director, Early Years & Child Care Programs & Service Integration Branch, Maureen Ennis
      • Director, Child Care Quality Assurance & Licensing Branch, Boafoa Kwamena
      • Director, Financial Accountability & Data Analytics Branch, Andrew Yang
      • Director, Child Care Implementation Branch, Whitney Wilson
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Indigenous Education & Well Being Division, Suzanne Gordon
      • Executive Assistant, Krishanthi Sivakunanatha
      • Director, Indigenous Education Office, Renita Deonarain
      • Director, Safe & Healthy Schools Branch, Patrick Byam
      • Director, Inclusive Education Priorities & Engagement Branch, Vacant
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Student Support & Field Services Division, Clayton LaTouche
      • Executive Assistant, Geri Smith
      • Director, Special Education / Success for All Branch, Claudine Munroe
      • Director, Mental Health Branch, Vacant
      • Director, Field Services Branch [Regional Offices: Barrie; London; Ottawa; Sudbury-North Bay; Thunder Bay; and Toronto and Area], Andrew Locker
      • Executive Director, Provincial & Demonstration Schools Branch, Stephany Balogh
        • Directgor of Operations, Operations and Support Services Branch, Aaron Moffatt
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, Student Achievement Division, Yael Ginsler
      • Executive Assistant, Hannah McKibbon
      • Director, Curriculum Assessment & Student Success Policy Branch, Mishaal Surti
      • Director, Skills Development & Apprenticeship Branch, Dianne Oliphant
      • Director, Digital and Online Learning Branch, Laurie McNelles
    • Assistant Deputy Minister, French Language Teaching, Learning & Achievement Division, Denys Giguère
      • Executive Assistant, Alain Daoust
      • Director, French-Language Education, Policies and Programs Branch, Maria Lamani
      • Director, French-Language Teaching & Learning Branch, Roxanne Hotte
    • Chief Administrative Officer/Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management and Services Division, Louis Dimitracopoulos
      • Executive Assistant, Denise Vanek
      • Director, Strategic Human Resources Branch, Nadine Ramdial
      • Director, Corporate Coordination Branch, Shirley Carder
      • Director, Corporate Finance and Services Branch, Paul Cleaver
      • Director, Transfer Payment and Divisional Finance Branch, Mersad Fard
      • Director, Ontario Internal Audit Education Audit Service Team, Anne Piattella
      • Director, Legal Services Branch, Amyn Hadibhai
    • Chief Information Officer/Assistant Deputy Minister, Community Services I&IT Cluster, Rocco Passero
      • Executive Assistant, Marie Dearlove
      • Director, iACCESS Solutions Branch, Farshad Mahlooji
      • Director, Strategic Planning and Business Relationship Management Branch, Shulin Dave
      • Director, Data Collection and Decision Support Solutions Branch, Carm Scarfo
      • Director, Case and Grant Management Solutions Branch, Sanaul Haque
  • Agencies, Boards, and Commissions
    • Advisory Council on Special Education
    • Education Quality and Accountability Office
    • Education Relations Commission
    • Languages of Instruction Commission of Ontario
    • Ontario Educational Communications Authority
    • Ontario French-Language Educational Communications Authority
    • Provincial Schools Authority

Download printer-friendly organization chart (JPG, 256 KB).

2022-23 annual report

Highlights of 2022-23 achievements

Kindergarten to grade 12

As described in the 2022-23 Published Plan, the ministry provides policy and program direction and financial support to district school boards, school authorities, and agencies. Ontario’s annual Grants for Student Needs and Priorities and Partnerships Funding was announced as total of $26.6 billion for the 2022-23 school year, while the average GSN-based provincial per-pupil funding was $13,059.

Over the course of the year, ministry oversaw publicly funded elementary and secondary education, developed and issued curriculum, teaching and learning resources (including online learning courses and resources), and set provincial standards and guidelines for assessment, evaluation and reporting for students who attend public or private schools in the province. The ministry also developed and implemented policies and programs that eliminate barriers to student success and support students in their education and career/life planning, including job skills programs such as Dual Credit and SHSM.

In response to emerging student needs and EQAO results, Ontario announced its Plan to Catch Up to help students catch up on learning, prepare for the jobs of the future and support their physical and mental health and well-being. The plan was supported by significant investments, including investments for tutoring and other academic supports, and mental health supports. More details on these initiatives are included in the following sections.

COVID-19 learning recovery fund

To support high-quality education for our students, the ministry also provided $304 million in time-limited funding through the COVID-19 Learning Recovery Fund in the GSN for additional staffing supports. This funding is being used by school boards in the 2022-23 school year for the hiring of an estimated 3,000 front line staff – including teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, and other education workers.

Early years and child care programs

On March 28, 2022, Ontario and Canada signed a $13.2 billion agreement which will ensure that Ontario’s families benefit from a high-quality child care system that is accessible, affordable, inclusive and sustainable. In 2022-23, Ontario achieved key goals to support the implementation of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. This included the following:

Lowering fees for parents of children under age six

• Reducing child care fees for families with children under six years old in participating licensed child care centres by an average of 25 per cent retroactive to April 1, 2022 as part of our phased action plan
• Further reducing child care fees for families with children enrolled in participating licensed child care programs by 50 per cent on average, relative to 2020 levels, by December 31, 2022
• Working with municipalities to support the 92 per cent of Ontario’s licensed child care sites who opt-ed into the CWELCC system

Increasing child care spaces

• Announcing investments in 23 new child care capital projects to create additional child care spaces in schools
• Committing to creating 86,000 new child care spaces (relative to 2019 levels) by the end of 2026
• Launching a targeted plan to create new licensed child care spaces where they are most needed
• Providing a $213 million Start-Up Grant program to support new and existing operators with the initial costs of expanding or creating spaces

Supporting the early years workforce

• In 2022, to support staff working with children aged zero to five the ministry introduced the wage floor for RECE program staff to $18/hour and $20/hour for RECE supervisors and home child care visitors, and is providing $1/hour wage increases annually to a maximum of $25/hour
• Further enhancing compensation for RECEs working in licensed child care, by investing $395 million over five years to cover cost increases for operators, which can be used to ensure RECEs for the six to 12 age group benefit from the wage increases committed to those for the 0 to 5 age group under the CWELCC system
• Consulting on measures to support child care workforce and improve recruitment and retention, which will inform development of a Workforce Strategy
• Expanding the Dual Credit program to attract 420 students over two years into Early Childhood Education career pathways

Investing in early years and child care

In 2022-23, the ministry allocated over $3.8 billion in early years and child care, which included:

• Supporting routine allocations for the ongoing delivery of early years and child care services and implementation of the CWELCC system
• Supporting child care programs, including Indigenous-led, off-reserve programs
• Supporting 1,119 Find an EarlyON child and family centre which delivers free, high-quality programs for families and children from birth to six years old
• Supporting child care and child and family programs in First Nation communities
• Supporting the Ontario Child Care Tax Credit program

Capital programs

As committed to in the 2022-23 published plan, the ministry continued to support healthy and safe learning environments that accommodate student needs.

The ministry allocated $1.4 billion for the school year to maintain and improve the condition of existing schools, as well as over $665 million in provincial and federal funding to improve ventilation and filtration in schools.

As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve and modernize infrastructure, Ontario also announced nearly $500 million as part of the 2022-23 Capital Priorities Program to support 37 school projects including 23 with child care spaces. These infrastructure projects will lead to the creation of nearly 15,700 new student learning spaces and over 1,500 new licensed child care spaces for Ontario children and youth.

Labour relations

On August 31, 2022, the 2019-22 collective agreements between Ontario’s trustees’ associations, teacher federations and education worker unions expired.

During the 2022-23 fiscal year, the Crown and trustees’ associations began negotiating new central agreements with the nine central bargaining tables representing all teachers and education sector workers. New central terms for 2022-26 were achieved and ratified with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in December 2022 and the Ontario Council of Educational Workers in January 2023.

Ontario’s plan to catch up

The ministry launched Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up in July 2022 to help students catch up on learning, prepare for the jobs of tomorrow and support their physical and mental health and well-being. The plan is supported by significant investments, including investments for tutoring and other academic supports, and mental health supports. The plan included five key components:

• Getting kids back in classrooms in September 2022, on time, with a full school experience that includes extra-curriculars like clubs, band, and field trips
• New tutoring supports to fill gaps in learning
• Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow
• Providing more money to build schools and improve education
• Helping students with historic funding for mental health supports

Tutoring supports

In Fall 2022, the 2021-22 EQAO results were released and confirmed a need for additional supports in math, reading and writing for Ontario students.

Ontario invested $175 million for school boards, in partnership with community organizations, to provide tutoring supports from April 2022 to June 2023. This funding expanded access to tutoring in small groups, either in person and/or virtually, after school, on weekends, and over the summer. More than 200,000 students have benefitted from meaningful educational support.

The government built on this program by announcing an additional investment of $365 million in direct financial relief for parents through Catch Up Payments. This program provided one-time payments of $200 to $250 per child for additional tutoring, or supplies and equipment to support learning needs. As of March 31, 2023, over 1.4 million payments were made directly to families.

Additionally, the ministry expanded teacher-led, one-on-one digital tutoring through Mathify and Eurêka! so that more students can access these services.

Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow

In 2022-23 school year, the ministry introduced significant updates to curriculum and courses to help prepare students for success in their future careers. This included:

• Expanding access to the Dual Credit program
• Announcing plans to continue updating high school courses in STEM including learning related to skilled trades, beginning with the Grade 10 Computer Studies course
• Implementing revised Science and Technology curriculum for Grades 1 to 8
• Introducing a new de-streamed Grade 9 Science course
• Announcing a new Ontario Secondary School Diploma graduation requirement for one Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit

Mental health supports

To support student mental health and well-being, in 2022-23 Ontario invested more than $90 million for mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention services. This included $10 million in new funding to foster the resilience and mental well-being of all students and implement evidence-based mental health programs and resources.

Part of the 2022-23 funding helped to hire new or retain the existing mental health workers in schools, including retaining the approximately 180 mental health professionals providing critical supports directly to students in secondary schools across the province since 2018-19.

The ministry also funded School Mental Health Ontario, the ministry’s implementation partner for student mental health, to develop evidence-based and culturally responsive mental health resources, programs, and training so there are consistent, high quality supports across all school boards.

For the 2022-23 school year, School Mental Health Ontario developed professional development resources to support school boards with mental health learning.