MPP Rickford Announces Availability of Catch Up Payments, Putting Money into Kenora–Rainy River Parents’ Pockets
October 20, 2022
KENORA — Today, Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora–Rainy River announced the availability of Catch Up Payments that will put more money back into parents’ pockets and help students across Northern Ontario overcome learning gaps created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our government is taking action to get students back on track through our Plan to Catch Up, which includes delivering well-deserved financial relief to families across the Northwest,” said Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora–Rainy River. “We recognize that the last two years have been difficult on students, and we are committed to preparing them for future success – both inside and outside the classroom.”
The Ontario government recently launched Catch Up Payments, offering parents $200 to $250 to help offset costs for additional tutoring supports or supplies and equipment to help their children fill learning gaps resulting from the pandemic. This new initiative commits a total of $365 million in direct financial relief for parents.
“It could not be clearer that we must keep students in class without disruption, with a focus on catching up on the fundamentals – reading, writing and math — after two years of pandemic-related learning disruptions,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We are expanding tutoring supports, assessing every young child’s ability to read, and hiring more staff to ensure all kids get back on-track and ultimately graduate into good-paying jobs. While we have provided over $600 million in learning recovery investments to publicly funded schools, we are also providing parents of all school-aged children direct financial relief that can be immediately reinvested to support their children.”
Starting today, parents with school-aged children up to 18 years old can receive $200 per child, while parents with school-aged children with special education needs up to 21 years old can receive $250. Kenora-Rainy River families can apply for Catch Up Payments through a secure website where they can create a unique profile for each eligible student. This will help to create a user-friendly and safe experience for all interested families allowing them to update their information prior to submission and check the status of their application throughout the process. Applications for Catch Up Payments will remain open until March 31, 2023.
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