GUYSBOROUGH — For the second straight year, Chedabucto Education Centre/Guysborough Academy (CECGA) will provide free school supplies – including pencils, crayons, and scribblers – to all of its students for the upcoming academic calendar.
“We started [this] last year [and] we have received very positive feedback from parents,” CECGA Principal Barbara Avery told The Journal in an email last week. “We also received very positive feedback from teachers, as they know what each student has for school supplies and can plan their lessons accordingly.”
The initiative is being expanded to include all 20 Strait Regional Centre for Education (SRCE) schools in the counties of Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness and Richmond for the 2024 academic year, according to SRCE Regional Executive Director Paul Landry.
“During the last several years, with an inclusion and equity approach in mind, schools were asked to consider how they could help support families,” he said in an email. “Prior to this, some of our schools had already been providing supplies for all students. We heard from our school staff that this was an area that would help families, particularly in light of the increasing costs of many goods and services.”
Paying for school supplies can be a burden for many families nowadays, Avery said.
“As a school community, we recognize start up in September can place additional financial pressure on our families with back-to-school shopping for school supplies, indoor sneakers, backpacks and school photos,” she said. “So, by supplying the basic school supplies for our students there would be less of a financial strain on our families.”
Under the initiative, Landry said, “Students are only required to bring their own backpack, lunch box, headphones/ear buds, indoor sneakers for physical education class and [a] water bottle... In the SRCE... various forms of funding, including school grants... and donations from our local communities... are used to support the school supply initiative.”
Said Avery: “Our school knows our students and families well and are always willing to support them [in] any way we can. If a student is in need, we support or supply any way we can.”
The news coincided with a provincial move earlier this month to provide additional support for families on income assistance who may be struggling with the high cost of school supplies.
“Affordability is an issue for many Nova Scotia families, and additional costs like school supplies, shoes and clothes create even more financial pressure – not to mention stress,” said Brendan Maguire, Minister of Community Services, in the Aug. 16 announcement. “A larger, one-time payment for the upcoming school year will help offset some of those costs for our clients, so they can focus on getting their children off to school.”
Under the top-up, the payment for children, ages 13 to 18, will increase from $160 to $200, while the amount for ages five to 12 will go from $80 to $100. For children who turn four by the end of December, and are eligible for pre-primary in the fall, the payment will be $100.
“Supports are also available for families on income assistance to support older children and adults with costs of post-secondary education or employment-focused opportunities,” the provincial statement reported.
