OCLF & The Breakfast Program
OCLF
The Ottawa-Carleton Learning Foundation (OCLF) is dedicated to fostering life-long learning for students across the Ottawa region. Working in collaboration with its partners in education, government, business and the community, OCLF has played a lead role in developing over forty innovative education programs since its inception in 1985.
OCLF develops and implements collaborative community-based initiatives to support student learning at all levels. These programs support the learning needs of students throughout the Ottawa community, with a particular focus on elementary and secondary students who are “at risk” of school failure and/or require additional support. OCLF channels resources (e.g. funding, volunteers, books, equipment, and other in-kind donations) from the community to schools to help students succeed
The School Breakfast Program
Children who arrive at school hungry do not perform well in the classroom. Numerous studies have shown that students who are fed are more alert, develop greater self-esteem, have better attendance and fewer discipline problems. Children who receive a healthy, nutritious head start to the day show a marked improvement in academic achievement.
In the City of Ottawa, 11,000 children in 148 schools begin each school day with a nutritious meal provided by the School Breakfast Program. The four school boards that participate in the program are:
The School Breakfast Program partnership has been operating since 1990. The program is open to all children enrolled at schools that have breakfast programs in place. The students may be identified by school staff or by parents who contact the school principal to enroll their child. The philosophy of the program is that no child is turned away.
The program provides funding for food, equipment and program monitors in addition to training and administrative support. Other objectives of the program are to teach and encourage children to make healthy food choices that will make significant impact their health throughout their lives.