Parent Involvement Committee

Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)

Parents/guardians play an important role in the success of their children in school. Studies show that student achievement improves when parents play an active role in their children’s education, and that good schools become even better schools when parents are involved. The Ottawa Catholic School Board is proud of the collaborative relationship it has with the parents on our Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), our school councils, and the Catholic School Parents’ Association (CSPA) and School Councils, and supports the vision of parents as partners in their children’s education.

Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants

The Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grant program provides funding to district school boards and school authorities to lead projects with a focus on the identification and removal of barriers that prevent parents/guardians and families from participating and engaging fully in their children’s learning.

Projects require to demonstrate a commitment to respecting the role of parents in students’ educational experiences by working with parents or seeking parent input on how schools can:

• Provide a safe and welcoming school environment;
• Maintain open communication with teachers;
• Respect parents as valued partners within the education system in relation to decisions
• about their child’s education; and,
• Parents are informed about the content of the Ontario Curriculum Guidelines.

Changes to the program were made for the 2019-20 school year from an application-based funding model to an allocation-based grant provided to each district school board and school authority. This funding will continue to help district school boards and school authorities address local needs and priorities connected to enhancing parent engagement.

Stay tuned as the Parent Involvement Committee rolls out plans for this year’s funding!

Members of the PIC Committee

The Ottawa Catholic School Board’s PIC was formed in 2006. The committee membership are currently as follows:

• PIC Chair: Erinn Ladouceur *Interim
• Parent members: Amy Barker, Nancy Sandhu, MJ Naushqur
• Community member: Traci Clarke (SEAC Chair)
• OCSB administration: Thomas D’Amico, Director of Education
• OCSB member: Jody Prevost, Principal, St. Cecilia Elementary School
• OCSB Board Trustee: Shelley Lawrence, Trustee
• OCSB committee resource: Sandra Falcomer, Communications Assistant; Stephanie Dunne, Executive Assistant to Director of Education

Meeting agendas and minutes

PIC meetings are currently held virtually, with a planned return to the board office for the 2022-2023 school year. These meetings are open to the public. Upon arrival, please sign in with reception and you will be guided to the meeting location.

More PIC resources

In 2010, the Ontario Ministry of Education produced Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools. This document provides the supports needed to connect parents at the local level and to help ensure that they have the skills, knowledge, and tools they need to engage fully in their children’s education and in the life of their schools.

In a December 2005 discussion paper entitled Developing Partners in Education, where the Ministry of Education introduced the concept of a Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) as a formal structure to link parents with a school board’s Director of Education and trustees. In the years that followed, many school boards, including the Ottawa Catholic School Board, formed PICs, although there were no formal regulations governing their composition or function at the time. In September 2010, the government formalized the existence of PICs by releasing a policy on parent engagement. Ontario Regulation 612 on school councils was also amended to include the requirement that each Board have a PIC, and describe the composition and functions of a PIC.

• Making a Difference: A Practical Handbook for Parent Involvement Committee Members
• Parent Involvement Committees (PIC)
• Frequently Asked Questions on PICs
• Fact Sheet on PICs
• Regulation 612, O.Reg. 330/10: School Councils and PICs
• Procedural By-Laws governing PIC
• Letter from Director of Education re:  Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) Grants for 2020-2021 (October 2020)