Smart Start Halton Delighted by Increase in Local CLB Take-Up Rates
Over the last three years, Smart Start Halton has proven, through its results, that collective impact works. A broad collaboration of community partners, Smart Start Halton came together with the intention to increase the dismal take-up rates for the Canada Learning Bond in Halton. The goal was to help eligible Halton families register their children for the Canada Learning Bond and to ensure every child has the opportunity to access postsecondary education. The Halton Poverty Roundtable has served as the backbone support organization for this initiative.
June Cockwell, Co-Chair of Smart Start Halton, applauded the efforts of the partner community organizations who stepped up to the challenge. “Rallying partners around this initiative was extremely easy once stakeholders understood the very real opportunity we had to shift the trajectory of the almost 15,000 children who were eligible and not registered for the Canada Learning Bond.” From hosting sign-up events, to engaging political leadership to communicate the opportunity, and providing training sessions to government, business and community partners to ensure there was a clear understanding of the CLB sign-up process, partners have worked tirelessly to make Canada Learning Bond information a part of their intake process with families and parents. The introduction of the SmartSAVER portal has been an amazing tool to support sign-up here in Halton. Families know they can go online to begin the process and they have choice when it comes to a banking partner.
Since 2013, Smart Start Halton has increased the take-up rates for the Canada Learning Bond from 28% to 39%. “We’re committed to bringing the free Bond to the attention of every family in this community,” says Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We’re delighted that this cause is being taken up by a broad coalition of front-line community agencies.” With new children being born every day, and the population in Halton having experienced growth to the tune of 20% over the last three years, the team knows there is still work to be done to reach those families and children, so the work continues.
The Halton Poverty Roundtable is a cross sector network of local community leaders that was formed in 2011 to address the systemic barriers and root causes of poverty. The Halton Poverty Roundtable mobilizes community resources and stakeholders around innovative community-driven solutions to eliminate poverty in Halton.
Leena Sharma Seth, Director, Community Engagement
Halton Poverty Roundtable
* This post was originally published Jun 7, 2016.