The Ontario Black Youth Action Plan has funded 10 programs under the Innovative Supports for Black Parents Initiative. Read about the programs here and visit links to their websites, some of which are made available via the listed titles below.
African-Canadian Christian Network (Toronto East)
The ACCN offers a Black-led parenting group program and online resources that will support parents to advocate for children and youth. It includes targeting engagement of parents through faith-based organizations.
Delta uses “pop-up” infrastructure to deliver a culturally focused centre for Black families. It includes drop-in programming for children and parents, parenting workshops and supports, tween workshops, African heritage programs, workshops for families involved with child welfare, grief support, capacity building supports for families, and community referrals
This program delivers parenting / caregiver-focused and parent and youth / child workshops to foster more meaningful and positive interactions and communication skills within families. The program targets newcomer parents and is co-located in a Toronto Community Housing building in Scarborough. It includes a counselling component for participants experiencing family conflict, separation, and other issues and networking opportunities for participants to make connections with guest speakers from key systems (e.g. child welfare) to build capacity for parents to interact with those systems.
The "Together We Are" program recognizes the diversity and strength that exists within Black families and aims to empower and support parents and caregivers of Black children. The program is delivered in six 2 hour sessions and focuses on engaging parents and their children (ages 6 to 11.
Parenting programs target Black families and offer a “wrap around” strategy. It provides culturally responsive services to parents, infants, children, and youth, including counselling, drop-in parent and child programs, workshops, parent peer relationships, recreation, and community referrals.
The Mommy Monitor app focuses on improving maternal and child health outcomes for Black pregnant women and families. It includes postnatal support and parenting skills (for parenting children up to 3 years old) and a Maternal Mentoring component.
Nigerian Canadians for Cultural, Educational and Economic Programs (Windsor)
The NCCEEP offers a program for Black parents and youth to receive culturally responsive counselling and family mediation, and includes workshops and in-person meetings. The program aims to address mental health challenges and stigma in the community.
This program teaches Black parents how to help their children read, thereby improving their success in school. It also works with local partners to promote and improve literacy in the communities that need it the most
This Centre for French-speaking Black families offers in-person coffee clubs, parenting workshops, a website to support parents to access and navigate programs, culturally responsive activities for parents and children, confidential consultations with a mental health professional, drop-in groups, home visits, pre-school age school readiness supports, and culturally relevant referrals where necessary.
Young and Potential Fathers (YPF) supports and mentors young Black Canadian men in the Greater Toronto Area. YPF provides father-focused and culturally sensitive assistance for young men to build resiliency and increase father involvement.
YPF helps fathers build character and create parenting programs through personal one-on-one supports. Additionally it connects fathers with direct services related to the personal barriers that they may be challenged with such as employment, housing, access and visitation, anger management, legal aid, and more.