Scarborough's Mothers Matter

West Hill and nearby Scarborough neighbourhoods battle high child poverty with 1 in 3 kids below the poverty line, lagging school scores, and literacy 10% behind Toronto averages. This is often fueled by single moms' literacy gaps and job struggles that lock families in cycles without trusted early childhood help.

This initiative partners Settlement Assistance & Family Support Services with Mothers Matter Canada to deliver home visits by local moms, blending child school-readiness activities with parent literacy and confidence building for mothers and kids alike. Pilots show promising results, 95% retention and 30% mom employment post-program.

The Northpine investment will support home visitors from the community to provide weekly sessions, monthly groups with childcare, and referrals creating paid jobs for locals while developing a bilingual, trauma-informed Canadian-tailored curriculum. The goal is for every child to be kindergarten-ready and every mother prepped and confident to enter the workforce.