SPSF Wins Community Builder Award

SPSF wins the Community Builder Award at this year’s NSBA Business Builder Awards!

SPSF CEO, Zeba Ahmad, and Board Chair, Rylund Hunter, were proud to accept the award alongside multiple SPSF board members in attendance.

Congratulations to SPSF board members and co-founders of Sohkisiwin Solutions, Michael Linklater and Stephanie Yong, for winning the New Direction Award. In addition, congratulations to SPSF Board Member and Awasis Boutique owner, Christine Marie, for being a finalist in the Indigenous Inclusion category.

SPSF supports the largest school division in Saskatchewan with over 28,000 students, 3,300 staff, and 57 schools. Public schools are the foundation of a democratic society. People of all faiths, cultures and beliefs attend and teach in our schools. We strongly feel it’s our role to uplift students, especially those requiring extra support, but also to educate the community on the importance of investing in our children. We believe a community is at its best when it invests in itself. All children deserve an equal start. Our youngest learners, who are the future of our province, deserve every opportunity to succeed. Data suggests that for every dollar invested in early education, society gains back $7 into the economy.

Additionally, SPSF advocates to all levels of government and other school divisions on the importance of a collaborative effort to increase literacy rates in Saskatchewan.  We aspire to Saskatchewan leading the country in child literacy.

The role of SPSF not only includes bringing awareness to the importance of literacy but addressing the needs of students and families during difficult circumstances. Young learners were greatly impacted during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning, nutrition and routine were lost for many of these children.  The Cheer Crates, described below, is a perfect example of how SPSF partnered with concerned business and community members to quickly respond to the needs of students and families.  The Cheer Crate initiative continues to date providing families with much needed support during extended school breaks.

SPSF is more determined than ever to ensure students have opportunities to catch up and aspire beyond their expectations.

By focusing on our strategic priorities of literacy, wellness, and innovation, SPSF supports the community in many ways:

Literacy

Early childhood literacy is the foundation for preventing poverty, improving health, and building strong economies. SPSF’s goal is for every child in Saskatchewan to have a viable opportunity to graduate from high school. To achieve this goal, it is critical for every child to achieve Grade 3 literacy as they move onto Grade 4. Currently, approximately 30% of children in Saskatchewan do not achieve Grade 3 literacy in Grade 3. In some neighborhoods and communities across Saskatchewan, up to 60% of children do not reach this critical milestone. These students reside in the most impoverished areas of our city, where many students self-identify as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, or new Canadians. 

SPSF and the Early Learning Equal Start (ELES) Campaign fund 3 essential initiatives to ensure students can reach the critical milestone of Grade 3 reading in Grade 3:

Results for these students are dramatic and promising. Over 80% of students engaged in these initiatives achieve expected benchmarks.

Wellness

Innovation