January 2016 Hon Liz Sandals, MPP Minister of Education Ministry of Education 22nd Floor, Mowat Block 900 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2

Dear Minister Sandals:

Re: Making physical literacy a priority in education and childcare settings.

OSPAPPH’s mission is to elevate physical activity as a public health priority in Ontario through engagement, education, advocacy and strategic alliances. We aim to be the unified voice representing public health practitioners with the mandate of promoting physical activity in our respective communities. The society builds on the strengths of an established infrastructure and mandate within the public health system, as well as the partnerships formed at the community, provincial and national levels, with the ultimate purpose of increasing physical activity levels in Ontario. As per Canada’s physical literacy consensus statement: Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life. 1 We are seeking your leadership and collaboration to help make physical literacy a priority in education and childcare settings in Ontario.

Physical activity levels of Canadian children and youth are discouraging. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines state that children and youth should accumulate 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day for health benefits.2 The most recent ParticipACTION Report Card revealed that less than 10% of Canadian children and youth are currently meeting the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.3 This has remained relatively unchanged for nearly a decade. We also know that physical inactivity is a recognized modifiable risk factor that is directly attributed to a number of chronic and preventable diseases, including coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and osteoporosis.4 A 2009 estimate places the cost of physical inactivity of adults in Canada at $6.8 billion.4 Action needs to be taken to reverse the trend of physical inactivity in Ontario and manage escalating health care costs.

Education and childcare settings are ideal for fostering the development of physical literacy and providing children and youth with a solid foundation for leading healthy and active lives. As defined in the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum, individuals who are physically literate move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.5 Many children today lack the basic skills, knowledge, and physical activity behaviours needed to lead healthy active lifestyles as evidenced by the startling rates of inactivity, obesity and decreased fitness. As such, we have identified physical literacy as a public health priority to assist in reversing this trend. While we believe the goals and expectations outlined in the Health and Physical Education curriculum strongly supports the development of physical literacy, gaps do exist in the delivery of this curriculum which compromises the quality of education children receive.

Physical literacy is stated as a main goal of the revised elementary Health and Physical Education Curriculum5 yet it is currently not measured.

cc: Hon. , Premier; Hon. Dr. , MPP, Minister of Health and Long-term Care; Hon. , MPP, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Hon. Tracy MacCharles, MPP, Minister of Children and Youth Services; Hon. , MPP, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Research supports that physical education specialists are the preferred teachers of physical education in school settings. Compared to generalist teachers, qualified Health and Physical Education Specialist teachers, trained in physical education generally provide more time to develop skills, more opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity, and use more optimal teaching practices.6 However, according to the Ontario School Information System (Ministry of Education), in 2012/2013 only 19.9% of Ontario’s publicly funded elementary schools had either a full or part-time Health and Physical Education Specialist teacher.7

Policy/Program Memorandum No.138 of the Ministry of Education states that school boards must ensure that all elementary students have a minimum of 20 minutes of sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity each school day during instructional time, and that school boards will monitor the implementation of this policy.8 However, the 2013 Auditor General report on Ontario’s Healthy Schools Strategy found that neither the Ministry of Education nor school boards monitor schools to ensure this requirement is achieved. 9 Previous language under section 53 (4b) of the Day Nurseries Act only specifies that children who attend for six or more hours per day receive two hours of outdoor play (weather permitting) and that they be provided with active and quiet time, group and individual activities, and activities designed to promote gross and fine motor skills, language and cognitive, social and emotional development.10

Currently, only one Health and Physical Education credit is required to receive an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. In 2012/2013 just over 87% of grade 9 students in Ontario earned a Health and Physical Education credit compared to only 26% of students in grade 12.11 Additional credits would ensure all students receive physical education as well as provide them with instruction in other areas of the Health and Physical Education curriculum of public health importance including nutrition, alcohol and substance misuse, sexual health, mental health, personal safety and injury prevention.

As a result of these current gaps in delivery and in an effort to improve the quality and consistency of Health and Physical Education outcomes, we are proposing the following six evidence-informed policy recommendations:

 Adopt a mandatory assessment of physical literacy for elementary and secondary students across the province.

 Ensure that quality daily Health and Physical Education programming is delivered by Health and Physical Education Specialists in all Ontario elementary and secondary schools.

 Evaluate compliance and enforce the Daily Physical Activity (Policy/Program Memorandum No. 138) requirement.

 Ensure ongoing staff training related to physical literacy for all teachers, early childhood educators, and childcare providers.

 Strengthen the Childcare and Early Years Act to promote and support physical literacy development in licensed childcare settings.

 Make Health and Physical Education credits a mandatory requirement for grades 9-12.

Ten key provincial and national physical activity stakeholders, 16 Medical Officers of Health, and 12 Boards of Health have already endorsed the proposed policy recommendations, recognizing the urgent need for collaborative action on physical literacy in Ontario (for more details on OSPAPPH’s physical literacy strategy and list of endorsees see the attached ‘Backgrounder’ document). The Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) has also adopted a resolution in support of these recommendations.

The Ontario Ministry of Education has a vital role to play in ensuring physical literacy is held to the same standard as literacy and numeracy in terms of overall child development and is positioned to act on the proposed policy recommendations. Physical literacy is a clearly articulated outcome of the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum and the Ministry oversees both publicly-funded education and licensed childcare settings in Ontario, thus ensuring a broad reach across the target population. More importantly, the Ministry’s continued commitment to high-quality instruction and programming5 makes for a natural alignment with the proposed recommendations. Physical literacy is about more than just play – it’s about providing children and youth with the confidence, motivation, knowledge and understanding to value and engage in physical activities throughout their life.4 We also know that active children and youth are fit to learn12 and that participation in regular physical activity has also been directly correlated to improved academic performance, positive self-concept, psychological well-being, and reduced anxiety and depression.12, 13

Prioritizing physical literacy in education and childcare settings is a shared responsibility and requires an identification of current assets, needs and potential solutions. We believe the Ministry of Education is positioned to ensure that every child in Ontario develops a strong foundation in physical literacy, preparing them to lead a healthy and active life. Our physical literacy working group – comprised of representatives from the Ontario Society of Physical Activity Promoters in Public Health, PHE Canada, and the Sport 4 Life Society, is willing to engage in discussions with your Ministry to identify potential strategies and next steps for moving the physical literacy agenda forward. Please advise us on you and/or your assigned delegate’s availability at your earliest convenience and a representative from our working group will be in contact with your office to discuss potential next steps. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

On behalf of the physical literacy working group,

Chris Sherman Alison Bochsler OSPAPPH co-chair OSPAPPH co-chair [email protected] [email protected]

Working Group Members

Alison Bochsler, Co-chair, OSPAPPH Chris Sherman, Co-chair OSPAPPH Lisa Kaldeway, Special Project Officer, OSPAPPH Chantal Lalonde, Special Project Officer, OSPAPPH Dr David Colby, Medical Officer of Health, Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Chris Jones, Executive Director, PHE Canada Drew Mitchell, Director of Physical Literacy, Sport 4 Life Society

References

1. International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA). (2014). IPLA Definition of physical literacy. Retrieved from https://www.physical-literacy.org.uk/

2. Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (2010). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines ( Children 5 to 11 years; Youth 12 to 17 years). Retrieved from www.csep.ca/guidelines

3. Colley RC, Garriguet D, Janssen I, Craig CL, Tremblay, MS. Physical activity of Canadian adults: Accelerometer results from the 2007 to 2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Reports 2011, 22(1): 1-9.

4. Janssen I. Health care costs of physical inactivity in Canadian adults. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 2012, 37 (4): 803-806.

5. Ontario Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education. Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/healthcurr18.pdf

6. Davis KS, Burgeson CR, Brener ND, McManus T, Wechsler H. The relationship between qualified personnel and self- reported implementation of recommended physical education practices and programs in US schools. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2005 Jun;76(2):202–11

7. Cancer Care Ontario. 2015 Prevention System Quality Index. Retreived from https://www.cancercare.on.ca/common/pages/UserFile.aspx?fileId=337734

8. Ontario Ministry of Education (2005). Policy memorandum No.138: Daily physical activity in elementary schools grades 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/138.html

9. Office of the Auditor General of Ontario (2013). Annual Report of the Auditor General of Ontario. Section 3.03 – Ontario Healthy Schools Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en13/303en13.pdf

10. Ontario Day Nurseries Act (1990). Regulation 262. Retrieved from http://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/900262

11. 9 People for Education (2013). Ready, set, go: building healthy schools in Ontario. Toronto, ON: People for Education. Retrieved from http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/HealthySchools-2013-WEB.pdf

12. Active Healthy Kids Canada (2009). Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth: Active kids are fit to learn. Retrieved from http://dvqdas9jty7g6.cloudfront.net/reportcard2009/ahkc- longform_web_final.pdf

13. Healthy Active Living and Sports Medicine Committee Canadian Paediatric Society (2012). Position Statement - Healthy active living: Physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents. Paediatric Child Health, 17(4), 209-10. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cps.ca/document/874/print- ready_e.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIQDIKLPWFMPMSEAA&Expires=2145934800&Signature=HA3ecUsbp4mS5EB%2 BFM3oYJY4Smw%3D