School success is in the bag

For the parents of many elementary students in Ottawa, the first back-to-school hurdle isn’t buying the coolest new kicks. It’s putting together a basic kit of school supplies.
One in five children in Ottawa live in poverty and more than 1,200 students go to school in September without a backpack or school supplies, according to the Education Foundation of Ottawa, which works with principals, teachers, social workers and school support staff to get students the supports they need to