A pilot program that links young students experiencing mental health issues with virtual tutoring is showing early success.

The program, a partnership between the Brant Community Healthcare System and the Brantford-based JonAyves Learning Club, could be the first of its kind in the province.

“To date, we are not aware of any other hospital system in Ontario partnering in such a niche program,” said Michael Marini, manager of communications and public affairs at BCHS.

Over the summer, students in Grades 6 to 12 participated in 40 virtual sessions lasting 20- to 30-minutes with JonAyves instructors twice a week for a month, focused on language and math skills.

All the students displayed academic progress and increased engagement, said Marini. They showed up for the sessions, had reduced

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