YMCA and local schools are ready for Syrian refugee children

Half of the 25,000 Syrian refugees expected to arrive in Canada by the end of February will be children, according to immigrant settlement groups.

These children have been living in deplorable conditions in refugee camps, some of them for many years. Education has not been a priority for them.

Nova Scotian schools and the YMCA are preparing to get these kids back to school.

The YMCA Immigrant Services works with the government and organizations like Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia to connect newly arrived immigrants with schools in Nova Scotia.

The province says up to 30 Syrian families will be settling in Nova Scotia by the end of December, with the potential for more to arrive later in the new year. Once settled in their new homes these families will need help getting their kids back to school.

The YMCA and local schools say they are used to helping immigrant families get settled and are ready for Syrian families.

Barb Miller Nix is the lead for the YMCA’s Immigrant Services. She says the YMCA is looking forward to getting Syrian children back in school and back to being regular kids.

The Signal TV’s Ben Jamieson reported on what the YMCA and local schools are already doing to help immigrant children and what the plans are for future Syrian students.