Team up with the charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays to launch award-winning extracurricular programs in your school! It’s FREE, easy, and there is no previous baseball experience necessary!
Jays Care Foundation is looking for teammates as we build a roster of dedicated educators across Canada who are committed to making a meaningful impact in their students' lives. It's FREE and easy to become a Jays Care Affiliate School:
Join us for a virtual training session
Find at least 10 students interested in participating in introductory softball/baseball programming
Commit to at least 8 weeks of extracurricular programming (1-2 hours a week)
As a Jays Care Affiliate School, we’ll send you a FREE specialized equipment kit, Blue Jays t-shirts and hats for your students, a best-in-class program manual, and we’ll be there to support you every step of the way. It’s really that easy! Explore our programs below to find out which extracurricular program(s) your school is eligible to apply for.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Jays Care Affiliate School! The application for the 2024-25 school year is now closed. If you are interested in being added to our waitlist to be notified once the 2025-26 application opens, please fill out our interest form below.
Jays Care is committed to inclusion, gender equity, health promotion and increasing the well being of students who are most frequently marginalized. To become a Jays Care Affiliate School, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Be committed to creating safe and welcoming spaces for ALL athletes
Be offering education and programming free of charge
Be open to a sport for development approach
Be serving students who are or have been historically marginalized
Challenger Baseball
Challenger Baseball is an adaptive baseball or softball program designed to empower individuals living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. This adaptive program is ideal for organizations that are motivated to create introductory sport programs specifically tailored to the needs, strengths and hopes of individuals with disabilities. In this program, baseball or softball is used as the vehicle to enhance four main program objectives: connection, courage, independence and love of physical activity.
Girls At Bat
Girls At Bat is an introductory baseball or softball program designed and delivered to create spaces that empower and centre the leadership and voices of girls while making it easy to build belonging. This program is ideal for community-based organizations that are motivated to offer programming for anyone identifying as a girl facing barriers to sport participation. In this program, baseball/softball is used as the vehicle to enhance four main program objectives: connection, courage, leadership and love of sport.
Indigenous Rookie League
In order to answer calls to action around sport and youth programs as laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Jays Care seeks to amplify the voices of Indigenous children and youth, celebrate their success and achievements, and advocate for their right to equal opportunity. Our Indigenous Rookie League program (formerly Indigenous Playball) brings Indigenous youth together using the power of baseball and softball to encourage connection and love of sport. The design and delivery of the program is centred on Indigenous children, their needs, their strengths and their vision for their future.
RBI
Formerly known as Rookie League, RBI provides a platform for a wide range of children and youth experiencing diverse barriers to join together and participate in highly inclusive, mixed ability, safe and fun softball and/or baseball programming. RBI is the ultimate safe-space for any young person looking to find their team, develop new skills and have fun. Rookie League is developed for children and youth who face multiple barriers to participation or who are forced to sit on the sidelines. The goal of RBI is to build a sense of community and belonging for children and youth who often opt out of other sport programming. These athletes may face multiple barriers to participation including but not limited to, financial barriers, language barriers, sexual orientation/expression, responsibilities at home etc.
If you have any additional questions, please email [email protected].
Our Impact
In 2023:
946 schools ran 1,055 different Affiliate School programs
32,203 students active across Affiliate School programming
Affiliate School programs ran in all 13 provinces & territories
FEEDBACK FROM EDUCATORS:
97% of educators reported that the Affiliate School program increased students’ confidence to be physically active
93% of educators reported that the Affiliate School program increased students’ motivation to try and play different sports
96% of educators reported that the Affiliate School program increased students’ positive connections with peers
