Jays Care Foundation is the official team charity of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball (MLB) team, working to promote inclusion focused extracurricular programs in Canadian schools. Jays Care Foundation and Ophea share a common goal of supporting inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities for children and youth that enhance a sense of belonging.
Jays Care’s Affiliate Schools programming is built on four exciting offerings that bridge opportunity gaps facing various underserved communities: Challenger Baseball, Girls At Bat, Indigenous Rookie League, and RBI*. Each of these targeted programs provides schools with free specialized equipment, resources, and other supports. Jays Care Affiliate Schools can select up to two programs in which to participate each school year.
All Jays Care Affiliate Schools receive a FREE specialized/adaptive equipment kit, Blue Jays t-shirts and hats for your students, a comprehensive program manual, and additional supports from the team at Jays Care! All program materials have been reviewed and endorsed by Ophea.
To register as a Jays Care Affiliate School, you will need to:
- Join Jays Care for a virtual training session
- Find at least 10 students interested in participating in introductory baseball/softball programming
- Commit to at least 8 weeks of extracurricular programming (1-2 hours a week)
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 the waitlist to be notified once the 2025-26 application opens, please fill out the interest form on Jays Care's website.
Note: There are many different variations of baseball/softball that can be played in schools. Jays Care Affiliate School programming uses the term “baseball” as a generic term that includes both baseball and softball with regulation and modified equipment. It is important that when you are selecting the type of baseball/softball and the equipment it aligns with the age, skill of the students and your provincial, territorial, and regional/organization safety standards.
Before implementing the program(s), consult with the Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE). OPASSE represents the minimum standard for risk management practice for school boards for curricular and intramural activities and interschool sports. The OPASSE focus the attention of educators, intramural supervisors, and coaches on safe practices in order to minimize the element of risk.
About Jays Care Foundation Affiliate School Programs
Schools can select up to two programs each school year.
Challenger Baseball
Challenger Baseball is an adaptive baseball/softball program designed to empower individuals living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Students with disabilities report lower levels of overall physical activity and active play than their non-disabled peers, which can contribute to lifelong discrepancies in movement. Challenger Baseball supports every student’s right to physical activity opportunities that support them in developing the knowledge and skills required for lifelong healthy, active living!
Girls At Bat
Girls At Bat is an introductory baseball/softball program designed to foster spaces that empower and centre the leadership and voices of girls while increasing their opportunities for feelings of belonging within physical activity spaces. Girls At Bat uplifts and celebrates all girls in all their diverse experiences.
Indigenous Rookie League
Indigenous Rookie League provides a space to amplify the voices of and increase physical activity opportunities for Indigenous children and youth, as identified in the sport and youth programs Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
*RBI
RBI provides a platform for children and youth experiencing complex barriers to join together and participate in highly inclusive, mixed ability, safe and fun baseball/softball programming. Originally “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities”, RBI has expanded past its original program definition and now seeks to bring baseball/softball programming to athletes in a wide range of settings. The goal of RBI is to foster feelings of belonging for children and youth whose needs are not met by other sport programming. These athletes may face multiple participation barriers, including financial barriers, language barriers, discrimination based on their gender expression or sexual orientation, and responsibilities at home (such as caregiving).
