Jays Care Foundation’s vision is to create a level playing field for all children and youth across Canada. We know that community organizations across Canada are facing many challenges this year and many children in your communities are stepping up to the plate with two strikes already against them. We use the power of sport and play to create reliable programming for children and youth who are most often left out. Our programs cater to self-identified girls, individuals with disabilities, Indigenous youth, and youth living in poverty.
Applications are open now for local governments* to participate in the CPRA–Jays Care Foundation Initiative.
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Program Impact: Become a Jays Care Canadian Local Government Partner!
CPRA is proud to work with Jays Care Foundation to increase access to quality sport and physical activity through their award-winning Challenger Baseball and Girls At Bat programs.
Local governments* can apply to be a Jays Care Foundation partner and receive free virtual training and all the equipment needed to start up a Challenger Baseball or Girls At Bat program. These programs aim to use baseball or softball as a tool to enhance connection, belonging, and access to sport opportunities to kids most often sitting on the sidelines.
It’s easy for a Canadian local government to become a Jays Care partner:
- Integrated Program (minimum 5 hours): The program is designed to integrate into an already existing program, such as afterschool programs, Winter, Summer or March break camps that can easily integrate baseball/softball as one of the rotational activities.
- Stand-alone Program (minimum 8 hours): The program is designed as a stand-alone program where each child or youth returns to the program and the same team over and over.
Jays Care offers a range of options for local governments to choose from so they can offer a wide range of options to children, youth, and families. Explore the programs below to find out which is best for your local government. Selected partners may also be permitted to run both programs.
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.
The Program Impact
FEEDBACK FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPERVISORS:
"The program's ability to increase social connection, resiliency and enhance the support for the participants each week is noteworthy. Parents and participants have expressed gratitude for the program and staff because of the benefits their family received during the 6-week period."
Town of Milton, Ontario
“The methods used during Girls At Bat and the teaching materials provided have allowed staff to shift their viewpoints and provided new tools that can be incorporated into future PD Day camp programming, summer camp programming, and the recreational opportunities offered to all youth within the Town of Pelham.”
Town of Pelham, Ontario
Your community can apply to receive free training and equipment to run either Girls At Bat or Challenger Baseball. Click here to access the online application.
Before you get started, take a look at the FAQ below. It will help you gather all the information you need for your online application. If you have questions, you can email [email protected].
*Local governments include municipalities, cities and towns, villages, regional districts, and Indigenous communities and governments. Other community groups are eligible to apply through the Community Partners stream.
You should hear from someone from Jays Care Foundation within 2 weeks after the application deadline.
The application form includes a confirmation checkbox where you can confirm that you have insurance to run recreation and sport programming.
Certainly! If you have selected Integrated Program as your program option, you can adjust the hours to fit with their existing programs as long as they adhere to the minimum of 5 hours per athlete. For example, if you have an 8-week program, you can extend it beyond 5 hours per session. 5 hours represents the minimum required duration for the Integrated program.
If you see your program is running successfully, you can extend it beyond the proposed timelines. We kindly ask that you inform a Michael Manansala at [email protected] the new proposed end date to ensure impact report survey can be sent to you accordingly.
You are not required to include the 6-18 age group in your program. The age range is set based on what age group you are targeting.
Absolutely, you can implement both programs concurrently. It is up to you to determine the launch and end dates of each program.
A Jays Care program can be conducted anywhere, including gymnasiums, fields, paved areas, etc.
The maximum number of children eligible to register is determined by your local government policies regarding program capacity. Typically, program capacity aligns with the staff-to-child ratio.
The staff-to-child ratio is determined by your local government policies.
Absolutely! Male staff are welcome to lead a Girls At Bat program. The focus is to provide a space for self-identified female athletes to participate in a sports program.
Contact Michael Manansala at [email protected] for alternative dates. If none of the dates work, we will endeavor to make other accommodations.
While we encourage all staff members to attend the Jays Care Child Protection training to enhance their knowledge, it is not mandatory as per the partnership agreement.
After signing the partnership agreement, an email will be sent out with Zoom links to register for training. There are accommodations available for staff to participate in training before the partnership agreement is signed.
The main distinctions between indoor and outdoor equipment lie in their suitability for different environments. Outdoor equipment is designed for use in open-air environments such as baseball diamonds and school fields, while indoor equipment is intended for enclosed spaces like school gyms or indoor recreation spaces.
You can request additional equipment by sending an email to Michael Manansala at [email protected] with specific item and quantity. Please note, additional equipment may take up to 2-3 weeks, dependent on inventory.
No, all equipment and items contained in the coach kit are yours to keep for continuing the program and/or for use in other programs.
Yes, the Coach Manual includes 8 session plans for frontline staff to follow, along with templates and activities to help them develop their own session plans.
Yes, all program resources including manuals, posters, and cards have a French option available. To request French options, please contact Michael Manansala at [email protected].
