About Us

Mission
Frontier College is a national charitable literacy organization. We believe literacy is a right. We work with volunteers and community partners to give people the skills and confidence they need to reach their potential and contribute to society.

Values
Low literacy skills are directly linked to poverty, poor health, and high unemployment. Our network of volunteers provides excellent and effective programming to improve literacy in communities across Canada, from coast to coast to coast. We value mutual respect and collaboration in all our relationships.

In order to achieve our mission, we are committed to finding and using innovative ways to reach the people who need us most. Our activities, programs, and services are inclusive of any individual for whom our assistance is welcome and needed.

Philosophy of Learning: Student-Centered Individualized Learning (SCIL)

We follow the Student-Centered Individualized Learning philosophy, meaning that people are active in deciding what they want to learn. We believe:

Everyone has a right to learn
We go where people are, rather than expecting them to come to us
Every place is a learning place
We value a tutorial partnership where the learner and tutor respect and learn from each other
We value the contributions learners, volunteers, and partners make in the learning experience

Our Vision
Literacy is recognized as a human right and a driving force to empowerment and prosperity. Frontier College leads the effort in Canada to help people and communities reach their full potential through the power of literacy.

Read more in our Strategic Plan 2020-2024 summary.

99%

of adult learners

surveyed agreed that since starting a Frontier College program, they have gained skills they need to achieve their goals

95%

of children and youth

in Frontier College programs stated that they improved in reading, writing, or math

87%

of parents

said that their child read more at home after attending our Summer Literacy Camp

87%

of adult learners

in Frontier College programs reported progress with their learning goals

85%

of teachers

surveyed nationally said our Summer Literacy Camps increased students' academic readiness

80%

of volunteer tutors

feel that Frontier College has a moderate-to-major impact on helping adult learners achieve their goals

80%

of school personnel

observed that children and youth learners improved their reading skills and/or math skills

Summer Literacy Camps

National Trades Program

Our History

Literacy and Basic Skills: BTS