Every child should finish school prepared to take on the world. ONFE is harnessing the resources of our incredible community to equip local youth with the tools, knowledge, and skills they'll need to thrive in post-secondary studies, and to build fulfilling careers.

Our programs include:

ONFE's School Breakfast Program

Classroom Gardens

step for Youth in Schools and Community Coalition

Ottawa Volunteers in Education

OttawaReads

Assistive Technology Support Initiative

JA Ottawa 

Coding

We continue to evolve each of our programs to the changing school landscape, so that we can continue to fuel kids and ignite learning - just as we've done for the last 35 years.

Our programs have three main areas of focus:

Learning: As many as 15% of local students have learning challenges, and up to 22% of Ottawa students are immigrants or new English language learners. We strive to remove barriers to learning by matching trained volunteers with teachers and students that need extra help.

Health & Well-Being: There is a direct correlation between the health and well-being of children and youth, and their ability to learn and succeed in school. At ONFE, we identify and provide solutions to serious problems that affect wellness and academic achievement, including student hunger, inadequate nutrition, and drug and alcohol addiction.

Career Readiness: We strive to help secondary students make informed career choices and transition successfully to post-secondary studies and fulfilling careers. Our innovative programming helps students develop financial literacy, entrepreneurial thinking, and work readiness skills.