Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant Program
The Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant program focuses on the knowledge and skills required to plan, implement, and evaluate individuals or groups in therapeutic recreation and social activities. Program participants will learn to plan and implement supervised activities for older adults with cognitive and physical impairments and gain hands-on experience with supervised practicum experience.
In this program, students will learn how to enhance their clients’ quality of life through leisure activities. The program will prepare students to work with a variety of client groups in different care settings.
This program has been approved by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
| Program Hours: 462 hours Program Months: | Program Weeks: 23 weeks Practicum Hours: |
60 hours – Interpersonal Communication
40 hours – Person-Centered Care
40 hours – Introduction to Practice
60 hours – Practical Approach to Dementia
60 hours – Lifestyle and Leisure Education
60 hours – Basic Program Facilitation
8 hours – Certificate – Food Safe Level 1
16 hours – Certificate – Standard First Aid with CPR Level C
8 hours – Certificate – Provincial Violence Prevention
20 hours – Career and Employment Strategies
90 hours – Work Experience (Unpaid Practicum)
What is a Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant?
A Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant supports individuals by helping deliver recreational and leisure activities that promote engagement, well-being, and quality of life.
What does a Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant do in a care setting?
Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistants help organize, lead, and support activities such as games, social programs, creative projects, and group events in healthcare and community environments.
Who is the Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant program designed for?
This program is designed for individuals interested in working with people, supporting wellness through recreation, and contributing to meaningful daily experiences for others.
Does the program include hands-on or practical training?
Yes. The program includes practical learning components, including a supervised practicum, that allow students to apply activity support skills in real-world care.
Do I need previous experience to enroll in the Therapeutic Recreation Activity Assistant program?
No prior experience is required. The program is suitable for beginners interested in entering the recreation and care support field.
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Recognize and respond to self-development, learning and health enhancement needs.
- Develop communication techniques that demonstrate personal awareness, respect, and active listening skills.
- Perform the care provider role in a reflective, responsible, accountable, and professional manner.
- Under direction, assist and lead small group leisure activities.
- Support residents as they learn new techniques which are adapted to encourage participation.
- Maintain or improve residents’ abilities, and reports problems and/or changes to supervisor.
- Students are required to be 19 years of age prior to the start of the program or possess a high school diploma (or equivalent), and provide evidence of one of the following English proficiency requirements:
- Evidence that 3 years of full-time secondary education (Grades 8- 12), or 2 years if the Grades are 10, 11, or 12, have been successfully completed in the program’s language of instruction in a country where the language of instruction is one of the principal languages.
- 2 years of full-time post-secondary education* have been completed in the program’s language of instruction in a country where the language of instruction is one of the principal languages (includes international education credentials recognized through WES, ICES, and IQAS).
- Provide verified results for one of the English language proficiency tests listed below. Test results must be dated no more than two years before the start date of the program:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic – Minimum overall score of 5.5
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) IBT – Minimum overall score of 46
- Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) – Minimum overall score of 40
- Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Listening 6, Speaking 6, Reading 5, and Writing 5
- Duolingo English Test (DET) – Minimum overall score of 95
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic – Minimum overall score of 43
- Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First exam (FCE) – Minimum overall score of 160 or “C”
- Cambridge Linguaskill – Minimum overall B2 level
- LANGUAGECERT Academic – Minimum overall B2 level
- The Michigan English Test (MET) – Minimum overall B2 level
- iTEP Academic – Minimum overall score of 3.5
- EIKEN – Minimum placement of Grade Pre-1.
- Accuplacer:
- Applicant is 19 years or older at the start of the program and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who cannot access their educational records or provide sufficient evidence of secondary or post-secondary education as outlined above, and
- Applicant provides attestation that they have completed at least three years of full-time instruction in English in a country where English is one of the principal languages, and
- Applicant completes an Accuplacer English Assessment (Next Generation: Reading, Writing and WritePlacer) and achieves the following minimum scores:
- Reading: 230, and
- Writing: 230, and
- WritePlacer: 4
Note: The PTIRU considers education completed (in English) in the following countries as counting toward an assessment of prior education in English:
| American Samoa | Dominica | Lesotho | St. Kitts & Nevis |
| Anguilla | Falkland Islands | Liberia | St. Lucia |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Fiji | Malta | St. Vincent & the Grenadines |
| Australia | Gambia | Mauritius | Tanzania |
| Bahamas | Ghana | Montserrat | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Barbados | Gibraltar | New Zealand | Turks & Caicos Islands |
| Belize | Grenada | Nigeria | Uganda |
| Bermuda | Guam | Seychelles | United Kingdom |
| Botswana | Guyana | Sierra Leone | US Virgin Islands |
| British Virgin Islands | Ireland | Singapore | USA |
| Canada | Jamaica | South Africa | Zambia |
| Cayman Islands | Kenya | St. Helena | Zimbabwe |
Upon successful completion of this program:
Graduates are qualified to work in any of the following healthcare areas:
- Long-Term Care Facilities
- Assisted Living Facilities
- Group Homes
- Adult Day Care Centers
Graduates may also be identified by the following titles:
- Activity worker
- Activity Assistant
- Activity leader
- Recreation aide
- Recreation Assistant
- Recreation worker
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