New for Fall 2025

Bachelor of Child and Youth Care (Honours) Degree

Students engaged in a scenario activity that would occur in homes
Students engaged in a scenario activity that would occur in homes

New for Fall 2025

Bachelor of Child and Youth Care (Honours) Degree

School of Wellness, Public Safety & Community Studies

The School of Wellness, Public Safety and Community Studies is the place for people who are passionate about making a difference. Whether that be by providing excellence in patient care, offering superior client service, protecting communities, or advocating for healthy living, you’ll find a program that will help you achieve your dreams. All of our programs focus on helping people and are founded on the principles of respect, integrity, compassion and collaboration. In addition to the technical and industry-specific skills you will learn, our programs will help you build confidence and embrace your leadership ability.

Blending theory and hands-on learning, you’ll benefit from the collective wisdom of experienced faculty who are active in their industries, and practice your skills in our state-of-the-art facilities with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Gain exposure to real-world environments while studying and working in our learning enterprises and alongside employers through work integrated learning opportunities. Develop the knowledge and skills you need to succeed in your wellness, public safety or community studies career.

"The profs are wonderful; they’re very engaged and there to help you a lot. I want to work with youth to create better, healthy living on the reserve."

- Dakota Ostrowski, Student, Recreation and Leisure Services

Student Changemakers

Algonquin College celebrates four student changemakers

Four students in the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Program (OTA/PTA) received the Student Changemaker Award at the April 22 Algonquin College Board of Governors meeting.

Level 2 students Elspeth Jordan, Jenna Fowler, Olivier Savoie, and Sarah Batoff were lauded for their outstanding work on the Handwriting Heroes project during the Winter 2025 semester. This initiative supported children aged 6–8 through engaging, structured activities aimed at improving handwriting skills while also developing essential fine motor abilities for daily tasks. 

Read the full story  and  Watch the Handwriting Heroes project video

Programs

Find our Wellness and Community Studies programs below. Learn more about our Public Safety programs by exploring our Police and Public Safety Institute.

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Explore our Facilities

Community and Social Services Virtual Tour

Take a virtual look inside our welcoming facilities that support our Community and Social Services programs.

Experience the Virtual Tour

Our students learn in a variety of impressive labs and classrooms, outfitted with leading-edge equipment. Just some of our many highlights are outlined below:

  • Set up like a small apartment, the Garbarino Girard Centre for Innovation in Seniors Care provides students with a learning lab,  and applied research facility.
  • Our Veterinary Learning Centre and Clinic includes a reception area, exam rooms, husbandry area, surgical suite, dental suite, radiography room and more. Similar to a real-life small animal clinic, it enables our learners to gain experience with the latest equipment used in the field.
  • Our Early Learning Centre Lab School provides high quality, culturally-diverse and inclusive programs licensed under the Ontario Ministry of Education. It serves as a model of early learning programs, designed to demonstrate best practices to our students.

Community Partnerships

Work Integrated Learning

The School of Wellness, Public Safety and Community Studies has a great reputation and strong community partnerships that provide students with dynamic work integrated learning opportunities. These experiences help students build confidence and practice their hands-on skills in both simulated lab environments and real-life scenarios. Examples include student-powered learning enterprises, field placements, community service learning, applied research, community projects, and more. It’s a hands-on approach that prepares learners for their chosen career and in many cases, leads to employment opportunities upon graduation.