An innovative collaboration
The Living Classroom is a partnership model that integrates education into long-term care homes to support workforce development in senior living. Students, faculty, and those living, visiting and working in the home engage in a culture of shared learning. Students gain real-world experience and are well prepared for a career in senior living. Simultaneously, residents, families, and team members at the home benefit from student engagement and mentorship opportunities.
The origin of our Living Classroom concept
Before the Living Classroom became a government-funded province-wide model in 2023, it began in 2009 as a partnership concept between a local college, a long-term care provider, and a research institute in Waterloo, Ontario. Together, Conestoga College, Schlegel Villages, and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) envisioned a new kind of educational experience for students whose career path would lead them to work with older adults in long-term care homes.
The motivation for the Living Classroom was the recognition that a significant increase in the number of well-qualified Personal Support Worker (PSW) and Practical Nursing (PN) graduates was needed to meet the evolving needs of long-term care. Long-term care (LTC) homes were increasingly finding it difficult to recruit committed, skilled, and confident graduates.
The pioneering partners saw this gap as an opportunity to collaborate to develop a new model for learning and workforce exposure. By bringing educators and LTC homes together, they created an immersive experience that prepares highly skilled, work-ready students for long-term care employment upon graduation.
The initial Living Classroom model demonstrated such promise that it became a province-wide program in 2023. Funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Long-Term Care and led by the RIA in partnership with CESBA, local versions of the Living Classroom are being cultivated across the province, with hundreds of students participating in LC programs in their own communities each semester.
Acknowledgements for our funded model
The Living Classroom program is funded by the Ministry of Long-Term Care and led by the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA), in partnership with the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA).
About the Ministry of Long-Term Care (MLTC)
The Ministry of Long-Term Care (MLTC) is working to fix long-term care and ensure Ontario’s seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve, both now and in the future. The ministry is focused on implementing the government’s plan to protect the long-term care system through targeted investments and structural improvements guided by the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021.
About the RIA
The Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and care for older adults. The RIA’s work empowers older adults to live well, strengthens the workforce that cares for older adults, and helps shift societal perceptions of aging. Through research, education and practice, the RIA addresses some of the most significant aging-related challenges and redefines what it means to age.
Founded in 2005 by the generosity and vision of Ron Schlegel, the RIA supports a world-class research team and maintains core partnerships with Conestoga College, Schlegel Villages, and the University of Waterloo. The RIA collaborates with individuals who have lived experience, educational institutions, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders.
About CESBA
The Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA) is a provincial, non-profit professional association that represents, advocates for, and supports adult and continuing education program teams working in more than 60 school boards across Ontario. The organization is dedicated to supporting accessible and inclusive lifelong learning opportunities for all Ontarians.
CESBA provides leadership, advocacy, and professional development for its members, ensuring the delivery of high-quality programs, including Personal Support Worker (PSW) education. By fostering strategic partnerships between school boards, community organizations, and government ministries, CESBA plays a vital role in strengthening Ontario’s healthcare workforce and social infrastructure.