2026 Take Our Kids to Work Program

Each year, the Upper Grand District School Board, the Wellington Catholic District School Board, and school boards across Ontario co-ordinate the Take Our Kids to Work program, providing Grade 9 students with an opportunity to accompany a parent or guardian to work and gain firsthand exposure to a professional workplace.

The University is pleased to support this initiative and looks forward to welcoming participating students on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. To help ensure a safe and positive experience for all students, please share the following information with your teams.

For many students, this experience can spark new interests and broaden their understanding of future career possibilities. We encourage supervisors and employees hosting students to help make the day engaging and meaningful by sharing insights into their work and participating in the campus tours and activities outlined below.

All school boards require that parents sign a waiver, and the University will also require a Release and Indemnification Form from the parent or guardian of any student participating in this initiative. A copy of the form is attached, and additional photocopies may be made as needed.

Application:

The signed Release and Indemnification Form is to be emailed to Health, Safety & Wellness (HSW) (ehs@uoguelph.ca) before Friday, October 30, 2026, after which you will receive a link to register for tours. Permission to bring a student into the workplace must be obtained and authorized by the Dean/Designate or Director/Designate of your workplace.

General Safety Guidelines for Host Departments:

• It is important that the Take Our Kids to Work program commence with a mandatory safety orientation in the parent/ guardian’s host department, to review pertinent health and safety awareness, workplace-specific risks and local safe work procedures.
• Ensure any required personal safety equipment (e.g., safety glasses) and written safety instructions (e.g., workplace safety rules) are provided to the student. Students must remain under supervision throughout the day. 
• Under no circumstances shall students be permitted to operate motorized vehicles or farm equipment.

General Notes for Parents/ Guardians:

• Parents/ guardians: ensure your department dean/ designate or director/ designate approves your child’s attendance for the day.
• Please complete the Release and Indemnification Form (Page 5). If your student will be participating in other activities, please indicate the activities they will observe on the form and obtain the necessary signatures. Forward completed form to ehs@uoguelph.ca.
• Upon submission of the Release and Indemnification Form, HSW will review and forward the online Microsoft Bookings link for registrants to sign up for tours. These tours are available for limited group sizes and must be registered for in advance through the MS Bookings page by November 2, 2026, by end of day. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email.
• Parents/ guardians: Please make arrangements to get your student to and from the tours.

2026 Tours

***registration link for the tours will be provided upon submission of Release and Indemnification Form***

This year, several tours have been arranged to provide insights into unique facets of the Guelph campus, and to enable participation for those whose workplace is off limits for shadowing. Unless otherwise indicated, the drop off and pick up locations will remain the same.

NEW! General Welcome Orientation (At Guelph Campus)

Location: Peter Clark Hall, North Wing, UC 001A

Time: 8:45 am to 9:15 am

Description: Explore what makes U of G unique and why so many Gryphons call it home! We’ll dive into our vibrant campus community, share a quick overview of our academic programs, and offer practical tips on how to choose the right post-secondary path for you. The session also includes safety orientation covering topics such as worker rights and responsibilities, workplace hazards, and what to do if an incident occurs on campus. Note: this does not replace the mandatory department orientation that is to be provided to students by the host department.

Max # of Participants: No limit.

For reasons of safety, overcrowding or privacy of clients, certain work sites have been deemed inappropriate to host student visitors; these are listed below.

Work Sites/Activities Not Permitted for Take Our Kids To Work Program:

1. University Construction Sites
2. Central Utilities Plant
3. Steam Tunnels
4. Hospitality Services Kitchens
5. Bulk Chemical Storage Locations (flammable and corrosive liquids, pesticides)
6. Animal Bioscience Abattoir
7. Biomedical Sciences Gross Anatomy
8. Human Health and Nutritional Science/Human Anatomy Lab
9. Animal Health Laboratory (AHL), Agriculture and Food Lab (AFL) and Pathobiology Postmortem
10. CRIFS
11. Rooms for which Biohazard Permits have been issued
12. Intermediate Level Radioisotope Laboratories and areas where Radiography Equipment is used
13. Counselling Services
14. Human testing and medical facilities (Student Health and Wellness, Occupational Health and Wellness, Human Health and Nutritional Science/Human Anatomy)
15. Private living areas of Student Residences
16. Ontario Veterinary College Health Science Center and Smith Lane Clinic
17. Driving Motorized Vehicles
18. Operating Machines/Equipment in Machine Shops
19. Climbing Ladders, Scalable Fixtures or operating/riding on any Lifting Device
20. Areas where Class III and Class IV Laser Devices are being used
21. Campus Safety Office (Campus Police) and Fire Prevention
22. Other work sites identified by the University’s Director of Health, Safety and Wellness

The University of Guelph, as an employer, has a duty to provide and maintain safe workplaces, to provide safety information to workers and students, and to comply with occupational health and safety regulations. As part of the educational benefit of the Take Our Kids to Work program, those organizing and supervising the experience for these students must promote safety awareness and require the use of personal protective equipment (e.g. safe lab techniques, safety glasses, etc.). 

More information and a sample orientation can be found at: https://www.uoguelph.ca/hr/hr-services-environmental-health-safety-ehs-take-our-kids-work-2015/take-our-kids-work-orientation

Please direct questions or requests for a list of orientation topics to ehs@uoguelph.ca or phone (519) 824-4120 extension 53282.

Should you have any questions about the appropriateness of any work site with regard to this program, please do not hesitate to contact Health, Safety & Wellness for advice at ehs@uoguelph.ca.  

This opportunity is a worthwhile one for these high school students who may one day become our students.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and for making safety a priority for our employees, students and visitors.