About us.

Extra Ed is a social enterprise which provides a variety of educational programs to schools, organizations and communities across the Greater Toronto Area. These programs are accessible to all, regardless of economic circumstances, and we plant a tree with every registration.

With a focus on providing high-quality, impactful programs, we offer a diverse range of extracurricular and in-class activities that teach essential life skills in meaningful and memorable ways.   All of our programs are delivered by a team of dedicated instructors, with curriculums developed by educators and subject experts.

We are an approved vendor to multiple school boards and an Educational Partner of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).  Everything about what we do is catered to fit the diverse wants and needs of the many schools, and school boards, that we serve.  We take great pride in ensuring that whatever we provide is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of every community, and especially easy on school administrators and parents.  It’s easy to work with us!

Our Values

Economic inclusivity. We are committed to the principle that no student be excluded from our programs due to their family’s economic circumstances. As an organization, we have prioritized inclusion over profit, as we believe that every child deserves an equal opportunity for extra education.

For families to whom program costs are a burden we are proud to offer our club registration with the option to pay less than the asking price (or even nothing at all) with no questions asked.

To date, we have proudly subsidized fees for over 10,000 participants in our programs, extending their opportunities for inclusion, education and fun. Learn more>

We extend education beyond the classroom. We know that learning doesn’t stop when the bell rings. In fact, we believe that the hours outside of the classroom hold the potential to be just as vital to the development of young minds and bodies—and that’s where we come in. With programs designed to compliment a curriculum-based education we specialize in delivering educational experiences that foster growth and lifelong love of learning.

We teach mastery of life skills. There’s a lot to learn out there. Our programs feature the arts, financial literacy, athletics, chess, performance, STEM, and much more—all subjects designed to enrich a young person’s experience and help them build the essential life skills to grow into fully-rounded, confident individuals.

We embrace community and inclusivity. We see it as our responsibility to reflect the values of each community we serve with an inclusive and welcoming mindset. Our staff of instructors is just as diverse and varied as our participants, and we delight in contributing to community events to connect with the populations we work alongside. All of which is to say: at Extra Ed, everyone is welcome.

We protect the environment. From the outset, Extra Ed has been dedicated to the protection and restoration of our environment. We play an active role in teaching sustainable practices, engaging in park restoration, and, most notably, planting trees for each individual enrolment in our programs. For more further information on our initiatives please visit our sustainability page.

We have fun. It sounds simple, but doing what we do with a sense of fun is important to us. Be it in a relaxing LEGO club at the end of a tiring school day or in an in-class financial literacy lesson about a complicated subject like investment savings, approaching what we do with that sense of fun makes our programming compelling, our lessons memorable, and adds something extra to our participants’ days.

Working together with Extra Ed.

Schools are busy, we get that. As approved service providers to multiple Ontario school boards, we not only maintain a high standard of thoughtful and rewarding course delivery, but we make it an utmost priority to place no undue administrative requirements on our school partners while we operate programs in their facilities.

Our goal is simplicity. That means: programs which are straightforward to implement and low-maintenance to operate; clear, organized, and timely communication; and listening carefully to teachers and school administration, as we craft programs that fit their specific needs and schedules. From staff to supplies to attendance to parent communication, we take care of everything.

Our history.

2015.

Before founding Extra Ed, Yakos Spiliotopoulos was eagerly preparing to be a new father. Looking ahead to his children’s education, he noticed that there was a lack of financial learning available to young people. This was a problem he knew he could tackle, and so, he took it upon himself to create a school-aged financial literacy program. In short order Yakos brought this program to several elementary, middle, and high schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and thus Extra Ed was born.

2017.

In short order Yakos brought this program to several elementary, middle, and high schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Working closely with a number of private schools in Toronto, Extra Ed developed several new courses. Chess clubs and new in-class financial programs were also introduced–to a very positive response.

2018.

Extra Ed took another leap forward when they became an official TDSB Educational Partner. Now able to deliver financial literacy programs as in-class enrichment across board schools—and continuing to expand their extracurricular programs—Extra Ed’s team of instructors grew to over 20 dedicated subject experts and educators.

2019.

Branching out, once again, Extra Ed introduced new programs to their extracurricular catalogue, among them our now-perennial favourites Robotics and LEGO. This paved the way for the broad range of fun and engaging subjects which make up our diverse slate of offerings to this day.

2020 to 2022.

Come 2020 Extra Ed was thriving but, of course, the global pandemic was soon to throw everything into disarray. When schools were shuttered and in-person learning was on hold indefinitely, Extra Ed had to completely rethink their programs and face the challenge of delivering them on a virtual platform. Despite a hiccough or two along the way, that challenge was met successfully. Not only were the existing programs adapted effectively for online delivery but several new programs—including those for individuals and small groups— were added to Extra Ed's offerings.

2022 to present.

Emerging from the COVID pandemic as a leader in extracurricular programming, Extra Ed currently has over 40 programs available to schools and childcare centres. And now you can also find us working with community and cultural centres, with government-sponsored organizations, with corporate partners, and in other private settings.

Our roster has grown to over 100 educators and administrative personnel. We continue to create new programs, develop new curriculum, and bring the Extra Ed experience to a greater number of students in the GTA and Southern Ontario.