Celebrating Small Business and 40 Years of Learning: What Our Journey Teaches Students About Entrepreneurship

October is Small Business Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the local entrepreneurs and family-run companies that make a big impact in their communities. At Teachers on Call, we’re proud to be part of that story. This year marks a major milestone for us: the completion of 40 years of supporting students, families, and teachers across Canada — as we now step into our 41st year. Many of our students share an interest in business and aspire to study it in university, so our story may help spark inspiration and shed light on what entrepreneurship looks like in action. What 40 years in business can teach students about entrepreneurship is at the heart of this reflection, as we take a look back at our journey — from our humble beginnings as a small family business to becoming an award-winning tutoring service — and highlight some of the key milestones that have shaped who we are today.

As a proudly Canadian, family-owned and operated tutoring service founded in 1984, our journey has been one of passion, perseverance, and purpose, values shared by countless small businesses across the country. Our story began with our founder, Rhona Sallay, a retired special education teacher and department head in the Toronto District School Board, who recognized the need for extra academic support beyond the classroom and built Teachers on Call on a foundation of care, quality, and expertise — rooted in the Canadian curriculum and a relationship-based approach that fosters trust, consistency, and lasting confidence between students and their tutors. You can read more about her inspiring beginnings here. 

What began with a focus on supporting high school students in core subjects such as math, science, English, and French — with subjects like Calculus, Biology and Chemistry as core staples — has since evolved to include younger grades at the elementary level, offering early reading, writing, and numeracy support. From those early days, our journey has continued to evolve, shaped by major milestones such as expanding across new regions, pioneering online tutoring, and earning recognition for excellence and community impact. The lessons from our 40-year journey — about perseverance, adaptability, and continuous learning — are ones students can apply all year long, both in the classroom and beyond Small Business Month.

Inspiring the Next Generation: 40 Years of Small Business and Big Lessons

From Family Business to Big Dreams: Teachers on Call x TD

As a family-owned and operated business, we’re passionate about the power of education and community. That’s why we were honoured to have been featured in TD Bank’s Official Partner of Big Dreams campaign, which celebrates small businesses making a big impact across Canada. Taking place just before the pandemic, this recognition marked a major milestone for our family business, with our President & CEO, Joanne Sallay, spotlighted alongside her son — who would become one of the youngest elementary students to pilot online tutoring during the pandemic while in senior kindergarten. This story was later featured in the National Post article, "Kindergarten is the new calculus: How a private tutoring company survived a pandemic,"showcasing how Teachers on Call adapted and thrived during a time of unprecedented change in education.

Watch our feature video:

TD also profiled Teachers on Call in their story on succession planning for family businesses, highlighting how our team continues to evolve while staying true to our founding values.
Read the full article here: Some advice on succession planning for family businesses | TD Stories.

Participating in this campaign was not only an honour, but a reflection of how small businesses like ours can grow sustainably through mentorship, family leadership, and a shared commitment to community and education.

Forbes Feature: Teaching Kids About Entrepreneurship During Small Business Month — and All Year Long

As we celebrate Small Business Month here in Canada—a dedicated time to honour local entrepreneurs and family-run companies making meaningful community impact—our previous feature in Forbes brings the celebration full circle. In the Forbes article “4 Ways Young Entrepreneurs Can Leverage Their Education,” our President & CEO, Joanne Sallay, shares how her background in education and the values behind our founding have helped shape a business built on connection, curriculum-rich support, and genuine relationships. We’re honoured to have participated in this feature, which offers valuable ideas to help encourage entrepreneurship in today’s budding business leaders. For more ways to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, read here.

Recognizing Excellence in Customer Service: 9-Time Consumer Choice Award Winner

This year, we’re thrilled to share one of several exciting milestones: Teachers on Call has been recognized with the Consumer Choice Award for the ninth consecutive year in the Toronto Central tutoring category.

This honour is deeply meaningful because it’s based on something we value most, the voices of the families and students who have experienced our support firsthand. The Consumer Choice Award is unique in North America for identifying top service providers through independent, statistically validated research. As our President & CEO, Joanne Sallay, shares:

“This milestone belongs to the amazing community that surrounds us—families who value education, students and alumni achieving great things, and the certified teachers who are the heart and soul of what we do.”

Winning this award nine years in a row is a reflection of the trust families continue to place in us and of the incredible dedication of our in-home and online tutoring team.

Honouring Our Educators: The VIP Teachers’ Lounge

The heart and soul of our community begins with our tutors — provincially certified elementary and secondary teachers who bring passion, curriculum expertise, and care to every lesson. Our 40th anniversary year also marked the launch of our VIP Teachers’ Lounge, an appreciation campaign celebrating the educators who make our mission possible. Through exclusive perks, discounts, and thoughtful giveaways, Teachers on Call is proud to give back to the teachers who give so much of themselves every day. If you’re an elementary or secondary teacher who would like to receive our quarterly appreciation communications, you can sign up here.

Supporting Students and the Community Who Cheer Them On

At Teachers on Call, supporting students and their families has always been at the heart of everything we do. For over 40 years, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside students on their academic journeys. Cheering them on through early reading milestones, helping them navigate tricky math problems, preparing for important exams, and building the confidence and study skills that last a lifetime. Whether it's strengthening French vocabulary, tackling science homework, or encouraging strong organization and time management skills, our mission has remained the same: to empower learners through personalized, compassionate support from certified, professional teachers. Read more about our student success stories here.

We understand that behind every student’s success is a network of caring parents, dedicated teachers, and a community that values education. That’s why our approach goes beyond tutoring—it’s about mentorship, building relationships, and creating lasting academic foundations.

Why Families Continue to Choose Teachers on Call for Online and In-home Tutoring

Families choose us year after year because we stay true to our mission, empowering students through personalized, compassionate tutoring from provincially certified teachers

• Provincially certified teachers with real classroom experience
• Customized, one-on-one tutoring tailored to each learner’s needs and learning style
• Flexible in-home and online tutoring
• Comprehensive academic support including study skills and strategies
• Best-in-class tutor matching to ensure quality, compatibility, and lasting results

Learning should be personal, empowering, and accessible—and that’s the foundation on which we’ve built our 40-year legacy.

Looking Ahead: Entering Year 41

Every student’s learning journey is unique — full of milestones, challenges, and triumphs. For over four decades, we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside students and their families, celebrating every breakthrough and supporting them through every obstacle. We’ve seen firsthand how personalized, compassionate tutoring from professional, certified teachers can transform not only grades but also confidence and lifelong skills. Whether it’s homework support, study skills and strategies, or academic programs that range from enrichment to remediation and everything in between, we’re proud to help students reach their full potential. For all our high school students considering business school for university, we hope our story helps spark curiosity and shine a light on the impact of entrepreneurship in Canada.As we celebrate small business and step confidently into our 41st year, Teachers on Call is more inspired than ever to continue our mission of empowering students across Canada to meet and exceed their academic goals. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the families, tutors, and partners who have been part of this incredible journey — your trust and support make every achievement possible. Here’s to another year of learning, growth, and big dreams together!