To help you shorten the list of possible caregivers to contact, select the type that best suits you and your child.

Licenced Programs/Nursery Schools:

• May be in a freestanding building or a separate facility within a school, community centre, public building or work place.
• Are licenced by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and must meet minimum standard requirements set out in the Day Nurseries Act and Regulation.  They include, but are not limited to, staff/child ratios, staff qualifications, maximum group size, safety, behaviour management, nutrition, furnishings and equipment.
• Must comply with legislated staff/child ratios which vary by age
  

  Infants:	1 staff to 3 children
  Toddlers:	1 staff to 5 children
  Pre-school:	1 staff to 8 children
  Sr. Kindergarten:	1 staff to 12 children
  School-age:	1 staff to 15 children

• Offer group care in a specially designed setting for infants and children up to age 12 with trained/experienced staff.
• May offer full day and part-time options including, nursery school, before and after school and school break programs.
• Are usually open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. but may have extended or part time hours.  Nursery Schools operate for 2 ½ hours in the morning and/or afternoon.  Some have extended hours.

Home Based Care:

Children are cared for in the private residence of the caregiver.  The home may be monitered by an agency that is licenced by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services or the home may be an unlicenced independent caregiver.  In both situations the hours, mix of ages, and availability of special needs care will vary from home to home.

a)    Licenced Agencies:

• Caregivers are registered with a licenced agency and receive support, training and monitering.
• Caregivers must comply with the Day Nurseries Act and Regulation. Homes are visited a minimum of once every 3 months by an agency representative and monitored for health, safety, nutrition, age-appropriate programming, and the number and ages of children at any given time.
• Caregivers have current medical requirements and all family members over 18 have criminal reference checks.

b)    Unlicenced/Independent Care:

• Caregivers are expected to comply with the Day Nurseries Act and Regulation stipulating there can be no more than 5 children in care under the age of 10, at any one time, not including the caregiver's children.
• Caregivers are not supervised or monitored.
• Caregivers may or may not have related training.

Licence

Licenced or regulated care is child care licenced by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services under the Day Nurseries Act. The Act establishes mininum standards, (including physical space, equipment and furnishings, playground, staff qualifications, staff to child ratios, health and safety, nutrition and basic programming) which operators of Day Nurseries (child care centres, nursery schools, school age programs etc.) and Private Home Day Care Agencies must meet.  These standards are in place to ensure the health, safety and well being of children in licensed child care.

A licence to operate a Day Nursery is required when more than five children who are under 10 years of age are cared for in one premise.

Licences are issued under the Day Nurseries Act once a Program Advisor (Ministry of Children and Youth Services) confirms that the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act have been met.

Types of licences

The Licence, to operate the Day Nursery or Private Home Daycare Agency, must be posted in a conspicuous place in the Child Care Centre or in the office of a Private Home Daycare Agency.

1. A Regular Licence is issued on white paper.
   A Licence issued to a program that meets all the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act can be valid for a time period of up to one year.
2. A Provisional Licence is issued on yellow paper.
   A provisional licence is issued to a program that does not meet the requirements under the regulation and allows the operator time to comply with the requirements.
3. An Appendix A to a Provisional Licence is also issued on yellow paper and must be posted beside the Provisional Licence.
   The Appendix details the areas where the operator did not demonstrate compliance during the licencing process. Parents are advised to review this appendix carefully and ask the operator questions about the current status of provisions.

The Director, for the purpose of the Day Nurseries Act, may apply additional terms and conditions to a licence to protect the safety and well being of children enrolled. Some examples of the terms and conditions that may appear on a licence are:

• The Operator to ensure that the written plans for repairs to playground are completed within the duration of this license.
• This program is licensed to operate from 9:00am to 11:30am from September to June.

The following Term and Condition appears on all licences issued under the Day Nurseries Act.

The Operator shall ensure that the child care licencing poster is posted in a conspicuous place in the day nursery at or near each entrance commonly used by parents.

Directors' Approvals are granted at the discretion of the Director and indicate exceptions to the Day Nurseries Act.  Where Director's Approvals have been granted they are listed on a licence in the area below the information detailing the licenced capacity of the program.  The following is an example of a Director's Approval that may appear on a licence.

Directors Approval is given for 1:10 staff/child ratio for one group of up to 20 children 3 years and 8 months  to 5 years of age who are eligible junior and senior kindergarden attenders within the current year

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services can revoke a licence, if an operator is consistently unable to meet the minimum requirements of the Day Nurseries Act, or if the health, safety and well being of the children is compromised.  The Ministry may also refuse to renew a licence or to suspend a licence.

What to look for on a licence:

• Type of Licence  (Regular or Provisional)
• Terms and Conditions
• Director's signature
• Director's Approvals
• Approved age groups of children
• Approved capacity of children on premise
• Licence number
• Official name and geographic location of the operator
• Name of Program
• Address of the Program
• Issue and expiry dates

In addition to conducting licencing visits the Ministry of Children and Youth Services is mandated under the Day Nurseries Act to follow up on community concerns and complaints in cases where the Day Nurseries Act requirements are not being met.

Should you have any questions regarding the Day Nurseries Act you can contact the Regional Office of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services at 905-567-7177.

The following is a checklist for comparing child care options.  Licenced means that minimum government standards are met while unlicenced means that it is your responsibility to check the standards of care.

Program Philosophies/Curriculums

Philosophies are the values and beliefs that a program will use. The philosophy is the why of a program and the curriculum is the what and the how of a program.

The child care environment should:

•     Contribute to the development of the whole child
•     Be meaningful to children
•     Build on a child's current knowledge and interests
•     Acknowledge the parents as partners
•     Demonstrate cultural sensitivity
•     Have realistic and developmentally appropriate goals for children
•     Encourage curiosity, understanding and problem solving
•     Promote independence in a child centered physical environment
•     Provide a safe and healthy environment for children

For more information go to www.cdrcp.com.

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