Exploring the types of child care

Looking for a child care service? It’s never too early to get familiar with the subject. There is quite a lot to it; after all you’ll be leaving your child under someone else’s responsibility. What are the types of child care? What are the benefits of each type? By whom are they licensed? How often are they inspected?

If you want to know more about it, here is a source we recommend: https://www.ontario.ca/page/types-child-care

You can also find the content of the article below.

Types of child care

Learn about the types of child care in Ontario.

On this page 

• Licensed home child care
• Licensed child care centre
• Kindergarten before- and after-school care
• Unlicensed care

Licensed home child care

Individual home caregivers are not licensed by the Ministry of Education, but are contracted by home child care agencies that are licensed by the Ministry.

These caregivers may care for infants, toddlers and pre-school aged children. They may also offer before and after school care for children.

Benefits

Home child care allows for:

• government-regulated and inspected home that meet specific standards
• siblings to be placed together
• small group size
• child care agencies to provide caregivers professional development opportunities, support and monitoring
• child care fee subsidies may be available
• standards that must be met by caregivers

Home visitors

Home visitors work for private-home daycare agencies. They screen and monitor home caregivers affiliated with a licensed agency. As of August 31, 2015, a home visitor must be:

• a member in good standing of the College of Early Childhood Educators, with at least 2 years of experience working with children under 13 years old
• or otherwise be approved by a director

They check that a home is safe before children are enrolled and conduct routine inspections to ensure caregivers are following provincial rules, as well the agency’s policies and procedures.

Home visitors can also help families find a home caregiver that is affiliated with a licensed agency and meets their needs.

Home visitors can help caregivers by:

• developing programs for children at different stages of development
• providing advice about nutritious meal planning
• helping choose toys and equipment that are safe and suitable

Inspections

At least once per year, the Ministry of Education inspects private-home daycare agencies, and some home child care locations, to ensure they meet the licensing standards.

Licensed child care centre

Licensed child care centres care for infants and toddlers, as well as pre-school and school-aged children.

They include nursery schools, full-day and extended hours care, and before-and-after-school programs.

Child care centres operate in a variety of locations including workplaces, community centres, schools and places of worship.

There are 5,069 licensed child care centres across the province with 317,868 spaces.

Benefits

• Government-regulated and inspected
• Children are with other children their age
• Staff members include professionals with training in early childhood education
• The centre has to meet certain standards of care
• Activities are designed for children at different stages of development
• A child care fee subsidy may be available

Inspections

At least once a year, the Ministry of Education inspects child care centres to ensure they meet specific provincial health, safety and developmental standards.

Kindergarten before- and after-school care

Where there is sufficient demand, schools that offer full-day kindergarten also offer before-and-after-school programs. These play-based programs complement the regular school day with a mix of exploration, guided independent activities, quiet times and outdoor play.

School boards may offer before-and-after-school programs directly, or through licensed third-party providers that offer programs in a school setting. The majority of these programs are licensed, except for some operated by school boards.

Unlicensed care

In Ontario, unlicensed, informal care is not regulated by the government. These unlicensed caregivers are not inspected by the Ministry of Education, and are not required to meet provincial standards. However, the Ministry of Education does investigate all complaints from the public about child care providers who may be operating illegally.

Maximum number of children in care

As of August 31, 2015, under the new rules under the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA), 2014, unlicensed caregivers are not allowed to care for more than 5 children, including their own children under the age of 6.

This limit on the number of children applies regardless of how many adults are present at the home and unlicensed providers may not operate at multiple premises.