Can someone explain this to me?

[KingstonMom]

Was just browsing, and came upon this Ontario govt. website, updated in 2012 stating the following:

"Licensing: Standards, legislation and inspections

In Ontario, anyone who cares for six or more unrelated children under the age of 10 must be licensed by the Ministry of Education. This includes home-based child care and centre-based child care."


huuhhh?? When did this change from 5 kids??

here is the link:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/licensingstandards.h tml

[KingstonMom]

uh-huh. just re-read it, SIX OR MORE...the wording had me boggled!! I was thinking it has gone up from 5!! momentary BLONDE moment :)

[Littledragon]

lol i was confused too. even when you put the second post, i was still confused. We can be blonde together ;)

[Inspired by Reggio]

Ya ~ they need to write the Day Nursery Act in PLAIN ENGLISH cause sometimes it is liking deciphering code :rolleyes:

[Inspired by Reggio]

Another area of the Act makes reference to you able to care for 5 unrelated children without requiring a license ~ which leads to the perception that we any children who are 'related' would not count ... so people thin they can care for their grand kids, cousins, nieces and nephews PLUS 5 unrelated daycare kids as part of their business ~ where what it means is you do not have you count your OWN children that you have custody of ... aka a mother who has 7 children of her own does not require a license to operate a home childcare ;)

[Judy Trickett]

There's the good old government again......I swear they make it as difficult as humanly possible to read anything they put into print.

Why can't they just say, "anyone who cares for MORE than five children". Isn't that how REAL people talk?

Now, on another note, I would LOVE to see them change the DNA to allow home daycare providers one more allowable kid.

[kidlove]

In U.S. we can have 6 unrelated children beside our own IF our own are above the age of 7yrs. but they have to fall into certain age groups. 2 under 18mo. 2 under 24 mo. and 2 older. so on. just thought I'd share incase anyone cares :) i dont know how you guys could handle having more than 2 infants. i always thought our rules were that way because more than that is soooo difficult.

[Judy Trickett]

In U.S. we can have 6 unrelated children beside our own IF our own are above the age of 7yrs. but they have to fall into certain age groups. 2 under 18mo. 2 under 24 mo. and 2 older. so on. just thought I'd share incase anyone cares :) i dont know how you guys could handle having more than 2 infants. i always thought our rules were that way because more than that is soooo difficult.

In Canada our maternity leave is 12 mths. So kids typically start in daycare around a year old. It's not that bad. When I first started I had FIVE kids (plus my own two who were little then, too) under 18 months!

[Momof4]

I don't mind at all having 5 babies, the age doesn't matter here kidlove unless you are registered with an agency. Just sharing back!

[Toregone]

Does anyone know where I can find any informtion like this for Alberta? As a private dayhome I seem to be almost completely without regulations and it's driving me crazy trying to find some information. I know I can have 6 plus my own children and ratios do not apply but other than that I am having a really hard time coming up with information. I have called agencies trying to get some information on thier regulations but they won't tell me anything, they just want me to join with them (NO THANKS!!), I have no government body I can call and when I do call the governmen agency that regulates approved family dayhomes all they can tell me is that I am a "Private Babysitter" and not to have any more than 6 extra.

[Inspired by Reggio]

Yup ~ the organizations you are calling are not helping much other than the 'basic' answer because they are not being paid to regulate you and have no jurisdiction to help you self regulate yourself ~ however you can find the rules that regulate both centres and family daycare homes online for almost every province. Read over everything you can and self regulate yourself based on those by ensuring you are following any that could apply to you 'in a court of law' even though you are private ... specially things around healthy and safety precautions like fire safety, nutrition, prohibited behaviour and guidance practices and so forth. You can also research what the government is telling PARENTS to look for in childcare and so forth cause it is those publications that most parents bring with them to form their 'questions' to you in a tour and that way you are prepared with answers on how your program meets or exceeds that through self regulation verses government inspection and oversight ;)

I found these with a quick google search ...

Alberta Childcare Licensing Act
http://www.qp.alberta.ca/574.cfm?page=C10P5.c fm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=978077973386 6

Alberta Licensing Handbook
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/Licensing_Handbook.p df

Family Dayhome Standards Manual for Alberta
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/Family_Day_Home_Stan dards.pdf

Inspection Checklist for Family Dayhomes ( AWESOME resource for what they check if visiting)
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/GFCCInspectionCheckl istCDEV4033.pdf

Effective Supervision in Childcare Settings
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/doc_Effective_Superv ision.pdf

Healthy Childcare ~ Healthy Children ~ a guide for promoting health and preventing illnesses in childcare settings
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/pdf_healthy_child_ca re_brochure.pdf

Choosing Childcare Settings in Alberta
http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/documents/childcare/Choosing_Child_Care_ LOW1.pdf


Call your local city bi~law department and ASK where to find the information about what zoning bi~laws might be required in your area for home based business, are there fire code bi~laws are required for home based businesses ~ do not take some bean counters word for anything find the WRITTEN PROOF and keep a copy with your business records somewhere.

Another important thing people often forget ~ whether you rent or own your property make sure you check with your landlord or if you own and have a condo corporation or home owners association and ensure that they do not have additional rules and bi~laws specific to your neighborhood ... I know three people personally who started up a home childcare business only to have neighbors complain to the landlord or condo board where they lived and have them come along and say home based businesses were not permitted on the property based on the lease agreement or the condo corporation rules (which can be different than 'city bi-laws') and they had no choice but to either 'close down' and stay put or to make arrangements to move their business to a new location.

Most cities and towns have a Small Business network organization that helps 'newbies' in business and see if there are any resources they have on the rules and guidelines that regulate 'home based business' or 'all businesses' that you should be aware of for your province.

[Toregone]

Thanks a bunch! I'm going to take a look at all this. Some of these sites i've seen before but I figure if I run as close as possible to agency rules than I'll be good.

[Nottellin']

Thanks a bunch! I'm going to take a look at all this. Some of these sites i've seen before but I figure if I run as close as possible to agency rules than I'll be good.

Contact Vera Blower, her number is (403) 297-7378, or by email: vera.blower@gov.ab.c a she works for the government and will let you know the standard for a private dayhome in Alberta.

It has been rediculously hard to find info on the net about PRIVATE dayhomes in Alberta.