Jec if you are in Ontario and operating a 'business of home childcare in your home' you would be ok as long as your total number of children in the home who are not YOURS remain 5 or less during your business hours - even if you are not 'charging' that parent for your services you are supervising the child and it will affect your insurance!

It is that tricky 'grey' area of interpretation around the rules ... Joe Parent can have a birthday party on a Saturday afternoon and invite 12 kids to the house for a couple of hours without their parents present and be FINE cause they are not offering the 'business of daycare' in their home - its just a party and short term and if an accident occurs the regular home owners would cover it.

But during your 'daycare business hours' you need to follow the rules set out by the DNA or you could run into trouble both with being reported by someone who 'thinks' you are illegal OR with your insurance in an incident ... being a 'grey' area Insurance companies will use it as a way to negate your policy if you have more than 5 children in the home when an accident occurs and your policy stated it only covered '5 children in the program'... insurance ALWAYS looks for a way not to pay out so I would not give them one!

Personally if it were me I would avoid the issue by either having your child go to a friends house during your business hours and save play dates at your house for 'after business hours' OR when your ratio allows you to be under 5 with him there OR meet his friend and caregiver at a local public venue where it is not an issue.