I am new with a few questions!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Pinks ~ congratulations on your new venture!

Assuming you are considering offering this service from your RESIDENTIAL HOME in which case in Ontario can care for 5 or less children under the age of 10 including your own without requiring a license from the Ministry of Education OR you can volunteer to go the license agency route from your home in which you can still only care for 5 or less children under the age of 10 and now you have to count your own children unless they are over 6 years of age and you have to meet their safety rules for your house and so forth to be 'contracted' via the agency!

If you want to care for MORE than 5 children you would be required to get a 'license' from the Ministry of Education to operate as a 'day nursery' .... this would likely mean you would need to be operating in a an area zoned for something more than residential and so forth ... there are additional fire codes, zoning bi-laws for parking, wheel chair accessibility and bathrooms and window space, playground space and a whole bunch of red tape to care for more than 5 children ~ you would also have to hire a Registered Early Childhood Educator to 'run' your program for you if you do not hold this level of education yourself and so forth. If this is something you are thinking I can provide links for you for more info to research.

Your local Ontario Early Years Centre should have resources and supports in place for home childcare providers ~ you might try there to see if there is a local network they can point you in the direction of?

As for setting your fees ~ everyone does that differently depending on how they like to budget ~ some people have a set fee based on the space so it is the same regardless, some have a Before and After school rate and than a PD care day rate if care is needed and you pay for what you use ... it will depend on what works for YOU and the norm in Mississauga.

Same with contracts for care and polices and so forth everyone offers different things based on exerpeince ~ here in my home town our Ontario Early Years Centre offers a 'home childcare training course' which gives providers 'sample' contracts and forms to choose from and make their 'own' depending on needs, covers the financial end of business ownership and all the 'laws' regarding being a home childcare provider .... can you see if the Mississauga ones do the same?