QUICK! Is this over ratio? Friend coming over

[sunnydays]

I agree that the rule is silly...makes no sense that you can take them kids to the park where there may be 50 other kids, but you can't invite another daycare over to your fenced and child-proofed yard. However, I take no chances when it comes to breaking rules as I do not want to risk having my daycare shut down

[Inspired by Reggio]

Agreed Kangaroomama ~ have to weigh if the benefit is worth the risk when delving into 'grey areas' .... I do not t hink they would not shut you down for a play date likely just 'warn you' the first time if you were reported by someone ... my concern is not the Ministry of Education but my 'insurance' not covering play dates between two providers due to the grey area with this being 'legal or illegal' depending on interpretation of the DNA.

[Michelyn]

Here's the difference.

Your insurance is valid at a public venue. It is not at a private home where there are more than 5 dcks - why? Because more than 5 dcks in a private home becomes an illegal non-licenced centre. Daycare centres are licensed to have higher ratios. It is the building, not the providers that count.

I personally agree with this rule. I have seen too many groups of providers standing around drinking coffee and chit-chatting while the children run around relatively unsupervised. I understand that not every provider does this, but enough do that it's created a serious threat to our children's safety.

[Momof4]

Here's the difference.

Your insurance is valid at a public venue. It is not at a private home where there are more than 5 dcks - why? Because more than 5 dcks in a private home becomes an illegal non-licenced centre. Daycare centres are licensed to have higher ratios. It is the building, not the providers that count.

I personally agree with this rule. I have seen too many groups of providers standing around drinking coffee and chit-chatting while the children run around relatively unsupervised. I understand that not every provider does this, but enough do that it's created a serious threat to our children's safety.

This is a really old thread but I thought about the rules and regulations and now only meet other providers at parks. I would like to point out though that I stopped seeing one provider at a park because she was one of the providers you described, sitting on her butt and not minding her children's safety. I got tired of that but I know what you are talking about. My friend and I who meet at the park now are constantly counting our dckids and are always on our feet and on alert. That's the kind of provider I am all the time!

[momofnerds]

last year I took my group to the park, in the other town (we drove there) well the summer camp ended up coming. Well all the teenagers stood around and talked and texted while all the kids ran rampid. They were mean and lots of accidents happened. I had enough and took my group home.

I would rather go to another providers home where we can saftely watch the kids instead of a park where no one supervises the kids

[momofnerds]

my insurance covers 5 daycare kids, and anyone else is covered under my 2 million liability, so doesn't that mean you can have others at your house. (oh I have parents who can't walk up the 2 steps into my house thats why I have extra liablity)

[playfelt]

All children not with a parent count as your daycare children if they are at your house. That means if they total more than 5 in Ontario then you are considered to be operating an illegal over-ration daycare and would require a daycare centre license for that many kids.

It is one of those things where there is no way to find a happy medium without potential for rules to be broken so they made it too rigid.

The annoying thing is you can have as many moms on mat leave over as you want with all their babies and older kids but not one mom and her child and a daycare child.