Document on how to choose the right daycare provider

[playfelt]

We are going to have to be very careful in this discussion because each province has different regulations about how many children that can be cared for, the age mix and if a license is required. To say unlincensed will mean different things in different provinces. In Ontario for instance there is no such thing as a licensed caregiver. We have licensed daycare centres and we have agencies that are licensed to contract with individual caregivers for services and they do inspections but those caregivers themselves are not licensed. A caregiver in Ontario can care for up to 5 children. Therefore I am not licensed as such but have been a daycare provider for 23 years and would like to think I provide an excellent service to parents. It is not about being licensed that makes the difference. At the same time it is up to the parents that contract with me to monitor the care I am providing and they are in a better place to do that than a supervisor that stops in once a month even if it is unannounced. Just a reminder that for this thread if everyone wouldn't mind saying what province they are in when they post so that there are no hard feelings or misinterpretations. Just because I live in Ontario and can not be licensed means I can be just as good a caregiver as someone that lives in another province that offers licensing.

[fruitloop]

We are going to have to be very careful in this discussion because each province has different regulations about how many children that can be cared for, the age mix and if a license is required. To say unlincensed will mean different things in different provinces. In Ontario for instance there is no such thing as a licensed caregiver. We have licensed daycare centres and we have agencies that are licensed to contract with individual caregivers for services and they do inspections but those caregivers themselves are not licensed. A caregiver in Ontario can care for up to 5 children. Therefore I am not licensed as such but have been a daycare provider for 23 years and would like to think I provide an excellent service to parents. It is not about being licensed that makes the difference. At the same time it is up to the parents that contract with me to monitor the care I am providing and they are in a better place to do that than a supervisor that stops in once a month even if it is unannounced. Just a reminder that for this thread if everyone wouldn't mind saying what province they are in when they post so that there are no hard feelings or misinterpretations. Just because I live in Ontario and can not be licensed means I can be just as good a caregiver as someone that lives in another province that offers licensing.

I agree with this! I am also an unlicenced daycare provider. I'm in Alberta and for us, we're allowed to have 6 children plus our own. I take pride in my job and the kids are my #1 priority. I want what is best for them whether it be a good sleep schedule, eating, meeting milestones...the whole works! My daycare is a daycare I would want my children to go to. I have a lot of teacher families, a waiting list to get into my daycare and i think that says a lot about my daycare quality.

Advice I would give to parents...interview interview interview. Ask questions, look around the daycare space, check out the yard etc. and don't let price be the decision factor for you. Cheaper doesn't always mean better BUT more expensive doesn't always mean better either. Ask for criminal record check, child intervention checks and make sure it's the right fit (philosophy, child rearing, and discipline) for your family.

I don't really like drop in visits, although if a parent wanted to drop in they could. They would have to take their child home with them though when they leave as it's not fair to the child as to why mom/dad came and then didn't take them home with them. I think it's cruel.

[Niveah]

So how many children and what age groups can you have as an unlicensed provider
in Ontario. What are the regulations likewise for a licensed provider?
Does anyone know the rules clearly?

[playfelt]

In Ontario you can have 5 children who have not reached their 10th birthday. Children over 10 do not count in your numbers. Your own children also do not count in your numbers. There are no restrictions as to the age mix that you can have.

If you contract with an agency, the agency will have their own additional rules such as age mix and if your own children count. There can still only be a maximum of 5 daycare children. Only the agency is licensed and not the individual caregiver.

If there are to be more than 5 children then the facility has to register as a daycare centre which is then a business and no longer a home.

[playfelt]

I don't really like drop in visits, although if a parent wanted to drop in they could. They would have to take their child home with them though when they leave as it's not fair to the child as to why mom/dad came and then didn't take them home with them. I think it's cruel.

Was just going to post this same concept. Feel free to drop in unannounced but when you leave you take your child with you. There is no way I am going to resettle a child in the middle of the morning because mom had a few extra minutes on her coffee break and thought she would pop in. It is a matter of trust and if the parent does not take their child then they have breached that important bond. The child trusted the parent when they said they would come back for them later. Well they are there later and now child thinks they have been lied to so they learn to distrust parent and then me as the caregiver for letting it happen.

I first introduced this for a family that I didn't find out until week 2 after they had disrupted us 3 times each of those weeks that mom had taken her 3 weeks of vacation time for after child started care so she could monitor us. Well starting with week 3 the whole concept of how the visits were effecting the child and the fact the other children didn't understand if one parent came why the other parents didn't come right after that from now on she would have to take the child with her. She only came one more time after that - I think just to see if I was serious.

[Tot-Time]

Just because I live in Ontario and can not be licensed means I can be just as good a caregiver as someone that lives in another province that offers licensing.

Very well put!!!! I absolutely agree! Just because I choose not to work through an agency (who is licenced) doesn't mean that I lack experience, education, or don't continually seek to improve my experience and education.

[Play and Learn]

Ontario law states, "In Ontario, caregivers who look after five or fewer unrelated children under the age of 10 do not have to be licensed.

Unlicensed child care are private arrangements made between the parents and the caregiver. Another name for unlicensed child care is informal child care." (http://edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/choosing.html#informal)

[Myrtah]

Hi
I think it is hard on the child when the mom drops in and leaves. But as a parent it takes time to develop a bond with the provider.
When you say "open door policy" thats what it means...drop in any time except nap time.
Once things settle in and the child starts loving the provider,it is no longer an issue.
I think providers understand that it is hard for parents to leave the children with anyone in the beginning.
Most providers are mothers themselves.Let us not forget that many of them chose to stay home to also take care of their children so that they do not have to leave them with someone else.

[Play and Learn]

What my parents do is call me throughout the day. Leave a message if I don't pick up, as I'm likely doing potty routine, outside walking/playing or putting them down for a nap.

Even though I'm open door policy, I do state in my manual that if you are coming and your child sees you, be prepared to take them home with you. It's only fair.

[Myrtah]

When the day care becomes a second home, children do not want to leave. If they fuss over a parent's visit, it is usually short lived. But that takes time and both parents and providers should understand this.