Licensed Child Care
What is licensed child care?
Licensed child care may be found in a child care centre setting or in a private home. In either case, these programs are licensed by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and must meet the requirements of the Day Nursery Act.
The requirements cover:
- Staff/child ratios
- Staff qualifications
- Maximum group size
- Safety
- Discipline
- Nutrition
- Furnishings
- Equipment
Why should I send my child to a licensed child care provider?
Licensed child care programs have to meet and maintain provincial standards. These standards help the program providers to meet the health, safety and developmental needs of your child. Staff from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services make unannounced inspections of all Licensed child care programs to make sure these standards are being met.
It is illegal to take care of more than five unrelated children under the age of 10 without a licence or to provide private-home day care at more than one location without a licence.
How can I find a licensed child care provider?
The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has a searchable list of all licensed programs in Ontario.
Is help available with the fees?
The Region of Peel can help with fee subsidy in 450 licensed home-based and centre-based child care programs throughout the Region.
Revised:
Monday November 16 2009
