Centralized Support System
RE: Ministry Funded First Nation Child Care & Child and Family Programs on reserve
The ministry is moving to a centralized support model for support from the Early Years Advisory Services Unit.
You may submit questions regarding funding/service system planning for child care and early years implementation through the centralized support model using the following link: Early Years Support Request The Early Years Advisory Services Unit (EYASU) will monitor the incoming requests and coordinate the responses with the appropriate branches.
Effective immediately, please use the following email addresses for submissions to the ministry, as applicable;
- Health and Safety Requests: edu.earlylearning@ontario.ca
- Serious Incident Reports for First Nation Child and Family Programs: eyibsor@ontario.ca
Licensed First Nation Child Care Centres meet and maintain specific provincial standards set out in Ontario Regulation 137/15 General. These standards address items that affect quality in licensed child care centres, such as staff/child ratios, physical environment, staff qualifications, and children’s health and wellbeing.
The Child Care and Early Years Act 2014 (Bill 10)
On August 31, 2015, the Child Care and Early Years Act came into effect. For further information about the rules and regulations under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014:
- Learn about the new child care rules in Ontario: what providers and parents need to know
- Operating a licensed child care program
-
Test your knowledge on the CCEYA Take the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 self-test to test your knowledge and understanding of Ontario’s licensing requirements for child care centres. Take the self-test for child care staff and public.
- Ontario regulations made under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014:
- Proposed Regulatory Amendments under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014
Publications
- Minister’s Policy Statement on Programming and Pedagogy
- Affordable for All (6 downloads )
- Ontario’s Early Years and Child Care Annual Report 2022 | ontario.ca
- Ontario’s Early Years and Child Care Annual Report 2024 | ontario.ca
- 2023-24 Child Care and Child and Family Programs Funding Guideline for First Nations.pdf (609 downloads )
- 2024-25 First-Nations Funding Guideline.pdf (42 downloads )
Provincial Licensing
Licensed child care programs must meet and maintain specific provincial standards set out in the Child Care & Early Years Act, 2014. These standards provide for the health, safety and developmental needs of the children.
At least once a year, staff of the Ministry of Education make unannounced inspections of all licensed child care programs to:
- make sure that provincial standards are being met
- issue and renew licenses
- investigate complaints
- monitor operators who are having difficulty meeting licensing standards.
Licensing reports for all home-based and centre based licensed child care programs are available on the find licensed child care site.
Information for Licensees
- Child Care Licensing Checklist (6320 downloads )
- Child Care Licensing Manual 2024.pdf (582 downloads )
- Before and Afterschool Program Licensing Guideline
- Before and Afterschool: What Parents Need to Know
- Sector Memo to Licensees – Fee Schedule
- Enforcement Fact Sheet
- Ratios Fact Sheet
- Serious Occurrence Fact Sheet
- Family Age Groupings (2 downloads )
- Expired Licenses (2 downloads )
- Tiered Licensing (4 downloads )
- Licensed Child Care First Nation Reference Sheet (6 downloads )
- First Nation Operational Guidance During COVID-19 Outbreak August 2021 (4388 downloads )
- Forms – Here are some of the forms you might need when operating a child care program.
- Exemptions for immunizations Staff and parents can apply for medical exemptions for immunizations.
- Download the statement of medical exemption. Staff and parents can apply for religious or conscience exemptions for immunizations.
- Download the statement of conscience or religious belief.
- Declare an Offense : Child care licensees can use this form to meet provincial requirements for offence declarations. Download the sample offence declaration form.
- employed or contracted by an outside organization, for example a special needs resource consultation or bus driver
- employed or contracted by an individual, for example a speech and language pathologist contracted with a parent.
- Download a sample offence declaration for other persons providing child care or services to a child in a child care centre.
- Child care licensees can use the attestation form to meet provincial requirements for attestations for people who provide care and are:
- employed or contracted by an outside organization, for example a special needs resource consultation or bus driver
- employed or contracted by an individual, for example a psychiatrist contracted with a parent.
- Download a sample attestation for other persons providing child care or services to a child in a child care centre.
Licensed Child Care in Ontario
Child Care in Ontario
Links:
- Licensed Child Care Finder
- Licensing Kit
- Child Care licensees now have access to the E-Module: Putting How Does Learning Happen? into Practice: Program Expectations for Licensed Child Care. This E-Module will assist early years professionals to understand connections between How Does Learning Happen? and the new program related requirements under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
- Information on Child Care and the Early Years
Child Care Licensing System (CCLS): reference guide for applicants and licensees
- Child Care Licensing System Reference Guide.pdf (33 downloads )
- demonstrates the step-by-step instructions for applicants, operators, Agency and Site designates to use CCLS.
- CCLS Reference Guide for New Applicants – which documents the step-by-step instructions for new applicants to register for CCLS
All the documents/videos (and descriptions) are available on the Portal for download.