Glossary

Glossary of Terms and Definitions

Here are explanations of some of the common terms and definitions that relate to child care in Ontario.

Types of child care:

Centre-based child care. These programs operate in a variety of settings including workplaces, public buildings, schools and places of worship. They include nursery schools, full day care, extended day care, and before and after school programs. Child care centres are referred to as day nurseries in the Day Nurseries Act.

Private-home day care. Also referred to as home-based child care. This is child care that is provided in a private residence other than the home of the children. Licensed private-home day care agencies contract with individual caregivers who use their own homes to look after up to five children under 10 years of age. The agency screens, approves and monitors caregivers.

Informal (unlicensed) child care. In Ontario, caregivers may look after five or fewer children under 10 years of age without a day nursery licence. Informal child care arrangements are privately made between the parents and the caregiver.

The Licensing Process:

Licensed child care programs are inspected at least once a year. Unannounced inspections are conducted for licence renewals on an annual basis or more frequently for shorter term or provisional licences. Ministry inspectors assess whether the child care operator is meeting licensing requirements and complete a checklist (see Categories of the Licensing Checklist).

Any requirements that are not in compliance are noted in the licensing checklist and reviewed with the operator or supervisor at the end of the inspection. The operator is given a period of time (up to 10 days) to correct the identified non-compliances. The operator notifies the ministry in writing to confirm that the requirements have been met within that period. A second site visit may be conducted to confirm that the requirements have been met.

In Compliance on Date of Inspection. This area of the checklist shows the licensing requirements that were met on the date of the inspection.

Not In Compliance on Date of Inspection. This area of the checklist shows the licensing requirements that were not met on the date of the inspection.

Resolved before licence issued. Following the inspection, the ministry provides child care operators with instructions on what is required to meet the licensing requirements. Operators are given a limited period of time to meet the requirements. This area of the checklist shows whether the operator has met the requirements before the licence is issued.  When all requirements are met, a regular licence is issued.

Not resolved before licence issued (appears as a blank area on the Licensing Inspection Details page in the Resolved Before Licence Issued column). When a non-compliance is not resolved before the licence is issued and the operator requires time to meet the requirement, a provisional licence is issued.

Types of Licences:

Regular licence. A regular licence is issued when the child care program has met the licensing requirements of the Day Nurseries Act when last inspected. A regular licence may be issued for a period of up to one year.

Provisional licence. A provisional licence is issued when a child care program has not met all the licensing requirements of the Day Nurseries Act when last inspected. When this happens, the program may be given a short period of time to meet the licensing requirements. If it meets the requirements at the time of the next licensing inspection, the program may be given a regular licence. A provisional licence appears in yellow.

Terms and Conditions. Terms and conditions are additional requirements over and above the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act. They may reflect circumstances specific to the operation, such as half day or 10 month service. They may also be in place to minimize the recurrence of a non-compliance, such as incomplete staff medical records.

All licences have a standard term and condition requiring the operator to post the Licensing Poster, the Licensing Inspection Summary and have the Licensing Checklist and Summary of Licensing Requirements and Recommendations sheets available for parents.

Suspended licence. The Ministry of Education can suspend a program's licence if there is a threat to the health, safety or welfare of the children. When this happens, the location cannot operate until the operator complies with the "Notice of Direction" from the ministry and the program remains closed. If the operator complies with the Notice of Direction, the suspension is removed and the program can re-open. The operator of the program has the right to request a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal.

Licence Appeal Tribunal. The Licence Appeal Tribunal is an agency that provides a means to appeal decisions concerning licensing activities regulated by the MEDU.

If a child care operator disagrees with the decision of the Ministry of Education concerning the status of its licence, the operator can appeal the decision to the Tribunal. At the hearing, the Tribunal can uphold the ministry's decision or substitute its own decision.
For more information, visit the Licence Appeal Tribunal website.

Categories of Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centres:

Policies and Procedures. Child care operators are required to have written policies for requirements such as fire safety plans, serious allergies, sanitary practices, serious occurrences (child injuries, abuse of a child, parent complaints, etc), criminal reference checks, medication administration and others. Child care operators are also required to have policies outlining acceptable behaviour management practices.

Building and Accommodation. Child care centers must meet requirements related to the condition of the building, including floor and window space requirements, lighting and temperatures that are appropriate for each age group.

Equipment and Furnishings. All equipment and furnishings must be in clean and safe condition and appropriate for the ages of the children. Sufficient indoor and outdoor materials are required to adequately serve all children in the program.

Playground. The outdoor play space at the child care centre needs to have enough space for the children to play. A fence and gate are required for younger children. Staff must be able to supervise children at all times.

Records. Child care operators must keep records of inspections, insurance, children's emergency information, children's immunizations, attendance, finances and any incidents in the program.

Staff and Group Size. Child care operators must employ a certain number of staff to care for the children enrolled. Some of these staff must be Early Childhood Educators and members of the College of Early Childhood Educators. The requirements also include the ratio of children to staff for each age group. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times.

Nutrition. Food that is provided must meet nutritional standards as well as requirements for children with food allergies, special dietary and feeding arrangements. Menus must be posted and available to parents.

Program. Child care operators must have a statement that outlines their program philosophy, fees and other administrative details. The program of activities must promote child development and include active and quiet play, as well as group and individual activities.

Health and Medical Supervision. Child care operators are required to observe children for potential health issues, make arrangements for ill children and have procedures for the administration of medication.

Categories of Licensing Requirements for Private-Home Day Care Agencies:

Policies and Procedures. Private-home day care agencies are required to have written policies for requirements such as fire safety plans, serious allergies, sanitary practices, hazardous products, serious occurrences (child injuries including abuse, parent complaints etc), criminal reference checks, medication administration and others.

Behaviour Management Policy and Procedures. Requirements in this area are related to behaviour management practices that are acceptable in a child care setting.

Records. Private-home day care agencies must keep records of inspections of providers' homes, children's emergency information, children's immunizations, attendance, finances and any incidents in the program.

Staff Qualifications and Numbers. Private-home day care agencies must employ qualified staff to support and monitor child care providers. There is a maximum number of homes that one person can monitor.

Children Enrolled. Providers associated with a licensed private-home day care agency can care for up to five children under the age of 10 subject to restrictions on the number of children under the age of six.

Program. All private-home day care agencies must have a written program statement that includes its program philosophy, fees and other administrative details.

Licensing terms:

Day Nurseries Act. This is the legislation that regulates licensed child care in Ontario. The act sets out the requirements that a licensed child care operator has to meet in order to operate. These requirements help protect the health, safety and well-being of children.

Licence. The licence is the document that the Ministry of Education issues to the operator providing the authority to operate the child care program. A licence can be regular or provisional and may have terms and conditions.

Operator. An individual or corporation who holds the licence for a child care centre or private-home day care agency.

Director's Approval. Under some provisions of the Day Nurseries Act, a Director,who is an employee of MEDU, has discretion to specify the requirements that a program must meet. An example would be an approval of mixed age grouping of children in a child care centre.

Licensed Capacity. This is the maximum number of children that may be in attendance at any one time. In a child care centre, the capacity is specified on a location's licence. In home-based child care, provided in association with a licensed agency, the number of children under 6 years of age, including the children of caregiver who are under 6, cannot exceed 5. The caregiver can have five children even if she has children under 6 years of age because some of the children may be over age 6.

Language of Service Delivery. The licensed child care operator may offer service in English, French or both languages. The operator can choose either language to correspond with the ministry.

Ministry of Education (MEDU). The Ontario Government ministry that has responsibility for monitoring and inspecting licensed child care programs to determine if they are meeting the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act. The ministry also investigates complaints about unlicensed child care.

Regional Office. The MEDU office responsible for licensing child care programs, responding to complaints about child care programs, investigating allegations of programs operating without a licence and contracting with municipalities.

Program advisor. An employee of the Ministry of Education who is authorized under section 16 of the Day Nurseries Act to inspect licensed child care programs and investigate complaints about unlicensed child care centres. In some areas of the province, these employees may be called licensing specialists.

Age groupings in child care:

Infant. A child under 18 months of age.

Toddler. A child from 18 months to 30 months of age.

Preschool. A child from 31 months up to and including 5 years of age.

Junior/Senior Kindergarten. A child 44 months of age or over and up to and including 67 months of age as of August 31 of the year, who is eligible for junior or senior kindergarten school attendance.

Senior Kindergarten. A child 56 months of age or over and up to and including 67 months of age as of August 31 of the year who is eligible for senior kindergarten school attendance.

School Age. A child 68 months of age or over as of August 31 of the year (who is eligible for Grade one attendance) and up to and including 12 years of age as of August 31 of the year.

Mixed age grouping. In some cases, the ministry will allow up to 20% of children in one age group to be combined with another age group. This occurs to allow children from one age group to transition into the next older age group and to allow for family groupings.