Early draft of Bill 143 – Child Care and Early Years Act:

Some highlights, check back for an update soon, with page references!

About Home Child Care:

The OCBCC wanted everyone who is looking after children in their home as a business to be licensed through a licensed home child care agency. We will continue to advocate for providers to be licensed.

However the bill proposes to:

Create an advantage for licensed home child care: proposes a  limit of 6 children, including your own children under 6

Unlicensed home child care will be limited to 5 children, including your own children under 6

Licensed and Unlicensed child care can only have 2 children under the age of 2.

Specific new rules for licensed and unlicensed home child care:

Parents can’t be prohibited from access

Providers must give receipts

Unlicensed home child care must inform parents in writing

Unlicensed home child care can’t use the term “child care centre” or any variation with the work “licensed”

Private schools who were previously exempt from licensing now must be licensed.

Enforcement

Still a complaints based system

Collaboration with public health, Children’s Aid Society

Max penalty $100,000 -  Ministry can lay that fines without going to court

Licenced Child Care Centres:

 If operating a before and after school program, school classrooms will be deemed appropriate for fire and building specifications.

After school programs:

If there is sufficient demand, schools will “ensure” before and after school programs (can operate that program themselves or engage a third-party operator)

Recreation programs exempt form licensing but will have minimum standards

Role of Municipal Service Managers:

Municipalities responsible for planning, every service manager must have a plan.

Province can deny a license for a new child care centre based on the recommendation of municipal service manager

Role of the Province:

Maintains responsibility for policy, pedagogy, programming