Part 8 — Staff Qualifications

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Part 8.1 Supervisor

Intent

Section 53 is in place because the skills, experience and educational background of people working in a child care centre greatly affect the quality of what is happening in the centre.

Supervisors need to have extra skills and work experience compared to other staff because the supervisor’s job responsibilities (which are explained in and required by subsection 6(4)) is different than other staff. Supervisors must:

plan and direct the program of the child care centre
be in charge of children
oversee the staff
be responsible to the license

Clarifying guidance

Cross-references:

The regulation requires every licensee of a child care centre to employ a supervisor and the regulation describes what the job of a supervisor includes. See section 6(1).

The regulation has rules about when a supervisor can be counted in required staff to child ratios. See subsection 8(5).

When someone is a member in good standing of the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) they are a registered early childhood educator (RECE). No one can call themselves an early childhood educator if they are not a member of the CECE.

Licensees can check to see if someone is a RECE because the College maintains a public register (in other words, a list of names and other information) of all of its members.

Important information: all supervisors must be approved by a ministry director, whether they are an RECE or not.

Licensees must apply for director approval of either a registered early childhood educator (per 53(a)) or for someone who is otherwise approved by a ministry director to be a supervisor (per 53(b)) through CCLS.

When a ministry director approves a centre’s supervisor, the licensee will receive a director approval letter that documents the approval and any conditions imposed on the approval (such as additional training requirements).

The person who the ministry director approves as a centre’s supervisor will also appear on the licensing letter that accompanies the licence.

Licensed child care programs across the province operate under a variety of program philosophies and there are people who get very specific training for some of these philosophical approaches. For example, a ministry director may approve a person with Montessori training if they:

have the required work experience (in other words, per 53(b), “is capable of planning and directing the program of a child care centre”)

And

have Montessori training from:
- Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)

a Montessori teacher training institution accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE)

To learn more about the requirements for RECEs and general information about the profession of early childhood education, visit the College of Early Childhood Educators' website.

Compliance indicators

The College of Early Childhood Educators’ Public Register indicates that the supervisor is a member in good standing ("current member") of the College of Early Childhood Educators’ Public Register

And

There is written evidence that the supervisor has at least two year’s experience providing licensed child care and the supervisor has been approved by a director

There is written evidence that they have been otherwise approved by a director (for example, director approval letter, licensing letter, on record in CCLS)

Part 8.2 – Qualified Employees

Ontario Regulation 137/5 s. 54

Intent

Subsection 54(1) is in place to identify the credentials required to be considered a qualified staff in child care centres. It also sets out that a ministry director can approve an individual to take the place of a qualified staff.

Subsection 54(2) is in place to acknowledge that there are other professionals whose education, training and work experiences can be a good fit for older children and can match up well with the licensee’s program goals.

Clarifying guidance

The quality of the child care being provided is very important to children’s development, including the development of their language and thinking skills. The higher the quality of care, the better it is for children’s learning and well-being.

Requiring specific credentials for staff acknowledges that the quality of a child care program is very much affected by the skills and education of the people who work in the centre.

When people have studied child development, how to support children’s development and how to build warm and nurturing relationships, they are often better able to provide the high quality programming children need to thrive. Combined, implementing approaches in a planned pedagogy (in the case of Ontario, that is HDLH) and being emotionally supportive and responsive to children’s needs, results in high quality programs.

When someone is a member of the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) they are a registered early childhood educator (RECE). By definition, RECEs plan and deliver inclusive play-based learning and care programs for children to promote their well-being and overall development. These professionals also understand how to talk to parents, so everyone is working together to help the child develop.

Unlike supervisors, licensees do not need to apply for director approval from the ministry if they hire RECE staff. An individual who is a member in good standing with the CECE, in other words, an RECE, is considered a qualified staff without requiring any additional approvals.

However, it is not possible in all situations to hire RECEs. Paragraph 54(1)(2) allows a licensee to ask for director approval for an individual to take the place of an RECE in their program.

Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)

a Montessori teacher training institution accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE)

Specific and/or additional infant or toddler training may be required if the individual will be the qualified staff in an infant or toddler room.

Qualified staff for programs which serve older children

The following individuals are considered to be qualified staff in both primary/junior school age and junior school age groups:

people with diplomas or degrees in child and youth care
people with diplomas or degrees in recreation and leisure services
members in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers

These persons are considered qualified staff so licensee can go ahead and hire these persons (as long as other requirements in the regulation for staff have been met) without needing to submit a request for director approval.

Licensees must apply for director approval for an individual who does not meet the definition of qualified staff in section 54. If a person is approved by the ministry director, their name will appear on the licensing letter and the director approval letter provided to the licensee along with any conditions imposed on the approval, such as additional training requirements.

Important information: Director approvals for a person to be considered qualified staff are not transferable and can only apply to the specific licensed age group specified in the approval.

If a person who was otherwise approved by a director is going to work in a different child care centre or will be switching to care for children in a different age category in the same centre, the licensee must first obtain approval from the ministry director.

Checking whether someone is a member in good standing of the College of Early Childhood Educators

No one can call themselves an early childhood educator (ECE) or a registered early childhood educator (RECE) if they are not a member of the CECE.

Licensees can check to see if someone is an RECE in good standing because the College of Early Childhood Educators must maintain a public register (which is a list of names and other information) of all of its members.

To learn more about requirements for Registered Early Childhood Educators, see the College of Early Childhood Educators website.

Compliance indicators

For each licensed infant, toddler, kindergarten and primary/junior school age group, the licensee has employed at least one qualified program staff who:

is listed on the College of Early Childhood Educators’ Public Register as a member in good standing ("current member")

has been otherwise approved by a director

For each licensed preschool group where there are 16 or less children in attendance, the licensee has employed at least one qualified program staff

has been otherwise approved by the director

For each licensed preschool group where there are more than 16 children in attendance, the licensee has employed at least two qualified program staff

have been otherwise approved by the director

For each licensed primary/junior school age group and/or a licensed junior school age group, the licensee has employed at least one-program staff who:
- is listed on the College of Early Childhood Educators’ Public Register as a member in good standing ("current member")
- has a diploma or degree in child and youth care
- has a diploma or degree in recreation and leisure services, or
- a member in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers
Or
- has been otherwise approved by a director

Part 8.3 – Resource Consultant Qualifications

Ontario Regulation 137/5 s. 55

Intent

High-quality inclusive child care settings benefit all children – those with and without special needs. For some children with special needs, modifications and supports tailored to their needs are needed for them to have high quality, inclusive experiences in their child care program.

Resource consultants are professionals who provide support related to children with special needs in a child care centre, usually by working with the staff to give them suggestions on how to plan programming and shape their interactions with the child with special needs so that the child is participating and interacting with other children in the centre.

Subsection 55(1) is in place to require resource consultants to have the knowledge base needed to provide guidance about the right kind of care, supervision and supports when they are at the centre.

Clarifying guidance

Most resource consultants are employees of an agency such as a community centre or they are employees of a municipality. These employers typically establish requirements regarding qualifications for their staff.

Cross-reference: Resource consultants cannot be counted towards required staff to child ratios. See section 10 of the regulation.

If child care staff are concerned about a child’s development and are thinking about requesting the services of a resource consultant, they must obtain consent from the child’s parent to go ahead with making a request for or referral to the services of a resource consultant (and/or any other community-based services or supports).

Best practices

Whenever possible, it is recommended that resource consultants have at least one year of work experience in a position that includes support for and care of children with special needs.

Compliance indicators

Any resource consultants employed by the licensee are listed on the College of Early Childhood Educators’ Public Register as a member in good standing ("current member") and have completed a post-secondary program of studies that is both theoretical and practical and that relates to the needs of children with special needs

There is written evidence that they have been otherwise approved by a director

Part 8.4 – Health Assessments and Immunization of Staff

Ontario Regulation 137/5 s. 57

Intent

Section 57(1) is in place to protect those at the child care centre from getting and spreading vaccine-preventable diseases.

Child care centres are places where it is very easy to pick up a vaccine-preventable disease because children and adults are spending a lot of time together and have a lot of interaction and contact with each other.

Clarifying guidance

The medical officer of health (which is the formal way to say local public health unit) determines what is needed for a staff, volunteer or student in respect of health assessments and immunizations, and it is the licensee’s responsibility to ensure that staff, volunteers and students have received such health assessments and immunizations.

For contact information for all public health units, licensees should visit the Ontario webpage listing all public health units.

A person would not be subject to the health assessment and immunization requirements in either of these circumstances:

there is a medical reason why the person cannot be immunized

the person objects to immunization based on their religion beliefs or conscience grounds

If either of these circumstances apply, the person needs to give the licensee paperwork that documents this. The paperwork has to be done on one of two ministry-issued standard forms. Each form has two versions – one for employees, volunteers and students, and one for parents of children.

The forms are public and available in both English and French on the Government of Ontario’s Central Forms Repository.

Important information: The following shows how to determine which form should be used by staff, students and volunteers in relation immunization requirements:

If the person is an employee, student or volunteer and has one of the two reasons set out in ss. 57(3) of Ontario Regulation 137/15 for not being immunized, the person may either use the Statement of Medical Exemption (form 010-3041) – Individual or the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief (form 010-3042) – Individual forms.

If the person is an employee, student or volunteer and does not have one of the two reasons set out in ss. 57(3) of Ontario Regulation 137/15 for not being immunized, then the immunization requirements apply to the person.

Compliance Indicators

Files for staff, volunteers and students who are on educational placement include health assessments

And

Files for staff, volunteers and students who are on educational placement include immunization records

Where a staff, volunteers and/or student on educational placement does not have an immunization record on file, staff, volunteer and/or student on education placement have objected to the immunization as set out in subsection 57(3). The required approved form by the Minister has been completed and kept in the person’s file for objections and medical reasons for no immunization record in the staff file.

Part 8.5 Staff Training and Development Policy

Ontario Regulation 137/15 ss. 58(1)

Intent

Research shows that a key contributing factor to the quality of a child care program is how skilled and knowledgeable staff are.

Because staff enter into their jobs with varying levels of knowledge, skills and experience, those working in child care settings need to continue to get training and learn more about things that are important to their functions and responsibilities in the centre.

Similar to requirements for other professions, subsection 58(1) is in place to ensure that licensees provide opportunities for staff to learn new information and support staff to upgrade and continue to improve their skills, knowledge and practices.

Clarifying guidance

When developing staff training and development policies, licensees need to consider the unique professional learning needs of staff at time of hiring, as well how their learning needs change over time.

Licensees should consider the following questions when developing a staff training and development policy:

orientation requirements – what training do new staff need to complete either before or soon after they beginning work?
- what do new staff need to know about requirements in the CCEYA that apply to the program, staff and how the staff interact with children (for example, supervision requirements, prohibited practices, and more.)?
- how can the licensee make sure that new staff are familiar with and understand the duty to report requirements that apply to them set out in the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017?
regular training schedule – what training needs to be upgraded or offered on a regular basis to ensure currency?
qualification upgrades – what opportunities might be available for assistants or paraprofessionals to take specialized early childhood education courses and work towards upgrading their qualifications?
ongoing professional learning – what opportunities can the licensee create for staff to be able to do reflective practice about pedagogy and collaborative inquiry among staff teams and maybe even with others in the community?
external tools and resources – what courses are available in the community? Are there online learning opportunities? Is there a leadership course for early childhood educators that might be of interest to staff?
mandatory or optional training – is certain training required and other training optional? Why?
support – How will professional learning for staff be supported by the licensee? (for example, with the licensee provide training as part of paid time, will the licensee provide resource materials, and more.)

While not all staff in child care centres are early childhood educators, the College of Early Childhood Educators has a lot of resources that everyone can access. Such resources are available in both English and French on the College’s resources webpage.

How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years provides a range of resources to support professional learning for individuals, for teams and with others in the community.

The College of Early Childhood Educators framework for Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) is another resource available to licensees and RECEs. The CPL program is designed to help RECEs reflect on, plan for and document their professional learning in a meaningful way. CPL is mandatory for registered early childhood educators, as prescribed by Ontario Regulation 359/15: Continuous Professional Learning made under the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007.

Best practices

When bringing in volunteers or students to the centre, it is best practice for these individuals to get an orientation, including about the rules under the CCEYA and reporting obligations under the Child and Family Services Act, 2017.

Compliance Indicators

There is a written policy on staff training and development

Part 8.6 Standard First Aid

Ontario Regulation 137/15 ss. 58(2)

Intent

Subsection 58(2) is in place to ensure the health and safety of children by requiring those who are responsible for caring and supervising them, the staff who are counted in ratios, to be first aid certified. Being able to give first aid quickly when a child gets injured or when a child’s airway is blocked can reduce the potential for a bad outcome.

Clarifying guidance

Staff in child care centres are expected to have their standard first aid, including infant and child CPR, before they begin supervising children. However, licensees can allow staff three months to obtain their certification as long as there is always at least one first aid certified employee in the centre and close enough to the children that they can respond to an emergency. The person who is not yet certified has to obtain their first aid certification as soon as reasonably possible.

To ensure training covers certain topics and meets certain standards, first aid training courses must be offered by providers that are approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

The list of WSIB approved providers can be found at WSIB Approved First Aid Training Providers.

Important information:

Some training providers claim to be “approved in Canada” or “approved in all Canadian provinces,” but are not approved by the WSIB. It is the responsibility of the licensee to make sure their staff are going to WSIB-approved training.

Duty parents in a cooperative child care program who are counted towards required staff to child ratios must meet all requirements applicable to employees, including standard first aid training that includes infant and child CPR.

Parents and other adults at the centre who are volunteering in the centre but are not counted towards ratios do not need to have first aid training.

The requirements around first aid certification apply even if employees only come in to work at the centre from time to time. It doesn’t matter if they only work part-time or in a supply staff capacity. If a person is counted in required staff to child ratios, they must be first aid certified.

Important information: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)-approved first aid training providers may offer both emergency and standard first aid courses with a range of different CPR training options. Not all providers offer infant and child CPR and it is the responsibility of the licensee and staff to ensure they obtain the required certification. Licensees may find more information about first aid training here: WSIB First Aid Program.

Example

A child care centre’s cook sometimes helps out the other staff by being counted towards staff to child ratios in the preschool room when reduced ratios are allowed. In this case, this employee (the cook) is required to be first aid certified.

The centre’s administrative support staff person who works in the office is never counted in staff to child ratios. In this case, this employee is not required to be first aid certified.

Any licensee who is registered with the WSIB must ensure that they meet their first aid obligations as an employer under Regulation 1101 under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. All employers covered by the WSIB are required to have first aid equipment, facilities and trained workers in all workplaces.

Compliance Indicators

The supervisor file includes documentation of a valid certification in standard first aid issued by a training course approved by the WSIB, as well as confirmation that infant and child CPR was taken as part of the training

The supervisor's file includes an exemption letter indicating that the ministry director is satisfied that the person would not be able to obtain the certification due to a disability

Files for staff who may be counted to fulfill required ratios include documentation of valid certification in standard first aid issued by a training course approved by the WSIB, as well as confirmation that infant and child CPR was taken as part of the training

Files for staff who may be counted to fulfill required ratios includes an exemption letter indicating that the Ministry director is satisfied that the person would not be able to obtain the certification due to a disability

Where a standard first aid certification, including infant and child CPR has not yet been obtained and a person has already started interacting with children, the individual’s file contains documentation individual to obtain a certification in standard first aid as soon as reasonably possible

The licensee verbally confirms that they required the individual to obtain the certification in standard first aid including infant and child CPR as soon as reasonably possible

Where a standard first aid certification, including infant and child CPR has not yet been obtained and a person has already started interacting with children, the licensee is able to explain, or there is documentation indicating, why the length of time required to obtain certification in standard first aid, including infant and child CPR justifies permitting the individual to begin employment or otherwise interacting with children
Where a valid certification in standard first aid has not yet been obtained and a person has already started interacting with children, staff or licensee can confirm that another person who is certified in standard first aid including infant and child CPR is available and in proximity to the children they can respond to the children in the event of an emergency

Updated: February 07, 2025

Published: January 23, 2025