Licensing requirements
Licensing processes and renewals
Licenses are required to be amended, if necessary, to ensure director approvals and conditions on the license align with new restrictions.
To support the operational needs of licensees, the ministry will prioritize and expedite the review of requests to revise and amend licenses.
Licensees are required to meet all the requirements set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and its regulations and to obtain all necessary municipal approvals to support licence revision requests.
Licensees must follow all current ministry and CMSM/DSSAB policies and guidelines.
Inspections
Ministry staff will conduct in-person monitoring and licensing inspections of child care centres, home child care agencies, home child care premises and in-home services where necessary.
Ministry staff will:
- conduct a pre-screen prior to entering the premises, as well as follow any screening protocols set out by the licensee (see screening section)
- Please note: where licensees have chosen to screen individuals using rapid antigen tests, screening is subject to the consent of the individual. Ministry staff are not required to participate but may do so to at the request of the licensee. Ministry staff cannot be denied access to the premises if they do not wish to conduct a rapid antigen test as part of screening.
- wear a medical mask and eye protection (for example, face shield) as per occupational health and safety requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- follow any other protocols requested by the licensee or home child care or in-home service provider
Ministry staff will use technology (such as, telephone, video conferencing) to complete virtual monitoring and licensing inspections where appropriate.
Maximum group size and ratio
Child care settings are permitted to operate using maximum group sizes as set out under the CCEYA (such as, licensed age groups prior to the COVID‑19 outbreak).
Staff and students on educational placement are not included in the maximum group size. Please see the staffing section for more information.
Children are permitted to attend on a part time basis and must be included in the maximum group size for the period of time they are in attendance. As with children attending full time, children attending part time should be included in one group and should not mix with other groups.
While groups are permitted to return to the previous maximum group size under the CCEYA (maximum group size prior to the COVID‑19 outbreak), each group should stay together throughout the day and as much as possible should not mix with other groups.
Please see the health and safety requirements section of this document for more information on limiting interactions between groups, particularly in shared spaces and programming to support physical distancing.
Licensees are required to maintain ratios set out under the CCEYA. Please see the group size and ratio charts below for reference.
Mixed age grouping is permitted as set out under the CCEYA where a director approval has been granted on the license.
Reduced ratios are permitted as set out under the CCEYA provided that groups are not mixed and that reduced ratios are not permitted at any time for infants.
Group size/ratio charts
| Age category | Age range of age category | Ratio of employees to children | Maximum number of children in group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | Younger than 18 months | 3 to 10 | 10 |
| Toddler | 18 months or older but younger than 30 months | 1 to 5 | 15 |
| Preschool | 30 months or older but younger than 6 years | 1 to 8 | 24 |
| Kindergarten | 44 months or older but younger than 7 years | 1 to 13 | 26 |
| Primary/junior school age | 68 months or older but younger than 13 years | 1 to 15 | 30 |
| Junior school age | 9 years or older but younger than 13 years | 1 to 20 | 20 |
Licensed family age groups
| Age range of age category | Ratio of employees to children |
|---|---|
| Younger than 12 months | 1 to 3 |
| 12 months or older but younger than 24 months | 1 to 4 |
| 24 months or older but younger than 13 years | 1 to 8 |
Maximum capacity of building
More than one child care or early years program or day camp can be offered per building as long as they are able to maintain separation between the groups and/or programs, and follow all health and safety requirements that apply to those programs.
There are no changes to the maximum group size for home child care which allows for a maximum of 6 children, not including the providers own children who are 4 years or older.
Staffing
Movement of supervisors and/or designates, staff and students on educational placement between child care locations and between licensed age groups is permitted. Reducing the movement of staff and placement students where possible is encouraged to minimize potential for transmission.
Qualified staff
- Licensees are required to ensure each group has the required number of qualified staff as set out in the CCEYA. Licensees may submit requests for staff director approval (DAs) to the ministry.
- Staff DAs can be requested from one child care centre to another child care centre that is operated by the same licensee.
- Licensees can request a staff DA for multiple age groups.
Certification in standard first aid training, including infant and child CPR
- Staff that are included in ratios and all home child care providers are required to have valid certification in first aid training including infant and child CPR, unless exempted under the CCEYA or the certification has been extended by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
- The WSIB has indicated that all certifications that expire after March 1, 2020 are automatically temporarily extended.
- Licensees are encouraged to monitor the WSIB website for any updates on First Aid/CPR certificate extensions for any staff, home child care providers or in-home service providers whose certification would have expired after March 1, 2020.
Vulnerable sector checks (VSCs)
- Licensees are required to obtain VSCs in accordance with the CCEYA from staff and other persons who are interacting with children at a premises, including students on educational placement.
- If an individual is unable to obtain a VSC in a reasonable amount of time due to significant backlogs, they must ensure the individual has applied for a VSC and put in place additional measures as set out in their reference check policy.