A community care facilities licence is required for all programs and facilities providing care to three or more children who are not related to the operator by blood or marriage.
The different types of licensed child care programs include:
Group Child Care (under 36 months)
Group Child Care (30 months to school age)
Preschool (30 months to school age): Up to 4 hours of care per day to children who are at least 30 months old on entrance to the program and 36 months old by December 31 of the year of entrance.
Group Child Care (school age): Care before or after school or during periods of school closure to children who attend school, including kindergarten.
Multi-Age Child Care: Care to 8 children of various ages.
Family Child Care: Care for up to 7 children in the licensee’s personal home and where the licensee personally provides the care.
In-Home Multi-Age Care: Care for up to 8 children in the licensee’s personal home and where the licensee personally provides the care.
Occasional Child Care: No more than 40 hours in a month to children who are at least 18 months old.
Child-minding: a child care program under contract to the government that provides services to immigrants.
Visit our
Child Care - Inspection Reports page to look up child care inspection reports.
The director of licensing has specified the following standards of practice that apply to licensed child care programs:
Child registration form
Emergency consent form (child)
Immunization information form
Child Care Outdoor Space & Equipment Safety Check (template) - This resource is intended for child care licensees as a template for creating a child care outdoor space and equipment safety checklist.
Starting at the age of four, children should get a booster dose of tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio, and should have a second dose of measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox vaccine.
Post theKindergarten immunization poster at your facility. For more information, check out
kindergarten vaccines.
Child Care Physical Plant Application Guide
Design Resource for Child Care Facilities
Sneezes and Diseases
Immunization Guidelines for Employees in Child Care Facilities
Child Care Facilities Safe and Healthy Food
This document is intended for use by health care professionals and licensed child care group daycare operators. The document summarizes the recommendations of the Medical Health Officer for the prevention and control of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks and should be used as a resource to develop or augment existing childcare outbreak protocols.
VCH Child Care GI Outbreak Policy - September 2012
Child Care GI Outbreak Surveillance Form
Licensed Child Care - VCH Enteric Outbreak Summary Form
VCH Public Health Facility GI Outbreak Summary Form
Health Care Facility - VCH Enteric Outbreak Summary Form
Pandemic Response Planning Checklist - A checklist for child care facilities in the event of an influenza pandemic
The Food Flair™ Early Learning Practitioners Resource contains information about nutrition, healthy eating and food-related topics, along with recipes and fun activities to do with children, and ideas and information sheets to share with families. Download the Food Flair Resource Manual.