Ontario Day Nurseries Act Regulations

: Ontario Day Nurseries Act Regulations

Specifications : 2 Pages , 1 Source , APA Style

br Ontario Day Nurseries Act Regulations

Preparation : Arrange to borrow a copy of the Ontario Childcare Licensing Day Nurseries Manual or access the Day Nurseries Act on the Web

Activity : Prepare a presentation that you might make to parents explaining the regulations that your center is required to meet in to maintain its license to operate . Use a format of your choice

Evaluation Criteria

1 .Professional presentation (spelling , grammar , references , etc ) 1 mark

2 .Complete and shows a

clear understanding of the regulations 20 marks

3 .Creativity of presentation 4 marks 25 marks

Day Nurseries Act is a legislation meant for regularizing and providing licenses for child care in the province of Ontario , Canada . This act was actually developed by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services in Canada . The act ensures that the day care organizations standardize appointment of staff for the children , maintains a specified ratio takes measures regarding the health and safety of the children , permits outdoor and indoor playing space , and ensures that the staff qualifications are standardized (City of Ottawa , 2007

The Nurseries have to obtain a license from the Ministry of Child and Youth Services before they can start the operations . The Area Officer would sanction the license . A new license would cost about 15 , and renewal charges would be 10 . The Area Officer would inspect the premises and the staff appointed at the day care center . This license has to be renewed from time to time . However , the act offers some exemption for certain types of child care centers such as day care center found in a public school , separate school , training center for mentally retarded children , a recreational center run by the local government , etc . The act initially defines several terms used including day nursery , administrator , band , delivery agents , Tribunal private-home day care , mental health center for children , private-home day care agency , residential care etc . It defines a day nursery as a premise that takes care of more than 5 children for providing childcare or guidance , temporarily for less than 24 hours . The children are usually under the age of 10 years , and 18 years in the case of children with special needs . The legislation takes care of various aspects including licenses to operate , premises needed to provide child care equipment and furnishing , playground , staff , health , nutrition , etc (CDRCP , 2007

Before the premises is acquired and arrangements made , approval should be obtained from the fire , heath , zoning , building and municipal departments . This is essential before a license is obtained Permission is also required in case the day nursery is planning of changing a plan or renovating the premises . The Area Office of the Ministry of Community would take care of renovation issues . Each child should be given an indoor space of 30 square feet , and about 54 square feet for a child with special needs . Children below the age of 18 or 24 months should be given a separate room fro a specified number along with place to sleep . The nursery should have a place for eating , dressing washing , toileting , treating sick children , storing the toys and other learning equipment , storing the medicine kit , etc . Besides , the nursery should ensure amenities for the staff member such as place for preparing food , storing the linen , and a staff rest area (CDRCP , 2007

The nurseries should have a fenced outdoor space of 60 square feet for each child to play . Gates if present should be adequately locked . All the day care programs should preferable have an outdoor playing space as it is essential for the development of the child (CDRCP , 2007

The supervisor of the day care nursery should hold a diploma in education and should have at least two years of experience in childcare Each group of children should have a trainer (who has a diploma in early childhood education . Depending on the number , age and the special needs of children , the number of trained staff members would also vary (CDRCP , 2007

The legislation requires that only immunized children be admitted to the day care center . However , exceptions may be given to parents with certain religious feelings or children who cannot be immunized on medical grounds . The local medical officer should give a certificate with regard to the immunization status . The parent would give feeding instructions to the day care center for a child below one year . For children above one year , a planned and balanced nutritious diet should be administered . Efforts should be on to promote dental health of the child (CDRCP , 2007

The Day Nurseries Act , Ontario is specifically targeted to ensure that the children are provided care in a safe and congenial manner . It assures quality care and provides guidelines for the premises owner regarding the specifications of the premises , appointment of the staff etc

Philosophy Statement

The Ontario Daycare nurseries Act ensures that certain aspects are met including :-

Provision of quality child care

Inclusion of certain criteria for the functioning of the daycare center

Partnership with parents

Importance of play

One of the important aspects of the daycare center is to ensure that quality childcare is provided , regardless of the age , developmental stages , family issues , etc , of the child . The organization would have to follow certain guidelines to ensure that quality standards are being maintained . It should consider providing activities and services that help the all-round activities of the child . These activities should be conduced by trained professionals . Provision of quality standards is one of the important requirements of the Act . So far the Act has been able to improve the quality standards of childcare in Ontario . Some of the important quality standards of childcare include : -

The staff should be trained in childcare . They should possess relevant qualifications and training . They should have an idea of the requirements needed for the development of the child and ensure that their nutritional needs are fulfilled . All the staff members should be treated as employees and should be given benefits that other types of organizations provide to their staff . They should appoint supervisors and managers at various posts to ensure that the organization is functioning effectively

The child should be provided an environment in which learning and the nurturance needs are continuously met . A thorough planning should be done as to how the needs of the child should be fulfilled . The individual requirements of the child need to be taken into consideration

The child should be able to interact with other children belonging to the same age group . However , the groups of children should be kept small to ensure that each child is given individual attention

One important criteria of quality care is to ensure that certain standards to improve the health and safety of the children are met . The parent 's advice regarding diet , healthy practices needed and safety has to be followed . The organization should be able to meet the physical and the emotional needs of the child . Besides , hygiene practices such as hand washing , toileting , diapering , safe food preparation and storage , cleaning , housekeeping , etc , need to be followed (CCF , 1994

The organization should meet certain criteria laid down in the act regarding the provision of childcare in groups . Usually only a certain number of children can be admitted in one group , and each child should be given a moving and a playing space . Learning and play activities should be conducted which are very important for the development of the child . Children of younger age groups including babies should be kept in smaller groups as they require more attention and cannot function better in a group . On the other hand , as children become older , they are more and more suitable to function in a group (CCF , 1994

Another important quality requirement is that a close relationship should be maintained between the daycare center and the parents or guardians . The daycare center should be able to provide customized care , based on the individual needs of the children . The family of the child should be able to communicate freely with the staff members . The staff should maintain friendly and professional relationships with the parents . The parents should be provided information regarding the childcare as and when required . They should be able to discuss the progress of the child with the staff members . Besides , the daycare center should maintain confidentiality in certain issues that may be needed under childcare (CCF , 1994

Play is a very important developmental and learning activity for the children . The daycare center should ensure that the children are given the right equipment including toys , educational material , movement space , etc , in to having a meaning experience . Developing the mental and physical abilities of the child is one of the important philosophical statements of the daycare center , a responsibility they would have to fulfill in association with the parents . The daycare center should frame a routine of activities that would support the mental , physical , social , and intellectual needs of the child . Children from various age groups , cultures , socio-economic groups , etc , should have their individual developmental needs catered (CCF , 1994

Policies and procedures : -

All the premises concerned with receiving children for providing temporary care and guidance for a period of less than 24 hours , is known as `day nursery . A special Act known as the Day Nurseries Act permits the functioning of Day care centers for children and assures that such centers are regularized and follow certain standards . The Ministry of Child and Youth Services ensures that a license is provided to such organizations . The municipality would provide the ensure that the license is provided and that several other departments such as fire department , health department and building department are able to inspect the daycare center and give their approval . The daycare center has to fulfill certain criteria of these local authorities , prior to the provision of license . The very building plan and layout , before the construction of the building should gain the approval of the municipal authorities (CDRCP , 2007 Government of Ontario , 2007

The licenses that are issued can be of three types , namely , the regular license , provisional license and the suspended license . If the daycare center meets with the criteria laid down in the Act , then it is considered to be complaint and is awarded a regular license . It is usually given for a period of one year . In case the daycare center does not meet with the criteria laid down in the Act , and if it requires time for meeting with these criteria , it is given a `provisional license The daycare center is given a certain period of time to meet the criteria , until which they could operate . However , parents and guardians should not consider that such a daycare center is an unsafe place to provide care for their children . Suspended license is a usually issued by the Director , when he /she considers that the daycare center could be harming the very health and safety of the children Such a daycare center will not be able to operate (CDRCP , 2007 Government of Ontario , 2007

Based on the need of the family , a daycare center may be of three different types . This includes home-based childcare center center-based childcare center , and school-aged childcare center

In the home-based childcare center , childcare is provided at the service provider 's house . Such homes offer services , to infants toddlers and even children who go to school . They provide care to the child based on a contract . The personnel who work for such homes have to be screened and monitored by the administrators . In turn , the municipality would inspect and provide license to the home . Every year the authorities would visit and inspect the home so that it ensures that the specifications of the license are met . Such homes provide guidance to the child in various aspects including education , development and behavior . The caregiver should ensure that all the guidelines of the Act are followed and implemented . It should ensure that certain activities that help in the physical and the mental development of the child are followed . It should care for the safety and the health of the child and it should provide a nutritious and a well-balanced diet . In case such organizations have provisional licenses , it should ensure that all the provisional guidelines are met . Having a home-based daycare center has several advantages . Children from the same family can be provided the services together and the organization can provide an even greater amount of support and care . The organization may be able to function better , as it is a small scale compared to other types of childcare organizations (Government of Ontario , 2007

Center-based childcare centers are larger organization that is actually offices , which provide care for children , toddlers , infants , and school-going children . It includes several types of organizations including nurseries , extended day-care center , after-school based programs and before-school-based programs . They may function independently as a separate organization , or may be associated with a religious organization , school or the workplace of the parents . Having a center care-based center has several benefits . As these organization works on a larger-scale , the children will be provided care with other children belonging to the same age group . The staff members who are recruited are more likely to be professional having a greater amount of training and experience . Such centers can provide care to children of different ages , so that their development is not hampered . The organization is also more likely to have the equipment and the knowledge to meet the developmental requirements of children belonging to various age-groups (Government of Ontario , 2007

School-age childcare center provide care to children from the age group of 6 to 12 years , and function at various times , the parents or the guardians may be unable to look after their wards . These include providing care before the school hours , after the school hours , during the lunch break , during the school breaks for vacations , and on other days that the school may not function (including holidays . School-age childcare can be provided by home-based care centers or center-based care centers . Such organizations are more flexible in their operational functions . They are able to make their own decisions regarding childcare . They main function includes that the child are able to spend time mainly through games and some constructional activities . These include physical activities , board games , word games , and crafts Accordingly , the children can chose an activity that suits their hobbies and interests . The children are able to develop a very useful past time . The staff would be just playing a participatory role , guiding the child during the play activities (Government of Ontario , 2007

Under the Ontario Day Nurseries Act , certain acts may be termed as `Offences . If any person s false information under that Act or provides false statement or report , the violation is termed as an offence . Anyone who runs a daycare center for children without seeking a license shall be said to commit an offence under the Act . Anyone who rues a day care center that is a very threat to the health and safety to the children would have said to commit an offence under the Act . Anyone who fails to meet with the previous s of the Court would have said to commit an offence under the Act (Government of Ontario , 2007

The Director may not renew or revoke the license of the daycare center under certain circumstances . If the daycare center is not being operated in a responsible manner , then the license can be withdrawn . If the employees and the administrators have not be functional in a manner that would not be supportive of the rules and regulations laid down in the Act , then the license can be withdrawn . If the building or the operational area does not comply with the criteria laid down in the Act then the license can be withdrawn . The license may be withdrawn in case the organization fails to meet the health and safety standards and the qualifications of the staff members . In case the license is to be revoked or refused , the Director needs to state so in writing well in advance . In certain cases , a hearing may be called if the applicant requires so . Such hearings should be usually d within 15 days However , in certain situations , the director may not require that a hearing be conducted (Government of Ontario , 2007

The Minister in charge of the Act may appoint Program Advisors for certain operational purposes mentioned in the Act . The Minister would be providing a designation and functions to be performed by these Program advisors . The Program Advisor may be given certain powers including the need to enter any childcare center and inspect the services being provided . He can also inspect the financial records of such organizations and ensure that the bank accounts are functioning in an appropriate manner . No person belonging to organization can obstruct entry and inspection of the Program Advisor

The Childcare center would be providing care to children below the age of 18 years . Generally , a childcare center would have to carry out activities that would help to develop the physical and mental abilities of the child . However , some of the daycare centers would be providing special care to the mental health of the children . Some of the common mental health problems in children include anxiety , depression , ADHD and conduct diss . The day care center would be conducting an assessment of the mental health of the child and ensure that various types of counseling are actually provided . The care provided may be multidisciplinary and include specialized services . Psychologist Psychiatrists , and social workers may provide care in such daycare center . Several forms of treatment may be needed including behavior modification , group therapy , counseling , play therapy , etc (Government of Ontario , 2007

As part of childcare , the organization would also have to provide care to the child considering the presence of any medical problem . The childcare center would have to follow the parent 's advice regarding administration of any medications or nutritional requirements . The childcare center should have trained professionals who are able to follow the advice mentioned by the parents . The parents have to provide written advice to the childcare center regarding administration of drugs and nutrition . In case the child required emergency care , the daycare center should ensure that the child 's immediate medical needs are answered . In case , the parents do not give any advise regarding diet to the day care center , then a nutritious and a well-balanced diet should be given

The organization should ensure that practices are being followed in to ensure that care is being provided in a clean and hygienic environment . The Day care center would be responsible for ensuring that any sanitary requirements of the child are fulfilled . They should appoint staff that would help to clean the child in case . Besides , the daycare center should have the equipment needed to provide hygiene for the children . Some of the sanitary measures that need to be followed include frequent toileting and changing of diapers , regular hand washing , placing ill-children in a separate room , preparing and storing the food in a hygienic manner , maintaining a clean environment . The daycare center should ensure that sick children suffering from communicable diseases are not admitted . All the health records of the daycare center should be maintained and updated regularly (CCF , 1994 .References

Canada CCF (1994 . National Statement On Quality Child Care Retrieved November 23 , 2007 , from Canada CCF Web site : HYPERLINK "http /www .cfc-efc .ca /docs /cccf .htm http /www .cfc-efc .ca /docs /cccf .htm

Child Development Resource Connection Peel (2007 , Day Nurseries Act Retrieved September 29 , 2007 , from CDREP Web site : HYPERLINK "http /www .cdrcp .com /ccip_dna .html " http /www .cdrcp .com /ccip_dna .htmlChild Development Resource Connection Peel (2007 , Day Nurseries Act-Staff , Retrieved September 29 , 2007 , from CDREP Web site HYPERLINK "http /www .cdrcp .com /ccip_dna .html Staff http /www .cdrcp .com /ccip_dna .html Staff

City of Ottawa Web site (2007 , The Day Nurseries Act , Retrieved September 29 , 2007 , from City of Ottawa Web site : HYPERLINK "http /ottawa .ca /residents /childcare /ottawa /day_en .html http /ottawa .ca /residents /childcare /ottawa /day_en .html

Government of Ontario (2007 . About Ontario 's Best Start , Retrieved November 23 , 2007 , from Government of Ontario Web site : HYPERLINK "http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /beststart /index .asp br http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /beststart /index .asp

Government of Ontario (2007 . Children And Youth Mental Health Services Retrieved November 23 , 2007 , from Government of Ontario Web site HYPERLINK "http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /needs /mhealth /index .asp http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /needs /mhealth /index asp

Government of Ontario (2007 . Protecting our children and youth Retrieved November 23 , 2007 , from Government of Ontario Web site HYPERLINK "http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /child /protection /in dex .asp http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /child /protection /ind ex .asp

Government of Ontario (2007 . Students Nutrition , Retrieved November 23 2007 , from Government of Ontario Web site : HYPERLINK "http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /beststart /nutrition /index .asp http /www .children .gov .on .ca /mcys /english /programs /beststart /nutrition index .asp ...