How to Start a Day Care Business in Ontario, Canada
The demand for day care in Ontario, Canada, has been growing at a steady pace for a number of years. The Province of Ontario stipulates that if you are planning on opening a home-based day care that will have five or more children who under the age of 10 and from different parents, you must carry a license.
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Things You'll Need
- Business license
- Home day care license
- Liability insurance
- Dedicated area in home to be used for the day care
- Criminal record search
Instructions
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Learn as much as you can about running a business and how to look after children. If you haven’t already done so, complete a college-level program in early childhood education. There are university degree programs in similar areas of study, but they will take longer to complete and might not provide the same practical or work placement terms.
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Learn the regulations set out by the Ontario Day Nurseries Act that stipulate how a home-based day care should be run. Items such as nutrition, behavior management and the ages of the children are spelled out in this act. Once you have read through the regulations, apply for a license through your local office of the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. As of 2010 the fee for a new license is $15CDN. You can also through the Ministries website. Have a criminal background check completed; this can be done through your local police department. In some cases there may be a small charge for the service.
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Apply for and obtain the necessary business licences and insurance coverage for your business. You can register your business name with the province (see last link in References). You will also need a business license from the city or town the business will be operating in; apply for this license through the city clerk’s office at your city hall or town office.
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Create an area in your home that will used for your day care. The ministry will conduct an inspection to ensure the area is suitable and safe for children. As a day care provider, you will be responsible for meals, organized play and craft time, children’s naptime and maintaining and cleaning the area. Have an area where all of this can be accomplished.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit child playing image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
