Provincial Childcare Regulations: How Canada Licenses Childcare
Lesson 2 of 6 in Working in Canadian Childcare · 30 minutes
Read about the provincial laws that license and inspect childcare in Canada. Childcare is regulated by provinces, not by the federal government — so Ontario's Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA), British Columbia's Community Care and Assisted Living Act (CCALA), and Alberta's Early Learning and Child Care Act (formerly the Child Care Licensing Act) each set different rules for ratios, group sizes, staff qualifications, and inspections. Understanding which law applies in your province is essential before your first interview.
What you'll learn
- Explain that childcare in Canada is regulated provincially, not federally
- Name the main childcare licensing law in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta
- Describe what a licence covers — ratios, group size, staff qualifications, food safety, space requirements
- Describe what a licensing inspector looks for during a visit
- Locate the licensing rules for your own province before a job interview
From the lesson
Childcare in Canada Is Regulated by Provinces
Unlike public schools, which are also provincial, childcare for children too young for school is licensed and inspected by each province and territory. There is no single 'Canada-wide' childcare law. The federal government provides funding through agreements with the provinces (for example, the $10-a-day Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care plan), but the rules about who can run a centre, how many children one educator may supervise, and what training staff need — all of these are decided province by province.
This means that a job that meets the rules in Saskatchewan may not meet the rules in Ontario. If you move from one province to…