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Starting a Day Care center in Ontario
Expert: Mario Cywinski
Evangelia asked:
Where do i go and apply for a license for a day care home provider.
Mario Cywinski answered:
To answer your question we referred to the Canada Business Service Center (CBSC) website. On the site we found a section explaining how to start a Early Child Care center in Ontario. The site can be found Here .
To be able to receive a license for a day care center in Ontario, you need to do the following:
- First you need to decide on the type of day care center you with to run. The main options are listed on the CBSC website, they are: baby-sitting (self-employed caregivers), nanny service (live-in or out, work in home of employer), day-care centres, pre-kindergarten (except when part of elementary school system), preschool centres (except when part of elementary school system).
- Next you need to come up with a business plan for your day care center. The CBSC website offers a Interactive Business Planner to help you with this process.
- Next you need to register your business and get a license to run a day care center. In Ontario this is done by filing papers with the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. You must visit a regional office in your area to file papers with the ministry, a list of regional offices can be found Here . The Toronto Office of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services is located at:
Ministry of Children and Youth Services
Toronto Region
477 Mount Pleasant Road, 3rd floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1G1
Tel.: (416) 325-0500
Fax: (416) 325-0565 - Finally, you need to go over municipal regulations in your area to make sure you are following all local bylaws and registration procedures. Hiring a lawyer, might be a good option to avoid any problems down the road.
About the author
Mario Cywinski was the Assistant Editor of Canadaone.com and a graduate of Humber College's Journalism Program. Mario is currently the Managing Editor for Canadian Automotive Fleet and Fleet Vans and Trucks magazines, and is a member of AJAC. He has also worked for Trajan Publishing Corporation as a copy editor, and interned at ABC News, OMNI Television and Global TV.