Who’s responsible?
Who to contact
- Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
- Website
- (709) 729-5097
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Child care
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is responsible for child care, early childhood learning and development, the K - 12 school system, and public libraries.
The Division of Early Learning and Child DevelopmentThe Division of Early Learning and Child Development within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development monitors and licenses child care centres and family child care homes under the Child Care Act and regulations. It is also responsible for Family Resource Centres.
The Child Care Services Subsidy Program can cover the cost of child care for eligible families. It is administered through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s regional offices.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. It is a full-school day program for all children who will be five years old by December 31 of that year. Attendance is not compulsory.
Kindergarten is full-school for all five-year-olds and the province has begun phasing in year-round full-day pre-kindergarten program for all four-year-olds to be operated as non-profit child care staffed by early childhood educators.
Finding child care
Facts and figures
- There is a regulated space for 14% of children aged 0 – 12 years. (2021)
- There is a centre-based space for 20% of children aged 0 – 5 years. (2021)
- For-profit organizations operate 62% of the centres and 70% of the centre-based spaces. Most of the remainder are non-profits. (2021).
- New child care expansion will be exclusively not-for-profit and public.
Families are responsible for finding and obtaining a child care space for their child(ren); there is no universal entitlement to a child care space for children in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Early Learning and Child Care Directory is a searchable database that provides the location and contact information of all regulated child care services, both centre-based and family child care, and family resource centres in Newfoundland and Labrador. Parents must contact centres directly to register their child or to put their child on a waiting list.
Newfoundland and Labrador has two models of regulated family child care: providers operating under the Family and Child Care Connections agency and those with individual licenses.
All regulated family child care providers in the St. John's/Metro area, and many in Corner Brook and surrounding areas are part of Family and Child Care Connections, a licensed family child care agency. The agency’s Family Child Care Agency Registry helps families find regulated family child care providers in St. Johns and surrounding areas.
Family child care homes elsewhere in the province are individually licensed by the province and are not included in this registry. Parents must find these family child care providers in their community through the province’s Early Learning and Child Care Directory .
Newfoundland and Labrador also has Family Resource Centres in parts of the province. Family Resource Centres can also be located through the Early Learning and Child Care Directory. Programs in these centres may include drop-in playgroups, parenting workshops, and pre-natal support programs. These centres may also be a source of information for families about child care and other children’s issues.
Paying for child care
As part of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador CWELCC agreement, fees for all full-day regulated child care participating in the province’s Operating Grant Program were reduced to $10/day on January 1, 2023. Centres not participating continue to set their own fees but most participate.
Fee Subsidies
Eligible families may receive financial assistance through the Child Care Services Subsidy Program, administered by regional child care service offices.
Families on income support, who have previously completed needs testing, are already considered eligible and do not require further testing.
Typically, parents must be working or attending school to receive a subsidy. However, a child referred to child care for developmental reasons may be considered eligible for subsidy whether or not the parent is in the paid labour force or training.
Subsidy applications are available online. Note: You must find a child care centre or regulated family home child care for your child before a subsidy can be applied. You will need to let your regional child care services office know when your child will be starting and the program’s daily fees.
Regulated child care
In Newfoundland and Labrador, child care centres must operate in accordance with the regulations set out in the Child Care Regulations, under the Child Care Act.
Regulated family child care is also subject to the provincial regulations, which determines the number and ages of children allowed in the provider's care. Family child care is monitored by either the licensing officials at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development or by a licensed agency through regular home visits.
However, most family child care is not regulated.
Regulations address a wide range of standards, including space requirements, attendance taking, and outdoor time. A few regulations related to program quality are highlighted below. Child care services and family child care agencies are inspected by an inspector at least once a year.
- In child care centres, one staff person with each group of children is required to have a one-year post secondary certificate in early childhood education for the age group in which the staff is assigned
- All other staff who are included in the centre’s staff/child ratio must have Entry Level certification (30 – 60 hour course), with the exception of infant programs, where the minimum qualification is a one-year certificate in infant care.
- Regulated family child care providers are required to have a 30-60 hour entry level certification course and 30 hours of professional development every three years to keep certification valid.
- Centre supervisors must have a two-year diploma in early childhood education in the age groups for which the centre is licensed and two or more years experience working with children in those age groups.
- Staff:child ratios address the number of staff required per number of children.
- Group size is the number of children, usually of one age group, that stay together throughout the day in a defined group – often a room.
- Family child care homes have a specified number of children by age.
Child care centres
| Age of child | Staff:child ratio | Max group size |
|---|---|---|
| 0-36 months | 1:3 | 6 |
|
18 months - 3 years |
1:5 | 10 |
| 24 months – 5 years 9 months | 1:7 | 14 |
| 2years 9 months - 5yrs 9 months | 1:8 | 16 |
| 3 years 1 month - 7 years | 1:8 |
16 |
| 4 years, 9 months – 7 years | 1:12 | 24 |
| 4 years, 9 months – 13 years | 1:15 | 30 |
| 6 years, 9 months – 13 years | 1:15 | 30 |
Family child care
- Each home may have a maximum of seven children in a mixed-age grouping if none are infants (0 – 2 years) and no more than two are toddlers (18 months – 3 years). They may have no more than three children if they are all infants, no more than five if two are infants and three are toddlers, and no more than six if two are infants and two are toddlers. The provider’s own child(ren) in the infant, toddler and preschool age range (up to 5 years 9 months old) must count toward the number of children.
- Under exceptional circumstances (and with directors’ approval), a family child care provider may add up to two of his/her own children in the younger or older school-age range (4 years 9 months up to 13 years old).
- With director’s approval, a seventh child may be added for a maximum of 1.5 hours per day, or for a maximum of 12 continuous hours once a week. Providers may care for three children under two years if there are no other children being cared for at the same time.
Providers in all types of regulated child care in Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to provide meals, although they may choose to rather than having parents send food from home for their child. They are, however, required to serve meals and snacks at specified times.
Behaviour guidance policies must be established and implemented by the child care service administrator. The policies must recognize the developmental abilities of children and set appropriate expectations, acknowledge diversity, and promote realistic play and behaviour limits. The policies must prohibit the use of corporal punishment, harsh or humiliating verbal or physical treatment, confinement, restraint or isolation of a child, and deprivation of basic needs.
Behaviour guidance policies must be posted in the same place as the service’s licence or approval certificate.
A child care service is required to have a policy regarding parental involvement but specific criteria for this are not specified other than parents having access to all policies and procedures of the child care.
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Centres operating for more than four hours/ day must have access to an outdoor play area at least 7 square metres X the maximum number of children. It must be on-site, enclosed by a fence at least 1.2 metres tall with a locking gate. Play structures must have a protective surface underneath if they are fixed or have a fall height greater than 1.2 metres.
-
Centres operating for four or fewer hours per day may use a public play area if it is reasonably safe, age-appropriate, and within a reasonable distance of the facility.
The regulations require some basic health and safety precautions to be met. For example, providers are required to:
- Provide a healthy, safe, and appropriate environment;
- Ensure that food and time to rest are offered to children;
- Recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of illness in children;
- Update and have access to emergency contact information;
- Create and practice an evacuation plan
- Report serious incidents, including:
- Injury requiring emergency medical attention;
- Death of a child;
- Fire or other disaster at the facility;
- Risk to the health or safety of the children, including environmental or practice;
- Abuse or neglect, or an allegation of abuse or neglect of a child by a licensee, employee, student, or volunteer assisting in or providing care in the operation of the service while that child is participating.
- Enforce hygienic diapering procedures; and,
- Ensure the safe storage and administration of prescription medications.
Newfoundland and Labrador uses the curriculum framework Navigating the Early Years: An Early Childhood Learning Framework. Its use is mandatory in child care centres.
The regulations do not address all aspects of quality. For example, there are no regulations or standards addressing curriculum or pedagogy in child care, or parent involvement.
Newfoundland and Labrador has developed a number of manuals to guide quality in centre-based child care. The guidelines included in the following manuals are suggested but not regulated:
Unregulated child care
A child care service is not required to be licensed if any of the following apply:
- Operating for less than 10 hours/week;
- Serving up to three children all in the infant age range (2 years old or younger), or up to four children of which two may be infants. The provider’s child(ren) 13 years old or younger must count towards the number of children.
Children with disabilities
Families in Newfoundland and Labrador are eligible for the child care subsidy if their child has a disability and child care is recommended by a recognized health care professional (regardless of parents’ employment status).
The Inclusion Program is available to regulated service providers to help facilitate an inclusion (for example, hire another staff or purchase special equipment). The level of support depends on the specific needs of the child.
Each of the province’s four regional offices has a Child Care Services Inclusion Consultant available to advise and support licensees and providers on how to include children with disabilities.
A manual on inclusion, Child Care Services Inclusion of Children with Special Needs Policy Manual is available online.
See Do you have a child with a disability or special need? for more information on provincial/territorial supports for children with disabilities in child care.