When looking for child care, there are five choices:
- Licensed day care centres
- Agency home child care
- Unlicensed home child care
- PMFRC Emergency Child Care
- PMFRC Respite Child Care
Licensed Child Care Centres
Licensed child care centres must abide by the Ontario Day Nurseries Act and be inspected annually in order for the license to be renewed. The Petawawa Military Family Resource Centre (PMFRC) offers three options for licensed child care centres:
For more help in finding licensed child care centres in Ontario, visit the Government of Ontario’s guide for helping parents find licensed child care.
Agency Home Child Care
These child care providers are visited on a more regular basis and receive support from our Private Home Day Care staff.
Unlicensed Caregivers
These providers make up an estimated 80 percent of Canada’s child care spaces. By law, there can only be five children at one time in an unlicensed caregivers’ home, excluding the caregiver’s own children. There is no inspection, no screening process, and no requirement for formal training. This puts the responsibility on your shoulders to ensure you are leaving your children in a safe environment.
Here are some factors you should consider when entering into an agreement with an unlicensed caregiver:
- Ensure that there are five children or less receiving care;
- Check references (preferably from parents of children currently in care);
- Do unannounced spot checks
- Find out what the caregiver’s ”ill child” policy is;
- Agree upon discipline methods;
- Ensure that the caregiver has full liability insurance;
- Ensure that the indoor and outdoor environments are safe and meet all safety standards;
- Does the caregiver have a current first aid/CPR certificate?
For more tips on how to ensure that your children’s unlicensed child care arrangement is safe, please refer to the Child Safety Reference Manual.
PMFRC Emergency Child Care (ECC)
Our Emergency Child Care Service is a supplemental program available to military families to help buffer the child care stresses that uniquely face military families.
PMFRC Respite Child Care
If your situation doesn’t fall into our "Emergency Child Care" guidelines, please know that we offer a Respite Child Care Service that allows you to take a break from your children in certain situations.
For more information about our Emergency and Respite Child Care, contact us:
Emergency Child Care Coordinator
(613) 687-1641 ext. 2230
phdc.pmfrc@bellnet.ca