Child care employee sitting at a table with children.

Operating a Child Care Centre

Home Living Here Early Learning and Child CareOperating a Child Care Centre

Reopening Early Learning and Child Care for Operators

The Children’s Services Division is the service system manager for early learning and child care in Durham Region. We continue to work with the Durham Region Health Department and the Ministry of Education to ensure the safe reopening of licensed child care. As such, we continue to provide operators with helpful information and resources, such as the Reopening Toolkit.

Select the “Receive email updates” button at the bottom of this page to be notified of updates.

Sample health and safety policies and PPE application

Sample health and safety policies

The policies below are samples that operators may use to guide their reopening policy development. They are not mandatory.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) application

If your licensed child care centre requires additional personal protective equipment (PPE), please submit a completed PPE application form.

Children's Services COVID-19 Early Learning Updates

The Children’s Services Division is committed to keeping licensed child care operators apprised of changes impacting licensed child care services in Durham Region throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial Supports during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Children's Services Division encourages licensed child care operators and providers to visit Invest Durham for updated financial support information. This website includes a variety of government and non-government funding programs, as well as links to funding, calculators, financial resources, and business supports.

Operating licensed child care

Opening a child care centre

You can find information about opening a child care centre on the Ministry of Education website.

Wage enhancement

On December 15, 2016, the Ministry of Education gave direction to The Regional Municipality of Durham to roll out the Wage Enhancement Program in Durham Region.

To get more information, go to the Ministry of Education website.

The Ministry of Education's wage enhancement goals and focus are to:

Close the gap between Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) wages in the school boards and licensed child care programs.
Help licensed child care operators keep RECEs and child care staff.
Change the present child care system, so parents and children get quality child care service to support children's learning and development.
Strengthen the licensed home child care system.

These were essential considerations used to develop the process and expectations set out by the Region of Durham.

We will support operators with the application process. Operators must apply every year to get this funding. If an operator does not complete the application the operator's organization will not receive an allocation. All operators must submit a Wage Enhancement Attestation form in December to continue to receive monthly payments to pay employees.

New operators wanting to apply for funding can contact the Wage Enhancement Team by email WageEnhancement@durham.ca or by phone at 1-800-387-0642 ext. 3782 and request an application.

If you need help, you can contact the Wage Enhancement Team by email WageEnhancement@durham.ca or by phone at 1-800-387-0642 ext. 3782.

Please note: individuals may not apply. Individuals asking about their share of wage enhancement must fill in the Wage Enhancement Inquiry form.

Purchase of Service-Fee Subsidy application process

The Children's Services Division approves or denies new Purchase of Service Agreement applications in Durham based on quality and strong community need. This allows Children's Services to make sure that growth of the child care system is well planned.

The most important thing is that children and families in Durham have good quality, safe, child care and early learning programs.

Operators can contact the Children's Services, Early Learning Team to enquire about a Purchase of Service. Please call the Early Learning Secretary for assistance at 906-668-4113 ext. 2691.

Before moving ahead with the Purchase of Service application process, the Children's Services Division will consider factors such as community need and if the child care operator has had a clear license with the Ministry of Education for at least six months. If these factors are met, an application will be forwarded to the operator. Once the application is received, a budget check and Quality Assurance inspection of the site will occur and a full review will take place to determine if a Purchase of Service Agreement will be granted. The full process can take up to a year to complete. We will send a letter to the operator with the result.

The Durham Region Fee Subsidy Payment Policy is available for more information.

General Operating Program (GOP)

In 2013, the Ministry of Education released a new funding model for Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) based on information about the community. The Ministry's aim was for CMSMs to change the wage subsidy processes into a GOP. Durham Region's goal was to use community input and research when developing the GOP. Until the provincial budget is announced in spring 2019, GOP will continue to be paid to operators based on 2018 allocations.

Licensed child care centres and home child care agencies, that are approved for a Purchase of Service Fee Subsidy Service Agreement in Durham, qualify for the General Operating Program.

Durham Region's Operating Criteria (DROC)

Infant

Toddler

Preschool

Before and After School

Assessment | Évaluation

Playground

Nutrition

Special Purpose Funding opportunities

2021 Special Purpose Funding application forms are now available. Applications will be reviewed and processed following the re-opening of the child care sites.

Forms and fee subsidy payment policy

Durham Region Health Department inspection information

The Health Department inspects all licensed child care centres in Durham Region to prevent the spread of illness. We provide information, control outbreaks and respond to complaints.

Online inspection results are here!

Child care centre inspection reports

Durham Notice of Inspection Disclosure By-law

Application package for child care centres (new or altered spaces)

You can fill out and submit an application for new programs or altered spaces in your child care centre.

Child care centre application

Child care educational resources

Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Online Learning Module

Child care staff can support their education on infection prevention and control through the IPAC Online Learning Module.

The learning module has information about:

Chain of transmission
Risk assessment
Hand hygiene
Hygiene and disinfection practices
Environmental controls
Outbreak management

Access the learning module

If you have not registered with Adobe Connect:

If you have already registered an account with Adobe Connect:

Log into the module

Download instructions

Minimum system requirements

A computer with Internet access is required to access the IPAC module. Each chapter may take three to five minutes to load. Please be patient.
Flash Player 10 or higher is required to view the IPAC module.
The IPAC module contains audio narration; it is recommended that you turn on your computer's speakers, or wear headphones if you are in a shared environment.

Wee Care Manual

Wee Care Manual Survey Results

The Wee Care Manual is an educational resource provided by the Health Department to all licensed child care centres for all of your centre's day-to-day needs.

If your centre doesn't have a manual, please contact your area public health inspector.

The manual has information about:

Infection control and outbreak management
Immunization
Infectious diseases
Safe environment
Healthy lifestyle
Related fact sheets

Infection control practices

Use these guides for preventing the spread of germs in your centre and to help your staff follow correct infection control practices:

Outbreak management and reporting in child care settings

As of January 7, 2022, and until further notice, outbreaks are no longer being declared in child care centres. The isolation requirements noted in our outbreak control package reflects guidance prior to January 2022.

See the current guidance related to child care centres.

Experiencing an outbreak or suspected outbreak in a child care setting

Outbreaks or suspected outbreaks must be reported to the health department immediately.

Report an outbreak in a child care setting

If this online reporting form is not available, please contact the Durham Health Connection Line. For after-hours public health emergencies, please call 905-576-9991 and ask to speak to the public health inspector on call.

Use the following resources to prevent outbreaks and to detect when they occur:

Keeping hands clean

You can stop the spread of germs and reduce your risk of getting sick by keeping your hands clean.

Keeping hands clean video

Cleaning and disinfection

You can reduce the spread of germs and illness in your centre with regular cleaning and disinfection.

Use the resources below to make sure you are cleaning and disinfecting correctly:

Animals and child care centres

Animals can offer a valuable learning experience, but can also expose children and staff to infections and injuries, and are a source of allergens.

Children can develop infections from animals. Younger children, under age five, are at a higher risk.

Wee Care newsletter

The Wee Care newsletter is designed specifically for operators and staff of licensed child care centres in Durham Region, to provide information and resource material to help in their daily operation. This newsletter is published twice a year.

Learn more about submission guidelines.

Other resources

Guidelines for infectious diseases reporting and exclusion

Environmental Health Line
101 Consumers Dr. Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
T.: 905-723-3818
Toll Free:: 1-888-777-9613
F.: 905-666-1887
Email Health Department