Staff in Centre-based Child Care

The Day Nurseries Act stipulates minimum staff requirements and qualifications. The Supervisor of the centre must hold a diploma in early childhood education (or equivalent) and have at least two years of experience working in a child care centre.

There must be a minimum of one qualified staff in each defined group of children. S/he must have completed at least a two year early childhood education program from a community college (or equivalent). Many programs employ more than the minimum of qualified program staff but under the Act, all other program staff positions may be filled by assistants to meet the staff:child ratio requirements. There are no specified educational qualifications for assistants under the Day Nurseries Act. Some staff employed as assistants are in the process of obtaining an early childhood education qualification or have training in other fields of study. Staff training has been identified as a key indicator of quality child care.

As of March 1995, provincial government legislation requires that criminal reference checks be completed for all potential employees and program volunteers who will work directly with children in licensed programs.

Resource Teachers are available in some centres. These specially trained staff have a diploma in early childhood education and a post-graduate certificate that qualifies them to work with children with special needs and their families. Resource teachers also provide support to staff in child care centres and others in the community who provide care to children with special needs.

Child care centres may also employ support staff in clerical, maintenance, housekeeping and cooking positions.

In a high quality program, all staff strive to meet the physical, intellectual, social, emotional and communication needs of the young children in their care.