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Child Care Centres
Child Care Centre Manual
Chapter 1 - Health Records for Children and Staff
Keeping accurate, up-to-date records for the children in your care is an important, legislated part of your job.
Child Health
Early identification of speech and language delays can help children get the help they need to prevent later difficulties with speaking, listening, social interaction and reading. As a Child Care Provider, you can help! You can offer speech and language screening for all children when they register in your program.
Food Safety
Food safety is especially important in a childcare setting because any illness that can be spread through food or water may have a more serious impact on young children that on adults and may be spread more rapidly within any environment involving extensive interaction between young children.
Immunization
Keeping accurate, up-to-date records for the children in your care is an important, legislated part of your job. It is a requirement of the Child Care and Early Years Act to help ensure a healthier environment for everyone.
Infectious Diseases
Day Care Centres are ideal places for the spread of infectious diseases because of the large number of young people in close contact with each other that may have not yet developed good personal hygiene habits or immunity.
There are a variety of communicable diseases that tend to commonly circulate in school and daycare settings where children have close contact with peers. The Childhood Communicable Diseases Guidelines and information document provides general information about communicable diseases experienced by children.
Infection Control and Outbreak Management
Public Health staff will help in the management and prevention of outbreaks of illness at daycares. An outbreak occurs when there is an increase in the number of infections that come in above normal in a given period of time.
Early recognition and reporting of outbreaks will help further decrease the number of children and staff affected as well as shorten the duration of the outbreak.
How to Report an Outbreak
If you suspect an outbreak at your facility, contact APH as soon as possible to discuss outbreak management and control with a Public Health Inspector. During evenings, weekends and holidays, contact 705-254-6611.
Chapter 5 - Nutrition
Child care providers play an essential role in helping children develop lifelong healthy relationships with food.
Nutrition for Child Care Settings
Child care providers play an important role in helping children develop healthy relationships with eating and food. As young children may consume more than half of their meals or snacks while in child care, providing nutritious food in a positive way is essential for healthy growth and development. Ontario Dietitians in Public Health has developed resources to assist Child Care Centres in meeting the food and drink requirements in the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Canada’s food guide and Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants are documents from Health Canada that provide the foundation for all nutrition recommendations.
The Ministry of Education’s Child Care and Early Years Act contains Nutrition Recommendations that outline the minimum requirements that Licensed Childcare facilities must meet to ensure all infants and children attending child care centres in Ontario are provided with enough safe and nutritious food to meet their individual energy and nutrient requirements.
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The Ministry of Education created the Ontario Child Care Centre Licensing Manual to support child care centres in meeting legislative and regulatory requirements, as well as a supplemental document; Nutrition Recommendations for Licensed Child Care Providers in Ontario specific to the nutrition requirements.
Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH) created the Child Care Menu Planning; Practical Guide to assist child care facilities in meeting ministry requirements. This resource is based on guidance from Canada’s food guide and Health Canada’s Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants and aligns with the requirements in the Child Care and Early Years Act (Section 42 of Ontario Reg. 137/15). It is also referenced in the Ministry of Education’s Child Care Licensing Manuals. This resource supports child care operators in meeting the Child Care Licensing Checklist, which addresses meals provided, between-meal snacks, drinking water available and nutrition recommendations.
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The resource does not include all requirements related to nutrition, such as posting of menus and bagged lunches. Child care providers should refer to Ontario’s Ministry of Education Child Care Centre Licensing Manuals for additional requirements related to nutrition.
Additional ODPH resources created to compliment Child Care Menu Planning; Practical Guide:
Learn more about food safety requirements and safe food handler certification.
Oral Health Services
A healthy mouth is important for a child to develop physically, socially and emotionally. There are many factors that contribute to dental health.
Chapter 7 - Infection Control Cleaning and Disinfecting
Good cleaning and sanitizing practices can prevent outbreaks of illness within your child care center. Having a proper cleaning schedule for your centre is the first step to ensuring that the cleaning is being done effectively and regularly.
Safe Environments
Our indoor and outdoor environments are important to our overall health.
Water Safety
Operators must provide potable water and comply with provincial regulations regarding sampling and treatment.
Local public health updates. These newsletters keep our municipalities informed about the impactful work taking place in our communities.