Ontario Child Care Centre Licensing Manual Vocabulary

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key regulatory terms, legal definitions, and administrative requirements found in the 2024 Ontario Child Care Centre Licensing Manual.

CCEYA

The Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014; the primary legislation that regulates child care in Ontario.

Licensee

The individual, corporation, or First Nation that holds a licence issued under the CCEYA and is responsible for the operation and management of a child care centre.

Compliance Indicators

Specific criteria used by Ministry program advisors during inspections to assess whether a centre has met licensing requirements through observation, documentation review, or interviews.

Policy

A statement that sets out what a requirement is and why it exists, rather than the task-oriented steps to implement it.

Procedure

A task-oriented, predetermined set of instructions explaining how to perform specific actions to achieve compliance with a policy.

CWELCC

Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System; a funding agreement between Ontario and the federal government aimed at reducing child care costs for parents.

Base Fee

Any mandatory fee charged for child care services, including regulated items such as food or play materials, which must be reduced under the CWELCC system.

Non-Base Fee

Optional fees charged for items like transportation or field trips, or penalty fees such as late pick-up charges.

Mixed-Age Grouping

A director-approved arrangement allowing a percentage of children from a younger age category to be included in an older age group room.

Provisional Licence

A licence issued for a maximum of one year when certain requirements are not met, but the non-compliance does not threaten the health or safety of children.

Tiered Licensing

A risk-based approach determines inspection frequency based on a centre's past compliance history; only available for centres licensed for 3+ years.

Prohibited Practices

Specific actions strictly forbidden under the CCEYA, including corporal punishment, harsh/degrading measures, physical restraint for discipline, and depriving children of basic needs.

Serious Occurrence

An incident specified in the regulation, such as a child's death, abuse/neglect, life-threatening injury, missing child, or unplanned service disruption.

Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC)

An enhanced type of criminal record check required for all employees and volunteers who hold positions of trust or authority over children.

Offence Declaration

A written, signed statement by an individual listing any Criminal Code (Canada) convictions during a specific period; usually required annually between VSC updates.

Supervisor

A person approved by a Ministry director who plans and directs the program, oversees staff, and is in charge of the children.

Pedagogy

The method and practice of teaching, specifically how educators support learning and interact with children, as opposed to curriculum (what is taught).

Individiualized Support Plan

A written plan developed in consultation with parents for children with special or medical needs, describing how the centre will support their participation.

Program Statement

A document describing the goals and approaches a licensee uses to implement its child care program, which must be consistent with 'How Does Learning Happen?'

Proper Identification for Sleep

A system required in centres with separate sleeping areas to immediately identify which children are present in the room/area.