| Philosophy |
| Children are seen as active participants in their environments, and are, by nature, problem solvers. Learning then is an active process whereby opportunities to explore and interact with the environment are key components in a child's growth and development. Underlying this is the assumption that a child's growth follows a development sequence that is universal, but that within that sequence, each child proceeds at different rates and in unique ways. |
Every Child Belongs
In Municipal Child Care Services every child
belongs and is welcomed. We are committed
to providing fully inclusive environments that
support the health and well-being of every child
in our care. For a child who has additional
support needs, Resource Educator Consultation
Services can be accessed through the child
care centre.
Access and Equity
As is exemplified in the Children’s Service mission statement, declaration of values and service plan,
the division is committed to the principles of equity. Children’s Services ensures that children and
families have equitable access to racially sensitive and culturally appropriate services.
We believe that ethno-racial and linguistic diversity enriches and strengthens our community
socially, culturally and economically and that racism creates barriers for children, families and
communities. Children’s Services is committed to developing child care environments and
programs that promote and respect the beliefs, values and practices of all.
Statutory Holidays/Closures
Child care centres are closed on statutory holidays
during the year.
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New Year’s Day
- Simcoe Day
- Family Day
- Labour Day
- Good Friday
- Thanksgiving Day
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- Easter Monday
- Remembrance Day
- Victoria Day
- Christmas Day
- Canada Day Boxing Day
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Fee payment is required for all statutory holidays
except Easter Monday and Remembrance Day.
The child care centres are also closed for two
weeks (10 days) during the summer. Parents will not
be required to pay fees for this 10-day period.
Fee Payment
All child care fees must be paid in advance.
Failure to pay fees will result in withdrawal
of care.
Gradual Admission
It is recommended that a child become acquainted with the child care setting in a gradual way.
Over the course of the child’s first week at the centre, each day the child usually stays a little
longer. This process helps to make the transition to the centre a more positive experience
for both parent and child.
Withdrawals
We require two weeks written notice if you
plan to remove your child from the child care
centre permanently. Should you fail to provide
the required notice, you will be charged for
one additional week of care after the child is
withdrawn. All outstanding fees must be paid
in full. Any debts will be pursued by the City of
Toronto. All amounts owing must be paid prior
to your child’s re-entry into the child care system.
To ensure children’s success it is important to
ensure their placement at a centre is appropriate.
If it is determined the centre is not able to
accommodate the child’s needs, the centre
will work in partnership with the family to ensure
all appropriate supports have been explored
and develop a transition plan for alternate child
care if necessary.
Child Information Records
It is the parent’s responsibility to provide the
centre with current information pertaining to
the child. This includes names, home and
business telephone numbers, addresses,
e-mail, emergency contacts, current school,
etc. Please ensure that the centre supervisor
is notified of any changes to the child’s records.
Arrival/Departure
Parents are required to take their child directly to the room in which they are enrolled. It is
imperative that parents ensure that the staff in the room are aware that the child has arrived
or is leaving for the day.
Child Absences
The Children’s Services attendance policy allows each child who receives fee assistance to be
absent up to 35 days per calendar year (Jan – Dec). Children who start attending a centre between
July and December may only be absent up to 18 days per calendar year. Absences must not
exceed 20 consecutive days. Parents are responsible for the assessed fees when a child is absent.
If a child exceeds the allowable number of absent days, the parent is responsible for paying the
full fee for any additional absent days.
Late Pick Up
If you will be late to pick up your child, please
notify the centre as soon as possible. In these
circumstances please be prepared to provide the
centre with information about alternative arrangements
you have made. If no arrangements have
been made, the centre will attempt to reach the
emergency contacts you have provided. If they
cannot be reached, the centre, as a last resort,
will contact a child protection agency, such as
the Children’s Aid Society.
Outdoor Play
The Day Nurseries Act states that children who
are in full day care need to have two hours of
outdoor play, weather permitting. Please ensure
that adequate clothing for changing weather
conditions is available, so that your child can
comfortably participate in outdoor activities.
Clothing
All of your child’s clothing, both for indoor and outdoor play, should be labeled with your child’s
name. Occasionally your child may require a complete change of clothing (e.g. toileting accident
or wet spill), so please ensure that you place a full change of clothing in your child’s cupboard.
Please note the centre is not responsible for any lost clothing and/or personal property.
Meals/Nutrition
Our programs offer a variety of nutritious
foods for lunch and snacks. Foods selected
promote good health and give each child the
opportunity to enjoy new foods as good eating
habits are established. Menus incorporate the
healthy eating guidelines of Canada’s Food
Guide. Weekly menus are posted for your
information. Infants are fed according to their
individual needs. If your infant is on expressed
breast milk or formula, you will need to provide
the prepared bottles. Due to children with
food allergies, you are asked not to bring any
additional food into the centre. The centre will
provide cakes to celebrate children’s birthdays.
Child Guidance
To ensure a child’s safety and well-being, and
to foster social and emotional development, it
is necessary at times to impose limits or set
standards of acceptable behaviour. Centre staff
are guided by the Municipal Child Care Services
Behaviour Management Guidelines, which they
are required to review and sign each year. A copy of
the Behaviour Management Guidelines is available,
upon request, from the centre supervisor.
Illness or Accident
If your child becomes ill or gets injured at the centre, the staff will provide immediate first aid.
If the situation is serious we will contact you or the emergency contact person(s) on file. If
required, we will transport your child to the nearest hospital or medical facility. In the event
that your child receives an injury while attending the child care centre, the staff will prepare an
accident form for your signature. If your child has an accident or injury at home, please inform
staff when the child comes into care the following day. When your child is returning to care after
having a communicable disease, we will require a note from your doctor to confirm that the child
is free from infection.
Medication
If your child requires medication, the centre
staff will administer only prescription medication.
Non-prescription medicine will be administered
only when it has been recommended in writing by
your doctor and you have signed the appropriate
form. Any changes in medication or medication
instructions must be provided in writing, again
using the appropriate form.
Immunization
Parents are required to provide current and up
to date immunization information to the centre
so that the child’s file can be updated on a
regular basis. It is a requirement of the Day
Nurseries Act that immunization records are
kept up to date.
A parent or guardian of a child enrolling in a Municipal Child Care Centre must provide one
of the following:
- An up-to-date record of their child’s immunization
or
- A medical exemption form completed by a qualified medical practitioner, which clearly
states the medical reasons why a child cannot be immunized or
- A letter provided objecting to the immunization on the grounds that the immunization
conflicts with a parent’s conscience or religious beliefs.
If an outbreak of a communicable disease occurs, any child who is not adequately
immunized will not be able to attend the child care facility unless the child receives
the required vaccine or until the outbreak is over.
Anaphylactic Allergies
Upon a child’s admission to the centre, the
parent must supply a doctor’s note stating the
specifics of an allergy, and provide an auto-
injector (EpiPen). In conjunction with the parent
and physician, the supervisor will develop an
individual plan and emergency procedure, which
will include a description of the child’s allergy,
monitoring and avoidance strategies, signs
and symptoms of an anaphylactic allergy, and
action to be taken by the staff in the event that
a child has an anaphylactic reaction. This information,
along with the child’s photograph, will
be posted for staff.
To ensure the well being of
children who have anaphylactic reactions it is
imperative that an EpiPen is available at the
child care centre at all times. If a parent does
not provide an EpiPen, or fails to replace an
expired EpiPen, admission to the program
will be denied. If a parent believes the child
no longer requires an EpiPen, a doctor’s note
confirming this information will be required.
Smoke Free
The Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into effect on May 31, 2006, prohibiting smoking in enclosed
workplaces and public places, to protect workers and the public from the hazards of second-hand
smoke. Parents, staff and students are prohibited from smoking in the child care centre and
playground areas whether the children are present or not.
Duty to Report
Every person in Ontario is required under the
Child and Family Services Act to report his/her
belief that a child may be in need of protection:
“A person who believes, on reasonable grounds,
that a child is, or may be in need of protection
shall forthwith report the belief and information,
upon which it is based, to a society.” The
legislation specifically requires individuals
who perform professional or official duties
with respect to children such as the “operator
or employee of a day nursery,” to report
suspicions of child abuse. If in the course of
their professional duties, the supervisor and/or
staff of the child care centre have reasonable
grounds to suspect that a child may have been
abused, the suspicion, and the information upon
which that suspicion is based, must be reported
immediately to a Children’s Aid Society.
Parental Involvement
One of the key elements of quality child care is parental involvement in the program. There are
many ways parents can participate in the program. Participation can include verbal or written
feedback, sharing information about your child’s development, attending meetings, workshops
and events. Municipal Child Care Services values parents as partners because parent
participation is paramount to children’s success.
Parent Advisory Committee
Each centre has a Parent Advisory Committee. The purpose of the committee is to enable
parents, staff and community members to meet and share information regarding the operation
of the child care centre. Parents are invited to become a member of this group, which meets
throughout the year. Discussions may include program planning, topics for guest speakers,
issues that are identified by parents, social events for children and parents, and planning for
community events.
Workplace Respect
The City of Toronto expects that all employees,
parents and persons who are doing business with
the City conduct themselves in a respectful manner.
Failure to adhere to this expectation could result
in withdrawal from care.
Municipal Freedom of
Information & Protection
of Privacy Act
The personal information requested in connection
with the admission of your child, as well as
his/her child care records established with the
child care centre, are collected under the legal
authority of the City of Toronto Act, 1997, By-
Law No. 36-1998, and the Day Nurseries Act,
R.S.O. 1990, chap. D.2. for the purpose of
administering child care in the City of Toronto.
If you have any questions concerning the
collection of this information, please contact
the supervisor of your child’s child care centre.
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