Expression of Interest to Operate a Child Care Centre

Site Description

Location

171 Avondale Ave is located near Yonge & 401, approximately a 10 minute walk to the Yonge-Sheppard subway.

Operating Capacity

The centre will have space for 72 children:

• 10 infants
• 30 toddlers
• 32 preschoolers

Facility

The child care centre is a two storey building with 5 playrooms.

There are additional onsite amenities also present:  stroller storage for parents and the program, offices, a resource room, a laundry room, adult washrooms, a kitchen, a staff room, a janitor’s room, a LAN Room, additional storage spaces, and a gross motor area.

At the main entrance of the child care centre there is a vestibule provided with double secured doors. An elevator is conveniently located at the end of the ground floor as well as a dedicated staircase (on the west corridor) which allows for easy access to the second floor.

Entry

Parents enter the centre from a well-lit walkway, located on the east side of the site that has views of the naturalized infant, toddler and preschool playgrounds. Parents can walk to the dedicated child care entrance or drive and park at the convenient drop-off and pick-up lot located on the school property.

Ground Floor

The Supervisor’s office is located close to the front of the centre and has a clear view of the main entrance to the child care. The infant and toddler playrooms are located on the first floor; these playrooms face east and overlook the playgrounds.

Infant Playroom

The infant space is located on the south east side of the child care centre, and overlooks the east side of the building and the playground space. There is a dedicated enclosed area for dressing, including a change table and extra storage. In the infant sleep room there is a south facing window providing natural light, and is designed to accommodate 10 cribs and a rocking chair. There is an accessible washroom located off of the playroom which is fitted with a change table, a sink, a toilet and a toy washing station.

Toddler Playroom

There are two toddler playrooms (15 spaces each).  Adjacent to each playroom the toddler children have cubbies with a dedicated dressing area in the hallway. The rooms have access to shared washrooms which include change tables, sinks and toilets.  Each toddler room has a dedicated servery with an adult sink, child height sink and has base and upper cabinets that include a fridge and a microwave. There is a toy washing station, a storage room and a coat closet that are located near the washrooms and are accessible from both toddler rooms.

Additionally on the first floor there is a laundry room, a janitor’s room, a barrier free washroom, a resource room, and stroller storage (for both parents and for use by the program).

Second Floor

The second floor is accessible by either taking the elevator or using the dedicated staircase.

Preschool Playroom

There are two preschool playrooms (16 spaces each) which are located on the east side of the second floor overlooking the playgrounds. The cubbies are located in the hallways across from the rooms and have dedicated dressing areas.  The two rooms share a washroom which includes toilets, sinks with a low bench and an adult hand washing sink. The rooms also include;  a storage area (cots space) with a toy wash station, a servery, an adult sink, a child height sink, base and upper cabinets with a fridge and a microwave plus extra storage is provided in both rooms.

Kitchen

A large kitchen is located in the middle area of the second floor with access from the west corridor and a pantry located across the hallway is easily accessible from the kitchen area. The kitchen is fully equipped with a commercial dishwasher, a fridge and freezer, a stove with range hood, a triple sink, a hand washing sink and teaching sink are also provided.  The south side of the kitchen is an open concept with direct visibility to the gross motor area, where a low counter with a child sink is provided for programming purposes.

Staff Room

A large staff room is provided on the second floor facing the south west side of the building. A vestibule with a servery, a barrier free washroom and a lounge area are also provided for the staff. Additionally there is a LAN room and a janitor’s room conveniently located on the second floor.

Playgrounds

There are three separate playgrounds all located along the east façade of the building. All areas have a variety of surfaces including rubber, sod and concrete as well as covered sandboxes and shade sails. Three flowering trees will be planted for more shade and planting beds will also be provided.

Each playground will have a dedicated storage space for toys. Wood stage areas in the preschool playground and log bridges in the toddler playground will bring more naturalized elements to the spaces.

Lease Agreement

The successful Operator will be required to enter into a lease agreement with the Toronto District School Board.

Not-for-profit child care operators or public institutions with a current service agreement for fee subsidy are eligible to apply.

The City is looking for operators that are committed to providing integrated services to families through collaboration with school boards and other learning and care services in the community ensuring accessibility to local needs.

Compliance with the following items is required.

1. Applicant holds a current Service Agreement for the provision of fee subsidy.
2. Applicant meets the requirements of a not-for-profit agency (public institutions will submit documentation to support the public institution status)
3. Applicant meets or exceeds the Assessment for Quality Improvement (AQI) for each site operated by the applicant over the last two year period.
4. Applicant’s service agreement has been in good standing for a minimum of the last two years.  Note: Good standing will be assessed by the City through a review of Stop Admissions compliance with contract requirements.
5. Applicant currently meets Financial and Administration Criteria.

For a copy of the detailed application package, which includes a list of mandatory documents and a financial viability package, interested operators should send an email to ryan.vender@toronto.ca.

You must submit three (3) original copies of the EOI application by 3 p.m. on Friday June 21, 2019 to:

Attn: Ryan Vender
Toronto Children’s Services
10^th floor, Metro Hall
55 John Street
Toronto ON  M5V 3C6

1. Will the operator be entering into an umbrella lease agreement or direct lease agreement for this site?
   The Operator will enter into a direct lease with the TDSB. 
2. Do we have to budget for our own custodian or are the school custodians responsible for our space?
   The TDSB has confirmed that the school custodian will support the child care operations. 
3. How much is the annual rental amount?
   Based on the size of the child care, the rent as of September 2019 would be $128,088.08 annually / $10,674.07 monthly. This amount increases 3% annually (based on the school year, not calendar year). 
4. Does this rent figure include rent, utilities and maintenance?
   Yes, the rental amount includes utilities and maintenance. 
5. Will applicants be invited to visit the site?
   We will not be having a site tour. Please refer to the site description for details. 
6. Are we to build the budget between 95% -100% for 12 months?
   The budget should be based on 12 month at 98% as per Toronto Children’s Services guidelines. 
7. On page 2 of the budget package, financial information, are you asking for a reference letter from all of our landlord or only from Child Care (we have multiple landlord cross our organization)
   If you are running a multiple agency please obtain a letter from your head office’s landlord with the current status of rental payments (if applicable). 
8. Are the Kitchen appliances including industrial dishwasher, stove and refrigerator included in the build?
   Yes, they are included. 
9. Will there be TDSB permit cost?
   If the program needs to use any part of the TDSB School then permit costs may apply. 
10. What is the expected opening date for the child care?
    It is expected that the construction at the child care centre be completed by end of July. If construction is on schedule, we anticipate that the centre could potentially be open by mid to late September. 
11. In past expression of interest applications, there were questions regarding actual program delivery and we were able to describe our approaches delivering child care programs to children.  Can you please let me know how to address it?
    The application details all documents to be submitted with your package. Areas of the application that may address delivery of child care programs could include the following required information:  a brief overview of the history and mandate of the organization, two (2) programs plans illustrating plans for each age group – infant/toddler/preschooler, letters of reference from community partners and a plan to describe how the child care program will develop partnerships with the local school. 
12. Please explain, Declaration of Not for Profit Compliance with seal/notarized?
    This form needs to be completed and signed with a seal/notarized stamp. 
13. Will there be any start- up money available.
    There is no startup funding available at this time.  

All Expression of Interest applications will be screened and evaluated and interviews will be conducted by a Review Panel.

Application Evaluation

The Expression of Interest process consists of three stages.

• Stage 1: Agencies must submit their complete Expression of Interest packages by the deadline.
  • Mandatory Agency, Program and Document requirements must be met. Agency must submit the signed Mandatory Program Requirement document.
• Stage 2: Submitted Expression of Interest packages will be evaluated the for completeness and will be scored on their submission.
• Stage 3: Organizations that are successful in Stage 2 will be invited to a Review Panel Interview.

Decision

The applicant’s Expression of Interest that best meets the requirements of the City, in the absolute discretion of the City, in consultation with the Review Panel, will be designated as the preferred agency.

No obligation will arise until an agreement, based on the accepted Expression of Interest application, has been authorized and executed by the appropriate City authority.

After receipt of Expression of Interest applications and at any time prior to the execution of an agreement, the City may request clarification on any items related to the Expression of Interest and conduct negotiations with the preferred agency. The City, at its sole discretion, may adjust the evaluation score or ranking of an applicant as an outcome of the clarification process.

Notes

Where the school board is involved, the process will be adapted to include other procedures related to the school boards selection process.

Expression of Interest evaluation results shall be the absolute property of the City. The City does not disclose Expression of Interest evaluation results, before, during or after he evaluation process. However, applicants must be aware that such information may become public as a result of the need for transparency and accountability in decisions made by the City.

If the City does not receive an adequate number of satisfactory proposals, we reserve the right to negotiate with any Operator deemed suitable, where necessary.

Service Agreement for Fee Subsidy

The Toronto Child Care Service Plan sets out priorities for Toronto’s child care system. This includes setting geographic and age equity targets that ensure funding for child care fee subsidy is equitably distributed.

There is a waiting list for fee subsidy and eligible applicants will have to access fee subsidy on a first come first served basis, subject to ward and age equity targets. However, new child care operators may be prioritized for placement for the first six months of operation or until they achieve full enrolment, whichever occurs first.

Clients already receiving fee subsidy are able to transfer to a new centre if there is a physical vacancy. Families not requiring a fee subsidy are able to enrol their children in child care with a licensed physical vacancy and pay full fee.

Families may contact 311 or 416-338-8888 for more information on how to apply.

Scoring

The City of Toronto undertakes an Expression of Interest process when selecting an operator for a newly built or renovated child care space funded by the City.