Selected highlights include:
‘Family Child Care’ – no longer required to hold two spaces for school-age children, can now care for a maximum of seven children, newborn to five years.
Of the seven:
- no more than three children may be younger than 48 months (4 years) and only one of those under 12 months.
- If there are no children under 12 months, the licensee may care for up to four children younger than 48 months. No more than two of those children may be younger than 24 months (2 years).
‘In-Home Multi-Age Child Care’ – new licensing category raises the number of children permitted in in-home child care from seven to eight children.
- no more than three children may be under 36 months, and only one of those may be under 12 months.
- caregiver under this category must be a licensed early childhood educator (ECE) and have appropriate indoor and outdoor play space.
‘Group Setting Multi-Age Child Care’ – new category requires an ECE-licensed staff to child ratio of 1:8.
– no more than three in eight children may be younger than 36 months and only one may be younger that 12 months. Indoor and outdoor space requirements apply.
‘Occasional Child Care’ – category replaces Emergency Care, Child Minding, and Occasional Care at Ski Hill or Resort categories. Care to be provided to children (aged over 18 months) on a short term or occasional basis for up to 40 hours per calendar month.
‘Enhanced quality of care for children’ – early childhood educators now required o complete 40 hours of professional development before five-year certificate is renewed. [Previously, ECE’s were required to complete 12 hours of professional development over five years.]