The practical information in this handbook is intended to assist you, the caregiver, in making sure that the children in your care have a safe and healthy environment in which to grow. It may also help you to ensure a challenging and comfortable experience for the child, an experience that will encourage him to develop in the best possible way during his formative and impressionable early years. It is important that parents in Ontario have a full range of high-quality child care services to choose from, and an essential part of such as comprehensive child care system is home based child care. Home based child care is an arrangement in which a person cares for five or fewer children in a private home. Most home based child care is neither regulated nor supervised, hence caregiver and parents share the responsibility of ensuring that children receive high quality care.
Some home based care is supervised by provincially licensed home child care agencies.
In these arrangements the home caregiver receives support, consultation and opportunities for training form the agency. The agency assures that the care provided fulfils the requirements under the Day Nurseries Act. Research shows that caregiver knowledge and understanding of child needs, parent involvement in the overall child care experience, appropriate settings and routines, and a stable arrangement, all support the quality of care. Providing high quality child care demands a major investment of time, energy, and effort, as well as a great deal of dedication, knowledge, patience, warmth, and understanding. The aim of A Child Care Guide for Home Caregivers is to help you provide the best home based child care possible.