Becoming a Wellington Home Child Care Provider

WELLINGTON HOME CHILD CARE

Wellington Home Child Care is licensed by the Ministry of Education. We provide safe, nurturing, fully inclusive programmes that promote diversity, collaboration and a sense of belonging.

Our knowledgeable staff have a sound understanding of child development and participate as co-learners with children, families, home child care providers, co-workers and community supports.

Home Child Care Providers create welcoming environments that invite children to imagine, investigate, think, create, problem solve and make meaning from their experiences. As each child is competent, curious, capable of complex thinking and rich in potential, this environment ultimately supports children's overall learning, development, health and well-being.

The following provides general information about Wellington Home Child Care. Please contact us if you would like to learn more about the benefits to becoming a contracted Wellington Home Child Care Provider.

Provider Benefits

As a self-employed independently contracted Home Child Care Provider you will enjoy these benefits:

  1. Work from your home.
  2. Set your own days and hours of work.
  3. Decide which children you will provide child care for.
  4. Be eligible for the Provincial Home Child Care Enhancement Grant. 
  5. May be eligible to be paid an enhanced rate of $20/day if you are a RECE.
  6. Receive direct payment with competitive rates for families in receipt of fee subsidy.
  7. Be able to market your services as a contracted Home Child Care Provider.
  8. Be on a public listing of available child care for all families to access.
  9. Be able to participate in Professional Development to enhance your child care skills.
  10. Work with a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) to assist you in providing a high quality early learning and care programme and environment.
  11. Have access to service agencies to assist you in providing child care for children with disabilities and /or special needs.
  12. Receive bi-monthly parent and Home Child Care Provider newsletters.

Subsidy Rates effective: April 1, 2020*

 

*These are the rates the County of Wellington will pay for children in receipt of fee subsidy.
In Provider's Home Child Care

 

Code

 

Type  of Care

Infant and Toddler (birth up to 2 years)

Preschool/School Age

(2  - 13 years)

A

Up to 6 hours

$31.80

$28.95

B

Over 6 to 12 hours

$46.65

$42.45

C

Over 12 to 18 hours

$62.45

$56.80

D

Over 18 to 24 hours

$82.90

$75.45

 

In Family's Home Child Care

 

Code

 

Type of Care

Care for 1 to 3 Children

Care for 4 to 6 Children

A

Minimum 6 hours Base Rate

$150.00

$180.00

B

Additional Rate Pre-Calculated Per Hour (to Code A)

$22.50

$25.00

Our agency does not guarantee child care placements.
 Frequently Asked Questions
 

What experience do I need?

A. A Home Child Care Provider should have experience with children (i.e. family, employment, volunteering, child minding).

 

How do I get a licence?

A. Only home child care agencies obtain a licence to operate home child care services in the Province of Ontario. Home Child Care Providers are able to be contracted by a licensed agency.

 

Do I need First Aid training?

A. A Home Child Care Provider must have valid standard First Aid and CPR - level C (infant and child) training.

 

Do I require a police records check, or any other formal screening?

A. All contracted Home Child Care Providers, and all residents in the home 18 years of age and older, are required to provide a Police Vulnerable Sector check from their local police detachment. 

 

How do I get paid?

A. Full fee families pay you directly. The County of Wellington will pay you each month for families that you enroll who are in receipt of fee subsidies.

 

How many children am I allowed to care for?

A. Wellington Home Child Care Providers are able to care for up to a maximum of six children. This includes all children who are enrolled for child care as well your own children under the age of four. The maximum number of children in your home is determined by Wellington Home Child Care Agency staff.

 

Do my own children count?

A. Your own children count if they are under the age of four years.

 

When is my home going to be opened? 

A.  The application process to enter into a contract with Wellington Home Child Care may take two to six weeks to complete.  

 

Do I get to choose which children are placed in my programme?

A. Yes, as a self-employed Home Child Care Provider you have control over your enrolment. This also includes what hours and days you are available to provide care.  
 Preparing A Home Child Care Environment
 

The following is a list of areas, equipment, materials and supplies to consider in setting up your home child care programme.

Areas:

  • Indoor play space
  • Outdoor play space (i.e. backyard, park, playground, common green space)
  • Sleeping/resting area
  • Eating area
  • Diapering/toileting area

Equipment:

  • Child sized table and chairs
  •  Shelves for books, toys and materials
  • Easel
  • Kitchen set including dishes
  • Tricycle, bicycle, riding toys, wagon
  • Water/sensory bin
  • Stroller, playpen, highchair, gates, booster seats
  • A bed, cot or playpen for each child in attendance to rest
  • Child safety car seats appropriate to the age of the children in care

Early Learning Materials and Supplies:

  • Paper, scissors, glue, paint, brushes, crayons, pencil crayons and markers for creative activities
  • Dress-up clothes, dolls, and puppets for pretend play
  • Books
  • Blocks
  • Cars and trucks
  • Puzzles
  • Musical instruments and toys
  • Board games
  • Play people, animals, dinosaurs
  • Balls, skipping ropes, hula hoops, buckets, shovels for outdoor play
  • Material appropriate for active independent exploration (i.e. buttons, rocks, beads, shells, cardboard boxes, material scraps, ribbons, pinecones, containers to fill and dump, scoops, utensils, etc.)
 Minimum Legal Requirements:
 

In Ontario, a home child care agency is regulated by the Ministry of Education under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. A contracted Home Child Care Provider is required to have:

  • A police vulnerable sector check for everyone in the home 18 years of age and older. 
  • Child care liability insurance. (Please discuss your insurance needs with your insurance company)
  • Car liability insurance and a valid driver's license if you are using your vehicle for child care purposes. (Please discuss your insurance needs with your insurance company)
  • Smoke detectors on each floor of your home as well as a carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping area. Home Child Care Providers are also required to have a fire extinguisher and a First Aid Kit.
  • Health assessment and immunizations as recommended by the local medical officer of health for everyone in the home, and all children in care.
  • Current rabies inoculations for all dogs, cats, and ferrets.
  • Appropriate areas for indoor and outdoor play, sleeping, eating, toileting, and diapering.
  • A child friendly environment that includes a clean and safety proofed home, child sized furniture and equipment, toys, materials and equipment for children 0 - 13 years of age.
  • Nutritious snacks and meals in keeping with Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating (www.hc-sc.gc.ca).
  • Adherence to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (effective May 31, 2006, this act prohibits smoking in "a place where private home day care is provided within the meaning of the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, whether or not children are present.") (www.health.gov.on.ca).
  • A working telephone on the premise.
  • Programming for children planned and implemented in accordance with "How Does Learning Happen: Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years" (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/pedagogy.html)
  • In addition, all Home Child Care Providers are required to issue receipts for payment of services, upon request.
 Want to Become a Contracted Home Child Care Provider?
 

If you would like to discuss becoming a contracted Home Child Care Provider with our agency, please contact us. We will arrange a visit with you at your home to further discuss our programme and answer any questions you may have.

Some things you may wish to consider:

  1. The days and hours in the week you wish to provide child care.
  2. The ages of children you wish to care for.
  3. The area(s) of your home you will use for child care and where the children will eat, play and sleep.

Taking the time to learn more about each other will help our agency, as well as yourself, determine if entering into an agreement is the right choice. If we both agree to pursue an agreement a Home Child Care Advisor will guide you through the remaining steps to complete the process of becoming a self-employed contracted Home Child Care Provider with our licensed agency.

© 2023 County of Wellington, 74 Woolwich St. Guelph, Ontario N1H 3T9, T 519.837.2600, TF 1.800.663.0750, F 519.837.1909