Ratios

[scl2413@gmail.com]

I am just starting up a home daycare in Ottawa. I have a 2 year old son who will stay home with me. Does anyone know the rules around numbers and ratios and if your own children count? I know when you go through an agency they have the 2 under two, 3 under 3, 4 under 4 and 5 under 5 rule. Does this apply if you run a private home daycare? I have tried to research but keep coming up on conflicting information.

[mimi]

In Ontario you are allowed to have a maximum of 5 daycare children plus your own children. The ages are up to you. It all depends on what you can handle. Do you want all 5 under 2? Some providers do not take in the max as they know it would be too much for them, or their space, or they financially do not need to. Good luck with your daycare. :)

[playfelt]

Welcome to the forum. I am also in Ottawa (Orleans). If you are looking for information on getting started in your daycare the Childcare Providers Resource Network has some great information and provides ongoing support. Check out the website and on the left hand side there is a link to a starting up your home daycare package of information.

www.ccprn.com

[sunnydays]

Ditto what playfelt and mimi said. I am in Ottawa too and running a private home daycare. I have 5 daycare children plus my own two young ones (although one is in school full-time now). As Mimi said, you can have five not including your own and you can decide on ages. I personally prefer not to have any more than 3 under 2, but the entire five of them are 3 and under. My best advice for starting up is to really stagger your start dates of the new kids. Like plan to start with one and then another a month later and so on until you have the number you feel you need to be viable and can handle according to your ability and space. When I started out I thought I would just take 2-3 max, and now I have five :) CCPRN is awesome! Great support and workshops and information and also children's events if you drive with the kids. Also if you join ($25 for the year), your name is put on the list of providers and parents find your info that way. They have workshops for new providers who are just starting up as well as many other workshops. Welcome to the forum and to the daycare field!

[Momof4]

Welcome to the forum and yes the ladies are right about private home daycare numbers and ages.