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To license or not to license?
By Natalie Rudrum
Have you ever considered caring for children in your home?
Let’s take a look at what it all entails while focusing on Child Care Licensing Regulations for British Columbia.
You can care for two children not related to you by blood or marriage (plus your own) at any time without a child-care license. If interested it is recommended to become a Registered License Not Required (RLNR) Child Care provider with Child Care Resource and Referral.
An LNR child-care provider is an individual providing child-care in his or her own home. The LNR child-care provider may care for no more than two children or one sibling group at any one time. This is in addition to the LNR child care provider’s own children, children related to them by blood, marriage or marriage-like relationship, any children who ordinarily reside with the LNR child care provider and/or any children that the LNR child care provider may exercise a parental role over.
Anyone providing care for three or more children, not related to them by blood or marriage, is required by law to become a licensed child-care program. If a person or facility providing child-care is not in compliance with these Child Care Regulations, they are operating illegally. The Community Care Facilities Branch, Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, is responsible for the development and implementation of legislation, policy and guidelines to protect the health and safety of persons being cared for in licensed facilities.
Consequences of operating illegally may include: invalidation of your liability insurance coverage of your home, have you shut down and may also include fines.
Benefits of a licensed child-care or Registered LNR include:
– Health and safety inspections on the facility/home at least once per year
– CPR and First Aid Training
– Criminal Record checks on all staff: and anyone 12 years and older in the home.
– Follow a specific set of rules/regulations to provide a quality program
– Safe indoor/outdoor play areas
– Safe food handling and preparation
– Safe storage of cleaning supplies, medicine and other harmful household items
– Skilled staff with continuing education to provide the best possible program
– Supported Child Development can support special needs in a licensed or RLNR program
– Families who access child care subsidy to assist with child care costs: in a Registered Licensed Not Required or a Licensed Child Care Facility, the families income level and subsidy amounts increase depending on the family income.
For more information on becoming a Registered License Not Required provider contact East Kootenay Child Care Resource and Referral 250-426-5677.
To contact the local child-care licensing office in your area, please call Enquiry BC at 1-800-663-7867.
Operating a licensed child day-care facility
– Natalie Rudrum is the Early Years Centre Coordinator [email protected]
