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YMCA OF GREATER TORONTO

Licensed Home Child Care

Partner with the largest provider of licensed child care in Canada

Become a YMCA Home Child Care Provider

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a licensed agency that is in high demand for our premium child care services. We are currently looking for top quality providers to partner with our child care team to offer more, high-quality, child care solutions to families.
As a provider, you will receive all the advantages of owning your own business while receiving ongoing support from an agency partner with over 55 years of child care experience. Help us ignite the potential in children.

Applications for child care spaces within licensed home child cares will be opening soon.

What is Licensed Home Child Care?

Licensed Home Child Care is provided in private homes by self-employed home child care providers. These providers have been contracted by the YMCA, an agency that has been licensed for home child care by the Ministry of Education.

Licensed homes are monitored by the Ministry of Education and the YMCA of Greater Toronto to ensure standards and licensed requirements are met.

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Benefits of Being a Home Child Care Provider

Self-employed

Earn an income while working from home

Set your own hours

You can provide language and/or cultural
familiarity within your own community

Why Partner with YMCA of Greater Toronto?

We are the largest provider of licensed child care in Canada, delivering one in five of all licensed child care spots in Ontario

You'll receive ongoing support from a dedicated YMCA Home Consultant

We are responsible for payment collection from your families

You'll get biweekly, direct compensation into your bank account

Less paper-work for you! We provide administrative support

You'll receive comprehensive and ongoing training

Professional development and networking opportunities

Eligibility for government grants and placement of subsidized children

Participating in the Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care agreement

To join the YMCA’s support and commitment to ensuring families have access to affordable, high-quality licensed child care

To provide parents with security and assurance that their child is placed in quality programming

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Fill out an Interest Form to get connected to a YMCA Home Consultant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be operating a home child care currently to be considered?

No, you do not need to be currently providing home child care to be considered. However, being an existing home child care provider may speed up the process of becoming a contracted home child care provider with the YMCA. We are looking for individuals who are interested in providing child care within their homes under our licensed agency.

Is home child care the right career and business for me?

If you love to work with children, you have experience with children 0-12 (family, employment, volunteering), and you are 18 or older, you are a good candidate.
As a YMCA home child provider, you are inspired to care for children by offering nurturing, personalized quality child care in their home. If you enjoy supporting children's learning through exploration, play and inquiry, and are able to provide a home environment for children to grow and develop, you are a candidate we want to connect with.
You will receive professional support, guidance and resources to help get started, if you become a home child care provider with the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

How long will the process take for me to become a home child care provider contracted by the YMCA?

The process to become a home child care provider contracted by the YMCA takes approximately four–eight weeks. This will depend on the time it takes for the home provider applicant to:

  • Complete agency screening — interview for suitability, personal reference checks, home visits for safety, fire inspection and verified Vulnerable Sector Check for themselves and anyone else in the household who is 18 or older.
  • Submit up-to-date immunization records and health assessments for themselves and anyone else in the home.
  • Obtain liability insurance coverage — Commercial General Liability Insurance, Standard, Automobile Insurance (if using your car for your business) and Abuse Liability Insurance.
  • Provide required certifications — Standard First Aid including Infant/Child CPR and Food Handlers Certification.
  • Purchase of any equipment required.

A YMCA Home Consultant supports each home child care provider throughout the application process.

I am an existing home child care provider, can my existing families come with me?

We would be happy to have your families come join you at the YMCA. Your existing families would need to re-register with the Y and would be charged the fees that the Y charges.

As a home child care provider, am I eligible for other funding to top up my income?

Funding is available to supplement a home child care provider’s income, and if you meet eligibility requirements then we will apply on your behalf. Please note that we operate home child care in different regions and not all funding is available in each region.

Am I allowed to have pets in my home?

Yes, pets are allowed in your home. Pets need to be fully vaccinated and we would want to ensure that they, and their living environments, are hygienic and clean for children.

As a home child care provider do I receive benefits?

No, you would not receive any benefits since you are not an employee of the YMCA.

Who in my home needs a police records check? What about a family member visiting for a week?

The following individuals who are 18 or older require a vulnerable sector check: The home child care provider, students and volunteers, persons who are ordinarily residents of the premises or regularly at the premises, home child care visitors and employees of the home child care agency. Anyone who is in your home and will be in contact with the children during the hours you operate your home child care business will require a police check.

What are the requirements of a home child care provider to operate a child care within their home?

Show that your home is a safe and healthy place for children

A contracted Home Child Care Provider is required to have:

  • A police vulnerable sector check for everyone in the home 18 and older
  • Child care liability insurance
  • Car liability insurance and a valid driver's licence if you are using your vehicle for child care purposes
  • Smoke detectors on each floor of your home. And Home Child Care Providers are also required to have a fire extinguisher, a First Aid Kit, and a carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping area
  • 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 and cats
  • Appropriate areas for indoor and outdoor play, sleeping, eating, toileting, and diapering
  • A child-friendly environment that includes a clean and child-proofed home, child-sized furniture , toys, materials and equipment for children 0–13
  • Nutritious snacks and meals in keeping with Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating 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.") health.gov.on.ca
  • A working telephone onsite
  • 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)

A YMCA Home Consultant supports each home child care provider throughout the application process.

In what regions is the YMCA operating licensed home child care?

Currently we are launching in Dufferin, Durham, and Peel regions with planned expansion to other regions throughout the GTA.

Who are home consultants, and what do they do?

Home Consultants are Registered Early Childhood Educators who are trained in early childhood education and have extensive knowledge of child development and the rules and regulations of licensed child care.
A Home Consultant screens, approves and monitors licensed home child care providers and assists with application process. They're check all homes to make sure that they safe for children before children are enrolled.
They also check in monthly to make sure home providers are following the provincial requirements and the agency’s policies and procedures.

How much can I make? Am I taxed?

The amount you can make monthly depends on the region in which your home is located. Families are charged a daily rate times the number of days for that month that they are registered to attend. As a home child care provider, you are not taxed on the fees that are collected. To inquire more about what the daily rates are in your city, email us.

I live in an apartment/condo, can I become a home child care provider?

It would depend on where you live as each municipality has bylaws. If there is no related bylaw, then it would depend on your space and if you have access to emergency exits.

What is liability insurance and what is the approximate cost?

Insurance is a combination of different insurance policies designed to provide comprehensive coverage for your business — from your premises and equipment, to protecting you against risks associated with caring for children.
Liability insurance provides protection against claims resulting from injuries and damage to people and/or property. You can expect to pay $450 to $1,350 annually, however it's best to reach out to your own insurance company to inquire about rates.

What qualifications do I need to become a home child care provider? Do I need to be an Early Childhood Educator?

No, you're not required to have an Early Childhood Education diploma to become a home child care provider. We are looking for individuals who love working with children and families; and have previous experience working or volunteering with children and families between the ages of 0-12.

Licensed Home Child Care Provider Interest Form

A dedicated YMCA Home Consultant will connect with you directly once your form has been reviewed. All questions will be answered at that time.

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