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YMCA OF GREATER TORONTO

Become a Licensed Home Child Care Provider

Everything you need to know to become a licensed home child care provider with the YMCA

Partner with the YMCA

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.

Currently looking for home child care providers in Durham and Peel region.

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Testimonials from Providers

"The YMCA supported me at every step in opening my own licensed child care centre in my home. With their assistance, I can operate my business at my convenience and be my own boss." 

– Pratibha

Courtice Tooley Road YMCA Licensed Home Child Care Centre 

"As an existing provider, I chose to partner with the YMCA because it is one of the most trusted child care providing agencies that has been in the business for ages. The subsidy they provide to every parent and decent wage for us providers is an added benefit." 

– Lokashree

Whitby Zachary Place YMCA Licensed Home Child Care Centre

"My family and I are so glad and satisfied with our partnership with the YMCA. I can focus on all the children in my care knowing that the YMCA is doing the collection of payment and administrative work for me."

 – Mildred

Bowmanville Farncomb Crescent YMCA Licensed Home Child Centre

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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
  • 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 will be paid semi-monthly, direct compensation into your bank account through electronic funds transfer
  • We provide administrative support
  • You'll receive comprehensive and ongoing training
  • Professional development and networking opportunities
  • Eligibility for government grants and placement of children that access subsidy
  • 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 for Providers

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 Commercial General Liability Insurance and Standard Auto (if using vehicle for transporting children)
  • Provide required certifications — Standard First Aid including Infant/Child CPR and Food Handlers Certification.
  • Purchase of any equipment required.

After being contracted, home child care providers will undergo training on YMCA policies and procedures, along with Ministry regulations and Municipal requirements. They will also receive guidance in setting up their home environment and support with the enrollment and registration of children into their home before their first official day of offering YMCA services.

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
  • Commercial General Liability Insurance
  • Standard Auto Insurance and valid driver’s license if using your vehicle to transport the children
  • 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, cats and ferrets
  • 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
  • Adhere to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 that prohibits smoking tobacco or cannabis, or vaping anything in a place that provides home child care, even if the children are not present. This includes any outdoor space. Review the Ontario Government's resource, Where you can’t smoke or vape in Ontario for more information
  • 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.

What is a YMCA Home Consultant?

YMCA 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 YMCA 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 Commercial General Liability Insurance and what is the approximate cost?

Commercial General Liability Insurance policy provides payment in the event of a liability loss: that negligent act resulting from bodily injury, property damage, or death.  

It protects your business against liabilities that arise from your daily operations of a home child care provider. 

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.

Interested in Being a Provider? Sign Up to Learn More

A YMCA Home Consultant will review your form and connect with you directly to answer any questions.

Fill out an Inquiry Form to find a spot near you.