Licensed Home Daycare Ontario – 40 Years of Community Care
For 40 years, Wee Watch has provided quality licensed daycare in hundreds of communities across Ontario. We have always understood the need for parents to find childcare within the communities they live or work, and we are active participants in the communities we serve. Wee Watch started over 40 years ago in the communities of Markham and Unionville, then expanded to Brampton, Pickering, Ajax, Thornhill, Whitby, Oshawa and Etobicoke.
Before it was extended, more and more communities and city locations were added, like Brantford, St. Catherines Niagara and Mississauga.
Today, over 1300 childcare providers are offering “licensed daycare near me” in 150+ communities as far east as Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa and as West as London, Sarnia, Chatham and Windsor. We also have “childcare providers near me” in the North, such as Barrie, Orillia, and Midland.
Importance of Community for Your Childcare Choice
We understand the importance of community in childcare. Wee Watch as 44 licensed childcare agencies that offer infant and toddler childcare near you. With the announcement of government-funded childcare in 2021, the new $10/day childcare program called Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan or CWELCC, only childcare spaces within a qualifying daycare centre or licensed home childcare are eligible, which made home childcare an even more popular choice for parents. Parents looking for licensed daycare near me have peace of mind knowing that working with a licensed agency, providers are screened, and an agency oversees their homes. Parents also love the home environment vs the institutional environment of a daycare centre, especially for infants and toddlers. The licensed home environment is a nurturing place for children to develop and grow. With a maximum of 6 children in care, the small group size ensures they have the individualized attention they deserve.
Flexible Care Options in Licensed Home Daycare Ontario
Additionally, licensed home childcare offers flexible hours for parents, with some providers offering extended hours, evenings, weekends, and overnight care for parents who work flexible or non-traditional hours. Beyond all this, at Wee Watch, we also have our curriculum called Wee Learn and Together Wee Can – every child participates in this learning designed for kindergarten readiness. Click here to learn more about our curriculum!
Childcare Providers Near Me
Work From Home in Your Community
We are also always looking for people who want to work from home and earn an income as childcare providers in communities anywhere in Ontario so that When parents ask – Are there childcare providers in Ontario? We can say yes! There are many great reasons to consider being a childcare provider with Wee Watch. You can earn income from the comfort and safety of your own home. Wee Watch is one of Ontario’s only licensed childcare agencies that provides many benefits to their providers. For example, we ensure that providers have all the childcare equipment for children. This would include costly items like highchairs, safety gates and strollers.
Other childcare agencies require providers to cover this cost themselves. Additionally, we have liability insurance and cover some of the start-up costs for you. We have many parents waiting for a space in a “licensed daycare near me,” so you wouldn’t need to find or enroll parents like at other agencies; we do all that for you, including collecting fees from parents. All you need to do is provide care for the children! If you want to learn more about this fulfilling career, click here! When parents ask – Are there childcare providers near me? We would love to say yes because you are partnering with us to deliver care! You can apply today!
Importance of Community Involvement for Licensed Childcare Providers
Delivering high-quality, affordable and flexible childcare is essential to us. One of our core values is to ensure diversity and inclusion in our care homes. The majority of our childcare providers are women. We are proud to enable women to work from home and earn an income. As independent contractors, our providers are microentrepreneurs running their infant and toddler daycares near your community. Since providers are working from home, they reflect the diversity of the communities in which they operate as well, they contribute to the economy of their communities enabling more parents, particularly mothers to participate in the workforce. It’s an essential contribution to their community. We ensure that all children experience a sense of ‘belonging’ in their childcare home – we aim to treat every individual with dignity and respect regardless of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or intellectual or physical disability. Our program strives to ensure that we are inclusive to all, based on the belief that each person is unique and will be given an equal opportunity to learn and grow. We are committed to quality care for all children and their families in partnership with our staff, providers, and parents.
Looking for Licensed daycare near me?
Licensed daycare near me is the number one search criterion that parents use to find care, and that is because parents want care that is convenient for them; however, the quality of that care is equally important, and that is why they trust a company like Wee Watch with over 40 years of providing care within their community. Trust comes with experience, and with 40 years of providing care, we have learned a lot about the needs of parents and children and how to select and support our licensed childcare provider. We are dedicated to quality – we have a Registered Early Childcare Educator (RECE) who visits every home every month to observe the children and providers and ensure that all standards are met and that all children are thriving. That is over 15,000 home visits per year. At Wee Watch, we conduct monthly visits to each home even though the regulation only requires us to visit each home once every three months. We do more because we are committed to quality.
When parents ask us – are there childcare providers near me or infant and toddler daycare near me? We can confidently say – yes! Visit our locations page and type in your postal code or city; the location for licensed daycare near me can be found! Or apply directly today!
FAQS
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What are the benefits of choosing a licensed daycare near me for my child?
The benefits of choosing a licensed daycare near me are:
Familiar home environment for children.
Small numbers of children in care (max 6 and no more than 3 under 3 years of age), allowing for more individualized attention.
Peace of mind knowing your Provider and their whole family has been screened (medical and criminal).
Providers are trained and supported by a Registered Childcare educator and participate in 10 hours a year of professional development.
Oversight of the home is comprehensive, Wee Watch Home Visitors see each child every month at minimum and ensure that all policies and procures and safety measures are being implemented in the home. The Ministry of Education requires a Home Visitor to observe a Provider and review her home every 3 months, Wee Watch does this every single month to give parents even more peace of mind.
Wee Watch also provides comprehensive educational programming for children of all ages and stages. -
How can I verify if a daycare provider is a licensed childcare provider in my area?
You can verify by contacting the local childcare agency. You can find the local agency by looking here. Agencies are licensed by the Ministry of Education, not the individual providers. A provider that is licensed will have a Ministry of Education decal posted in her home visibly. All Wee Watch agencies are licensed. The Ministry of Education also has a childcare look-up tool online, however this will not list individual providers, only daycare agencies.
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What are the licensing requirements for home daycare providers in Ontario?
To be licensed in Ontario, home daycare providers must contract with a licensed home childcare agency. The agency must meet all requirements set out in the Childcare and Early Years Act, 2014. The agency ensures that providers that contract and provide daycare services for them, meet all requirements outlined in the Act for safety, programming and nutrition.
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How do I determine if a licensed home daycare in Ontario is a good fit for my family?
Determining fit is best achieved by asking questions about what is important to you – ie specific questions about safety, educational programming, requirements etc. It is also important to understand the hours of service and how flexible they are if this is important to you. For example, many daycare centers operate 6-6, however some licensed home childcare providers operate late hours, weekends, evenings and overnights. The location is also something important to consider, is the home close to your home or work? Finally, cost – find out if the agency is part of the CWELCC program offering reduced rates to families in Ontario.
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What resources are available to help me find licensed childcare providers near me?
You can find out if there are spaces available in the homes of licensed providers by contacting your local Wee Watch agency. The Ministry of Education also has a look-up tool online. Some municipalities also have a application program (Onelist) that parents can apply once for numerous agencies and centres. You would need to look at your local Municipality webpage to determine if your region is part of this program.
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Are licensed daycare providers in Ontario required to meet specific health and safety standards?
All licensed home childcare agencies are required to meet specific health and safety standards as outlined in the Childcare and Early Years Act, 2014. Providers that contract with a licensed agency are therefore required to meet all these same standards. Wee Watch does monthly visits to each childcare provider’s home to ensure that they are delivering a program that meets these standards. The CCEYA only requires an agency to visit a home once every 4 months, but to ensure the quality and safety in our homes, Wee Watch exceeds these requirements and inspects monthly.
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How can I ensure that a licensed childcare provider offers the best care for my child?
Wee Watch ensures that our Providers and their families are extensively pre-screened before a home opens. We also provide training and support to ensure that the provider can deliver the best care to the children in their homes. Wee Watch has their own proprietary educational curriculum that all children participate in and we exceed the Ministry requirement for visiting homes to ensure that all standards are being met. We have been delivering care for over 40 years in thousands of homes across Ontario – our foundation is the delivery of the highest quality home childcare.
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What steps should I take if I have concerns about a licensed home daycare in Ontario?
If you have any concerns with a licensed home in Ontario, contact the agency office first to share your concern. You can find the local Wee Watch agency by looking here. If the concern is about another agency, contact them. The next step would be to report it to the Ministry of Education at this link https://www.ontario.ca/page/make-child-care-complaint