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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
Approved family day home agencies are required to mon-
itor all providers with both scheduled and unscheduled
visits at least six times per year. Agency staff, referred to
as family day home agency consultants or home visitors,
monitor compliance utilizing a standard Government
of Alberta checklist to ensure adherence to the provider
standards. Under the Family Day Home Standards, agen-
cy staff responsible for monitoring approved family day
home providers must be certified at minimum as a Child
Development Worker. The consultants work closely with
both family day home providers and parents.
As group family child care is a licensed category, they
are subject to the Child Care Licensing Regulations.
Inspection visits are intended to ensure all licensed child
care programs adhere to the Child Care Licensing Act and
Regulation. Licensed child care programs will generally
receive a minimum of two licensing inspections during a
12 month period. However, if non-compliances are iden-
tified or incidents/complaint investigations take place,
licensing staff may complete additional inspections as
required for follow up.
Refer to Alberta’s Child Care Licensing Act and Child Care
Licensing Regulation for additional information.
Family day home provider qualification requirements
Family day home providers must be 18 years of age, have
a criminal records check including a vulnerable sector
search, and have completed a first aid course.
The Family Day Home Standards Manual requires
that direct care providers receive training in such areas
as child development, child guidance and employing
appropriate culturally sensitive strategies. Family day
home agencies are required to develop an appropriate
training plan based on the needs of their providers and
families, on topics such as first aid, health and safety,
child guidance and cultural sensitivity.
In the group family child care program, the licence hold-
er must be certified at minimum as a Child Development
Assistant and ensure that each additional child care pro-
vider is certified at minimum as a Child Development
Assistant (see certification table).
Licensed group family child care is provided in the pri-
vate residence of the licence holder in which two provid-
ers care for a maximum of ten children.
The Child Care Licensing Act states that anyone caring
for seven or more children must be licensed by the
Government of Alberta.
Individuals who care for six or less children do not
require a license and have the option of becoming an
approved family day home with an approved agency.
Section 25 of the Act defines the family day home pro-
gram (FDH) as a program under which the person with
whom the director has entered into an agreement (the
agency), agrees to coordinate, monitor and administer a
family day home service.
Operating under the legal authority of the Child Care
Licensing Act, the Family Day Home Standards Manual
for Alberta describes the roles, objectives, responsibili-
ties and expectations for the Child and Family Services
region, agency and approved family day home provider.
Approved family day home agencies recruit, monitor
and support family day home providers according to
the standards. Agencies may be non-profit or for-profit.
Maximum capacity
Approved family day home providers may accommodate
a maximum of six children 0 to 12-years-old in each
private residence, including the provider’s own children.
A maximum of three children may be 36 months or
younger and a maximum of two children may be 24
months or younger.
In a licensed group family child care home, two provid-
ers care for a maximum of ten children, of which not
more than three may be under three years of age, and not
more than two may be infants (24 months or younger).
The licence holder must ensure that where seven or more
children are present at a program, whether on or off the
program premises, two care providers are on duty.
Monitoring and enforcement
Through its contract with a Child and Family Services
Region, a family day home agency is responsible for
complying with the agency standards and monitor-
ing compliance to the provider standards. Provincial
staff monitor each agency and also randomly select
a minimum of 10% of the agency’s active homes to
visit annually. The minimum ministry-wide monitor-
ing requirement for agencies is once annually in each
contract term.