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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
Alberta
OVERVIEW
In Alberta, responsibility for early childhood education and care (ECEC) falls under two Ministries; Alberta Education
and Alberta Children’s Services. Responsibility for licensed and approved child care was under Alberta Human Services
for part of the time period covered in this report but moved to the newly created Ministry of Children’s Services as of
January 2017.
Responsibility for Early Childhood Services (ECS) including kindergarten and other educational programming for chil-
dren prior to Grade 1 is under the Education Supports Sector of Alberta Education.
Regional Child and Family Services at the local level are responsible for licensing, monitoring and issuing enforcement
actions for licensed child care programs.
There are five categories of licensed child care (often referred to as ECEC programs) defined under Alberta’s Child Care
Licensing Act. Each operates with the primary purpose of providing child care to seven or more children. Licensed ECEC
in Alberta includes: 1) day care programs for preschool-aged children (under seven years); 2) part day preschool pro-
grams; 3) out-of-school programs for kindergarten and school-aged children; 4) group family child care; and 5) innova-
tive child care programs designed to meet the unique child care needs of the community in which they are provided, as
approved by the director.
Another child care option available to parents in Alberta is referred to as the Approved Family Day Home (FDH)
program. Contracted family day home agencies and approved providers are required to operate according to ministry
standards.
Somewhat more than half of Alberta’s licensed full and part day centre-based child care programs (58%) and nearly half
of approved family day home agencies (46%) are for-profit. The others are not-for-profit, which includes a small number
of municipally operated or supported centres.
In April 2018, the Alberta and federal governments signed the Canada-Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
The federal government will transfer $136 million over three years to Alberta to increase accessibility, affordability and
quality, address gaps and flexibility and provide an evaluation.
94 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
PROVINCIAL CONTEXT
Please note that some of the following figures are rounded, while totals are based on exact figures and may therefore not equal the
sum of the rounded figures shown here.
Number of children 0-12 (2016 rounded estimate)
Age Number of children
0 52,700
1 52,700
2 50,700
3 53,200
4 56,300
5 51,400
6 56,700
7 53,100
8 58,100
9 50,600
10 49,500
11 48,700
12 47,600
Total 681,100
Number of children 0-12 years (aggregated) (2016 rounded estimate)
Age Number of children
0-2 156,100
3-5 160,900
6-12 364,300
Total 681,300
Number of children 0-12 years with employed mothers (2016 rounded estimate)
Age Number of children
0 28,400
1 30,800
2 27,300
3 30,000
4 33,900
5 30,100
6 34,400
7 31,500
8 33,800
9 30,700
10 31,300
11 31,800
12 30,100
Total 404,200
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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
Number of children 0-12 with employed mothers (aggregated) (2016 rounded estimate)
Age Number of children
0-2 86,500
3-5 94,000
6-12 223,600
Total 404,200
Number of children 0-14 identifying with an Indigenous group (2016)
Age First Nations Métis Inuk (Inuit) Multiple Other
0-4 14,300 9,215 250 390 240
5-9 15,865 10,120 285 245 240
10-14 13,790 9,555 230 285 170
Workforce participation of mothers by age of youngest child (2016 rounded estimate)
Age of youngest child Number of mothers Participation rate (%)
0-2 89,900 62.9
3-5 69,000 72.9
6-15 167,800 82.1
Living arrangements by age of child by number of parents (2016)
Age Living with two parents Living with one parent Lone mother Lone father
0-4 228,685 31,915 26,450 5,465
5-9 219,010 45,330 36,260 9,075
10-14 188,085 46,755 36,645 10,110
Language spoken most often in home by age of child (2016)
Age English French Non-official Multiple
0-4 215,860 2,015 35,610 12,520
5-9 226,640 2,015 27,690 14,120
10-14 202,910 1,615 23,805 13,220
Total 645,405 5,645 87,105 39,865
Median after-tax income among families with children aged 0-5 years (2015) ($)
Two parent families Lone parent families Male lone-parent families Female lone-parent families
92,890 31,264 40,636 30,240
96 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
FAMILY RELATED LEAVE
Maternity leave
Fifteen weeks.
Available to the birth mother only.
Parental leave
Thirty-seven weeks may be taken by one parent or shared
between two parents; the total combined leave cannot
exceed 37 weeks. The provincial legislation stipulates that
there is no requirement to grant parental leave to more
than one parent at a time if both parents of a child work
for the same employer.
Adoption leave
Parental leave only. Thirty-seven weeks may be taken by
one parent or shared between two parents but the total
combined leave cannot exceed 37 weeks.
Benefits
Maternity and parental leave provisions in Canada,
outside Quebec, are divided between federal and pro-
vincial/territorial governments. Benefits are paid by the
federal government under the Employment Insurance
program (EI), while provincial /territorial provisions for
job-protected leave are established in each jurisdiction’s
employment standards legislation.
EI is a contributory program; both employees and
employers contribute. Under EI, the federal benefit cov-
ers 15 weeks of maternity leave for eligible employees
who are birth mothers. Until December 3, 2017, there
was only one option for parental leave benefits: 35 weeks
of payment was available to cover parental leave for
either eligible parent including adoptive parents.
As of December 3, 2017, this has been amended by the
federal government to offer two options for new par-
ents: a Standard Parental Benefit (35 weeks of parental
benefits for a total of 50 weeks total including 15 weeks
of maternity benefits) and an Extended Parental Benefit
(15 weeks of maternity benefits and 61 weeks of parental
leave benefits totalling 76 weeks). Maternity and the
Standard Parental Benefit are paid at 55% of wages up
to a ceiling of $543 a week (2017); the Extended Parental
Benefit is paid at 33% of wages up to a ceiling of $326 a
week.
For further details about the EI federal benefit, Quebec
benefits and leave provisions, and provincial/territorial
provisions for job-protected leave, see the FAMILY LEAVES
AND BENEFITS section of this publication. Provincial/
territorial provisions are up-to-date in this document up to
December 31 2017.
KINDERGARTEN (EARLY
CHILDHOOD SERVICES)
PROVINCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
KINDERGAREN
Alberta Education
Education Supports Sector
8th Floor – 44 Capital Boulevard
10044-108 Street
Edmonton, AB, T5J 5E6
Telephone: (780) 427-4919
Website
LEGISLATION
Government of Alberta. Legislative Assembly. School
Act. 2000.
Early Childhood Services Regulation 31/2002.
Private Schools Regulation 190/2000.
EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES ENROLLMENT
(2016-2017)
Kindergarten enrolment not available
66,000 funded students (includes kindergarten and chil-
dren with severe disability/delay younger than kindergar-
ten age in Early Childhood Services programs)
KINDERGARTEN SERVICES
Alberta Education is responsible for providing Early
Childhood Services (ECS) under the School Act.
Kindergarten, as part of ECS programming, is intended
for children in the year prior to entry into Grade 1 and
may be offered by local school boards and/or private
non-profit ECS operators. It is usually part day (mini-
mum of 475 hours/year) but some local authorities pro-
vide a full day option.
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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
ECS provides educational services in a variety of early
learning settings in addition to kindergarten. Children
with special needs may be included starting as early as
two-and-a-half years of age.
Funding for kindergarten and other ECS programs may
be accessed by all school authorities, which include:
school jurisdictions (public, separate, Francophone
school boards), accredited private schools, charter
schools, and approved private, non-profit ECS operators.
AGE ELIGIBILITY (FOR KINDERGARTEN)
To enter kindergarten, children must be four-years and
six months of age on or before September 1st of the rel-
evant school year.
COMPLUSORY
Attendance in kindergarten is not compulsory but most
five-year-olds attend (an estimated 98% of age-eligible
children).
HOURS
475 hours throughout the school year. Kindergarten is
usually part day, every day.
CLASS SIZE
The provincial government does not set a class size limit
in kindergarten.
Alberta Education has for some years provided funding
to school jurisdictions to support smaller class sizes in
K-3 with the expectation that school boards use these
funds to achieve targeted lower class sizes for the younger
grades, including kindergarten. Boards are required to
participate in the annual class size survey and report class
size averages annually.
The provincial class size average for K-3 was 20.4 in the
2016/2017 school year.
TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS
Qualification requirements: Early Childhood Services
teachers in Alberta must hold a valid Alberta teaching
certificate based on a four year university degree that
includes a basic teacher preparation program (B.Ed.), or
a bachelor’s degree supplemented with a teacher prepa-
ration program (two year post-degree for teacher course
work and practicum).
There is no specific requirement for early childhood
training.
CURRICULUM
Alberta Kindergarten Curriculum (2008)
Kindergarten Program Statement (2008)
My Child’s Learning: A Parent’s Resource
SPENDING ON KINDERGARTEN
Kindergarten spending is not available.
More than $330 million operational funding is spent
annually for approximately 66,000 children in ECS not
including capital expenditures. In addition, $270 million
is spent for ECS children with mild/moderate and severe
disability/delay and children with gifted and talented
learning needs.
K-12 per pupil spending (2014-2015) $13,115
REGULATED CHILD CARE
PROVINCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHILD
CARE
Ministry of Children’s Services
Early Childhood Development Branch
6th Floor Sterling Place
9940 - 106th Street
Edmonton, AB, T5K 2N2
Telephone: (780) 422-1119
Website
98 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
LEGISLATION
Alberta. Legislative Assembly. Child Care Licensing Act.
Alberta. Legislative Assembly. Child Care Licensing
Regulation, 143/2008.
CHILD CARE SERVICES
UNREGULATED CHILD CARE
Unlicensed family child care
In Alberta, the maximum number of children permitted
in an unlicensed family child care setting is six under the
age of 13, not including the caregiver’s own children.
REGULATED CHILD CARE
Under Alberta’s Child Care Licensing Act, there are six
types of regulated child care and early childhood educa-
tion and care (ECEC) programs. Five program types are
licensed and one program type is approved.
Alberta’s Child Care Licensing Act states that anyone
caring for seven or more children must be licensed by the
Government of Alberta. The following five programs,
required to be licensed, are all subject to Alberta’s Child
Care Licensing Regulation.
Note that approved family day home agencies are
approved, not licensed.
Day care program
A child care program provided to seven or more infants,
preschool and kindergarten children for four or more
consecutive hours in each day that the program is pro-
vided.
Preschool program
A child care program provided to preschool and kinder-
garten children for less than four hours per child in each
day that the program is provided.
Innovative program
A child care program approved by the director that is
designed to meet the unique child care needs of the com-
munity in which it is provided.
Out-of-school care program
A child care program provided to kindergarten-aged and
school-aged children (under age 13) in any or all of the
following periods: before-and after-school; during the
lunch hour; when schools are closed.
Group family child care program
A child care program provided in the private residence of
the licence holder to a maximum of 10 children, includ-
ing infants, preschool, kindergarten and school-aged
children. Group family child care programs must have
two providers on record and both must be on the prem-
ises when seven or more children are in attendance. As
a licensed program, group family child care is subject to
the Child Care Licensing Regulations in Alberta.
Approved family day home program
Alberta’s Family Day Home (FDH) Program is delivered
under a contracted agency model. Homes are referred
to as “approved family day homes”. An approved family
day home program is one in which the Child and Family
Services Region has entered into an agreement with a
family day home agency to coordinate and monitor the
provision of child care in the private residence of each
approved child care provider.
Note that an approved family day home agency is not
licensed but approved.
Under the legal authority of the Child Care Licensing Act,
the Family Day Home Standards Manual for Alberta
outlines the requirements for approved family child
care, including the roles, objectives, responsibilities and
expectations for the Child and Family Services Region,
FDH Agency and FDH provider. Contracted FDH agen-
cies and approved providers are required to operate
according to these Ministry standards.
The maximum number of children is six, including the
provider’s own children.
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK
Play, participation and possibilities: An early learning
and child care curriculum framework for Alberta
Alberta’s curriculum framework supports a holistic view
of children and will build common language across
diverse delivery settings about the importance of play
in early learning, emergent curriculum planning and
responsive care. It is intended to guide practitioners in
their intentional interactions with young children. The
framework was piloted in selected early learning and
child care sites across Alberta. The ministry continues
to work with Mount Royal University and MacEwan
University on the curriculum project through expansion
of programs and learning communities, as well as the
development of professional resources.
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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
INDIGENOUS CHILD CARE
Alberta child care programs in Indigenous communities
on-reserve are not required to meet provincial child care
legislation requirements. Indigenous child care pro-
grams may be eligible for federal government funding
equivalent to parent child care subsidies when programs
demonstrate to the federal government that they adhere
to provincial licensing standards. By invitation of the
First Nation, provincial child care licensing staff will
schedule and conduct an inspection visit, and provide a
written inspection report based on provincial licensing
standards. Alberta has ongoing communication with fed-
eral funders under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment
Training Strategy (ASETS) to consult on and respond to
requests for inspection of child care programs located on
First Nations reserve land.
Alberta recognizes early learning and child care educa-
tion training programs in approved private vocational
training institutions that are based on theoretical under-
standing of First Nations/Indigenous cultural knowledge
as well as an academic study of all aspects of child devel-
opment. Depending on program content and course
hours, staff members who complete these programs
may be eligible for certification as a Child Development
Worker or a Child Development Supervisor. Alberta also
contracts with early childhood educators to deliver the
entry level Child Care Orientation Course in First Nation
communities. Completion of the course qualifies staff for
certification as a Child Development Assistant.
The curriculum framework is currently not mandatory.
It is available free of charge to any educator who wants to
engage voluntarily with the ideas and concepts as a way
to support their evolving practices, planning and provi-
sions for young children’s learning.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The Inclusive Child Care Program provides supports
to facilitate inclusion of children with special needs in
Alberta’s approved child care settings. Program delivery
and funding may vary depending on the needs of the
child, the type of service required, and the regional Child
and Family Services delivery model. Regions determine
the disbursement of funds for inclusive child care pro-
gramming. Funds are typically paid to licensed or con-
tracted operators on behalf of eligible children.
Additional training for staff working with children with
special needs is not required in legislation; however, staff
members typically have an early childhood education
credential.
In 2013/2014, Alberta Human Services funded a non-
profit community program, Getting Ready for Inclusion
Today (GRIT), to provide staff support at five centres
to foster inclusive practices for children with additional
needs and better enable meaningful participation for all
children.
Between 2014 and 2016, the ministry provided GRIT
programs with a grant to complete a two year provincial
pilot to implement their ASaP (Access, Support and
Participation) program, extending GRIT staff support
to 42 licensed and approved child care programs across
Alberta. Participating programs completed an assess-
ment to determine areas for enhancement, then child
care teams received training and on-site, practice-based
coaching to provide them with the skills, knowledge,
and confidence to provide equitable access and support
participation of all children within quality, inclusive
environments.
For more detailed information, see the ASaP Continuum
Project report (2017).
100 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
SPACE STATISTICS
Number of regulated child care spaces (March 2016)
Centre-based spaces
Age group Full day Part day Total
Infants (under 12 months) 1,724 - 1,724
Infants (13-19 months) 4,566 - 4,566
Toddlers (19 months
< 3 years) 12,480 1,445 13,925
Preschoolers (3 years-
4.5 years)* 15,716 14,807 30,523
Kindergarten
(age 4.5 years +)** 7,485 10,820 18,305
Out-of-school (Grades 1-6)
reported as part day 28,063 28,063
Innovative child care
(no age grouping) 560 - 560
Total centre-based spaces 42,531 55,135 97,666
Family child care spaces 11,816 - 11,816
(Licensed family child care - 30 and approved family day
homes – 11,786)
Total number of licensed and approved spaces
54,347 55,135 109,482
* Attending day care program - full day spaces; attending pre-
school program part day spaces.
** Attending an approved ECS program - part time. Day care
spaces reported as full day: preschool/out-of-school care report-
ed as part day spaces.
Children with special needs in regulated/approved
child care
Not available. Funding is distributed by regional delivery
offices to regulated child care programs. The number of
children served is not collected.
Children receiving fee subsidies (2016) 24,509
Number of child care programs (March 2016)
Centre-based programs 2,402
Day care centres 782
Innovative 22
Out-of-school care 898
Preschools (part day) 700
Family child care 74
Group family child care programs (licensed) 3
Number of family day home agencies (contracted) 71
Number of individual family child care providers
(approved by agencies) 1,999
Sponsorship of regulated child care programs and spaces
(March 2016)
Number of
Sponsorship programs
Regulated centre-based child care programs
(total) 2,402
Non-profit 1,078
For-profit 1,324
Day care programs (full day) 782
Non-profit 237
For-profit 545
Preschool programs (part day) 700
Non-profit 444
For-profit 256
Out-of-school care programs 898
Non-profit 378
For-profit 520
Innovative child care programs 22
Non-profit 19
For-profit 3
Regulated/approved home child care programs
Family day home agencies-approved 71
Non-profit 38
For-profit 33
Group family child care programs-licensed 3
Non-profit 0
For-profit 3
Number of full and part day centre spaces
Total 97,106
Non-profit 40,798
For-profit 56,308
Day care spaces (full day) 41,971
Non-profit 11,788
For-profit 30,183
Preschool spaces (part day) 17,940
Non-profit 10,551
For-profit 7,389
Out-of-school care spaces (part day) 37,195
Non-profit 18,459
For-profit 18,736
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Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
Parent Fees (March 2016)
In Alberta, child care operators are responsible for setting
their own fees.
Alberta collects data on actual child care fees paid, which
vary by program type and age of child.
In March 2016, the mean average monthly fees based on
provincial government data were:
Child care program type-fees per month
Out-of-
Approved school-
Day care family care
Age Group centre day home centre
Infants < 12 months $884 $533 -
Infants 12 months < 19 months $938 $677 -
19 months < 3 years $864 $735 -
3 years< 4.5 years $828 $728 -
4.5+ years $796 $688 $628
4.5+ years and attending school - $500 $456
March 2016 mean parent fee $848 $680 $476
In 2016, a national survey of child care fees in Canada’s
largest cities included the following Alberta cities:
Calgary Edmonton
Median monthly infant fee $1,102 $835
Median monthly toddler fee $1,050 $835
Median monthly preschool-age fee $1,010 $825
Note: These median monthly figures include fees from centre-
based child care and home child care. Fee data collected by
provincial/territorial governments and that collected by the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Canada’s largest
cities use different methods and represent different sets of regu-
lated child care programs (all programs vs. those in the largest
cities; break-down into centre-based, family child care and
school-aged programs vs. all full day centre and home child care
and median vs. mean fees), so may not be consistent.
The CCPA data are included so as to provide comparison fee
data for all provinces.
STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
REGULATED CENTRES
Maximum centre size: Not specified
Maximum staff/child ratios and group sizes
Age Staff: child ratios Max. group sizes
Full day centre-based day care
Infants < 12 months 1:3 6
Infants 12 months < 19 months 1:4 8
19 months < 3 years 1:6 12
3 years < 4.5 years 1:8 16
4.5 years and older 1:10 20
Out-of-school care program
Part day programs for
kindergarten-age children 1:10 20
Part day programs for children
attending Grade 1 and higher 1:15 30
Centre staff qualification requirements
Child care staff certification
Under the Alberta Child Care Licensing Regulation, staff
working in licensed day care, preschool, out-of-school
care and group family child care programs are required
to be certified. Certification is the process used to review
educational training and competencies to determine
eligibility and to certify staff as meeting one of the three
levels of certification specified in regulation.
Staff working in licensed child care programs have
six months to become certified. Without certification,
they cannot be left alone to supervise children. All staff
must apply for certification to the Child Care Staff
Certification Office. The Certification Office is also
responsible for contracting the delivery of the child care
orientation course or Child Development Assistant certi-
fication and for the online delivery of this course.
Alberta has three levels of qualifications for child care
certification:
Child Development Assistant certificate (formerly Level 1)
Completion of the Child Care Orientation Course
(Alberta government-sponsored course); or completion
of specific courses in Alberta high schools; or completion
of a 45 hour (three credit) college/university-level course
related to child development; or completion of the Step
Ahead Family Day Home Training or Family Child Care
Training Program through an approved Alberta Family
Day Home Agency registered with the Alberta Family
Child Care Association.
102 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
Child Development Worker certificate (formerly Level 2)
Completion of a one year early learning and child care
certificate program offered by an Alberta public college
or university or completion of an equivalent level of
training (refer to Educational Equivalencies for Alberta
Child Care Staff Certification for details).
Child Development Supervisor certificate (formerly Level 3)
Completion of a two year early learning and child care
diploma program offered by an Alberta public college or
has completed an equivalent level of training (refer to
Educational Equivalencies for Alberta Child Care Staff
Certification for details).
For certification as a Child Development Worker and
Child Development Supervisor, proof of language profi-
ciency at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 7
is required if post secondary training was not completed
in English or French. Information about language profi-
ciency requirements is available in Alberta’s Child Care
Staff Certification Guide. (As of August 1, 2017, the
only language proficiency tests accepted for certification
are CELPIP and IELTS. See the Certification Guide for
more information.)
A course hours equivalency chart is available to appli-
cants (refer to the Course Hours Equivalency chart in
the Certification Guide). Course equivalencies include a
total of 1,545 hours of ECE coursework with 800 hours
of practicum for certification as a Child Development
Supervisor or completion of at least 770 hours of ECE
coursework including 400 hours of practicum for certifi-
cation as a Child Development Worker.
Staff credential requirements in each licensed
program
Day care program requirements (Schedule 1: Child Care
Licensing Regulation)
The Program Supervisor must hold a Child Development
Supervisor certificate. In the extended absence of
the Program Supervisor, a person with at least Child
Development Worker certification must be designated
to assume the responsibilities of the Program Supervisor.
In addition, at least one in every four primary staff work-
ing directly with children between the hours of 8:30 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m. must hold at least a Child Development
Worker certificate.
All other primary staff working directly with children at
any time of day must hold at least a Child Development
Assistant certificate. Regulation allows maximum six
months for staff to obtain this certificate; until then,
the staff person must not have unsupervised access to
children.
Out-of-school care program requirements (Schedule 4: Child
Care Licensing Regulation)
Staff working directly with children at any time must
hold at least a Child Development Assistant certificate.
Regulation allows maximum six months for staff to
obtain this certificate; until then, the staff person must
not have unsupervised access to children.
Preschool program requirements (Schedule 5: Child Care
Licensing Regulation)
Staff working directly with children at any time must
hold at least a Child Development Assistant certificate.
Regulation allows maximum six months for staff to
obtain this certificate; until then, the staff person must
not have unsupervised access to children.
Group family child care program requirements (Schedule 2:
Child Care Licensing Regulation)
The licence holder or an additional care provider must
be certified at minimum as a Child Development Worker
and each additional child care provider must be certified
at minimum as a Child Development Assistant.
Licensing, monitoring and enforcement
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 gener-
ally receive a minimum of two licensing inspections dur-
ing a 12-month-period. However, if non-compliances
are identified or incidents/complaint investigations take
place, licensing staff may complete additional inspec-
tions as required for follow up.
Refer to Alberta’s Child Care Licensing Act and Child
Care Licensing Regulation for additional information.
Links to these documents can be found online.
REGULATED FAMILY CHILD CARE
Model of organization
Alberta uses two models for delivery of regulated family-
based child care: a) contracted, approved agencies, which
have the role of overseeing individual approved family
day homes, and b) individually licensed group family
child care homes.
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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.
104 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
One-time funding
Professional Development Grant
This grant is available to eligible certified staff to enable
them to obtain higher levels of certification and attend
approved conferences and workshops relating to early
learning and child care. Certified Child Development
Assistants and Child Development Workers in both levels
of accreditation are eligible for up to $1,000/year.
Child Care Staff Attraction Incentive Allowance
This funding is intended to reduce labour market pres-
sures in child care by supporting the recruitment of quali-
fied staff to the profession. Certified Child Development
Workers and Child Development Supervisors in both
levels of accreditation are eligible for $2,500 if they are a
new staff person and $5,000 if they are a returning staff.
This funding is also considered a “wage” under the
Alberta
Employment Standards Code
.
Recurring funding
Infant Care Incentive
The Infant Care Incentive is a per-space amount paid to
regulated child care programs. It pays $150/month for
each child under 19 months of age who is in more than
eight hours of care in that month. Regulated programs
were receiving payments for an average of approximately
4,000 infants/month in 2014/15.
Northern Allowance (Former Oil Sands Strategy)
Under the former Alberta Oil Sands Strategy, a northern
allowance is still in place to help stabilize the child care
sector in the Wood Buffalo region of Alberta through
additional funding to support recruitment, retention and
professional development of staff. This funding is intend-
ed for staff working in licensed day care centres, licensed
out-of-school care programs and contracted family day
home agencies located in Fort McMurray. The allowance
includes a monthly flat-rate payment to staff (in addition
to the provincial accreditation wage top-up) and access to
an additional $500 per year for professional development.
FUNDING
CHILD CARE SERVICES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING
Alberta does not differentiate between non-profit and
for-profit child care programs in terms of funding.
TYPES OF FUNDING
Fee subsidies
Eligible families using regulated and approved child care
services may have all or some of their fees paid. Subsidies
are paid to the child care program on the parent’s behalf.
Eligibility and the amount of subsidy funding depend on
the number of individuals in the household; a family’s
gross income; the age of the child attending child care;
and type of care.
Subsidies are available to all eligible low-income families
who meet the required income test, who demonstrate the
need for care child care (i.e., employment and/or school-
ing); and have secured a regulated space. Families must
secure a space before applying for a subsidy.
Subsidy rates may not cover full fees; centres and family
day home agencies are permitted to surcharge above the
subsidy rates.
Note: Fee subsidies are available for preschool attendance in
the Stay-at-home-parent program.
Fee subsidy rates
Monthly child care subsidy rates for eligible families living
in all Alberta regions except the Northeast Alberta Region
(2016).
Age group
Toddler
Infant 19 mos.– Grades
Program type 1-18 mos. Kinder. 1–6
Day care/out-of-school care $628 $546 $310
Family day home and
group family child care $520 $437 $310
Extended hours $100 $100 $100
Stay-at-home parent
(max. per year) $1,200 $1200 NA
Kin child care $400 $400 $200
105
Childcare Resource and Research Unit Alberta
Accreditation funding for child care programs
Accreditation funding is paid to eligible child care pro-
grams (licensed child care and out-of-school care pro-
grams as well as approved family day home agencies).
Programs are responsible to transfer funding to the staff
in accordance with the Alberta Employment Standards
and policies set out in the guide. The accreditation criteria
include a commitment to meet the accreditation stan-
dards at all times, to continue work on quality improve-
ment in accordance with the strategies set in Quality
Enhancement Plans (QEP), annual reviews through sub-
mission of evidence to
AELCS
, and subjection to unan-
nounced status verification visits.
Types of accreditation funding include: Staff/Provider
Support Funding, Benefit Contribution Grant, Professional
Development Grant, and the Staff Attraction Incentive.
Staff/Provider Support Funding
This funding provides a wage top-up for eligible paid
program staff/providers over and above the base wage
paid by the employer. Wage top-up funding is paid to the
child care program, which distributes it to staff members.
Rates vary by type of child care program and level of staff
certification. The wage top-up is considered a “wage”
under the
Alberta Employment Standards Code
. Overviews
of funding rates by program type are available at the link
provided above. Rates for staff working in day care centres
are provided below as an example:
Pre-accredited Accredited
Day care staff centres centres
Child Development Assistant $1.44/hr $2.14/hr
Child Development Worker $2.70/hr $4.05/hr
Child Development Supervisor $4.42/hr $6.62/hr
Benefit Contribution Grant
Grant provided to child care programs to offset the costs
of the mandatory provincial and federal employer contri-
butions associated with the wage top-up funding and the
child care staff attraction incentive allowance including
statutory pay, vacation pay, Employment Insurance (EI),
Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and Workers Compensation
Board (WCB) premiums. This grant supports 16% of Staff
Support Funding and 16% of Child Care Staff Attraction
Incentive Allowance.
Other funding
Kin Child Care Funding to pay for child care by a non-
custodial relative of up to $400 per month is available
to eligible low- and middle-income families with children
under the age of seven and not yet attending Grade 1, and
up to $200 for school-age children (Grades 1-6).
ALLOCATIONS FOR REGULATED CHILD CARE
(2015/2016)
Fee subsidies
Day care centres $89,000,000
Family day homes $14,000,000
Preschools-Stay-at-Home parent support $1,250,000
Out-of-school care $34,802,000
Extended hours $250,000
Total fee subsidies $139,302,000
One-time funding
Staff certification $972,000
Recurring funding
Accreditation funding $101,182,000
Infant care incentive $8,000,000
Family day home agency contracts $6,437,000
Specialized child care (includes
Inclusive Child Care) $5,782,000
Northern Allowance $2,169,000
Total recurring funding $123,570,000
Total regulated child care $263,844,000
Other funding
Parent Link centres $26,210,000
Home visitation $9,896,000
Kin Child Care $2,200,000
106 Alberta EarlyChildhoodEducationandCareinCanada•2016
ALLOCATIONS FOR CHILD CARE (2015/2016) AS
PER ALBERTA HUMAN SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
2015/2016 (p. 72)
Accreditation Funding Program $101,182,000
Child Care Subsidy and Supports $191,401,000
Program Planning and Delivery $4,314,000
Total allocation for child care $296,897,000
Source: Alberta. Ministry of Human Services. Year ended
March 31, 2016.
Preschool-Stay at Home Parent Support: Eligible families who
have one parent who stays at home or works, volunteers or
attends school less than 20 hours per week may qualify for a
child care subsidy of up to $1,200 per year.
Oil Sands Strategy: Northern living allowance: additional fund-
ing to support recruitment, retention and professional develop-
ment of staff paid to licensed day care centres/out-of-school
care programs and contracted family day home agencies in Fort
McMurray.
Kin Child Care Funding: Available for eligible parents who pay
a non-custodial relative to care for their child in a private, non-
regulated arrangement (see description above).