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WHAT IS FAMILY CHILD CARE?
Family Child Care is a type of licensed child care which takes place in a licensee’s personal residence, with the licensee personally providing care.
Like conventional daycares in commercial settings, Family Child Care is licensed through Vancouver Coastal Health and subject to the regulations laid out in the Community Care and Assisted Living Act (CCALA), Community Care Facilities Licensing (CCFL), and the Child Care Licensing Regulation (CCLR).
Family Child Care programs are eligible to have up to 7 children, ages 3-5. The licensee, (in our case Georgia), must live in the home.
We are seeking a rental home in Squamish: 2-4 bedrooms with a fenced backyard, to host our Family Child Care program, and will serve as a personal rental/home for Georgia.
A cozy & gentle place to land
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Relationship-centered care
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A cozy & gentle place to land · Relationship-centered care ·
What is the role of the homeowner/landlord?
An in-home daycare, such as Family Child Care, has been legislated in a way to streamline and simplify the process. In-home programming does not require sprinklers or any structural renovations. The dynamic between us as tenants and you as the landlord is very similar to classic tenancy and will not require any additional work on your end, beyond providing site and floor plans.
We will have business, tenant, and liability insurance, and— of course, a business license and a Family Child Care license (issued by VCH). Nearly all of this will be acquired after signing the lease, as the address is necessary for most of these.
There are several other in-home daycares in Squamish, and they are legal in all residentially-zoned homes.
Want more information about the specifics of opening a Family Child Care program?
The Process
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Submit Site/floor plans and application
After the lease is signed, we will need to submit detailed site plans (including any outdoor space), and a floor plan of the home, in our licensing application to Vancouver Coastal Health.
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small changes & improvements
Our program will not require any renovations or structural changes to the home. This step will include things such as anchoring large furniture to the wall, adding a deadbolt to Georgia’s bedroom, ensuring the backyard is adequately secured, etc.
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Inspection from Licensing Officer
This is a very important step, but does not involve the homeowner or landlord. This will include an in-person inspection of the home and our materials/furniture.
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Registration & Open for business!
Once we are licensed and insured, we can officially enroll children and begin our program! Our outdoor program will run M-F with a max of 7 children, ages 3-5.
FAQ
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Our programming will be week days from 8am-5:30pm. Our hours of operation will also take into account the needs of neighbours and the size of the home, so programming may be available at least 3 days a week, or up to 5 days on a larger property.
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We are committed to being a good neighbour. We want to bring value to our neighbourhood and are keen to help create lasting community. It is important to us that neighbours feel consulted and included in decision making that affects them.
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While we are sure there will be noisy moments and excited shouts, ultimately 7 children do not create too much constant noise. As an outdoor program, we spend lots of time on field trips, exploring the forest, and visiting playgrounds which helps keep the noise in the neighbourhood down. We have found that children are very capable of keeping the noise level down, as constant loud noises disturb them as well! If neighbours experience any issues with noise levels, we are happy to discuss with them and implement other strategies.
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The only major upgrade we may need to implement is erecting a fence for outdoor play. Other than the outdoor fence, the only change the home will need is anchoring furniture to the walls. We will not make any major changes or renovations to the home.
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Drop-off and pick-up will be on a staggered schedule to keep any parking issues to a minimum. We will incentivise carpooling to further curb any traffic issues and will utilize any private parking options (such as the driveway), to avoid congestion on the street.
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We are in the process of fundraising to ensure we have a sizable savings for any issues which may, (and will:), arise. We are in talks with several investors and have many community partnerships helping to advise.
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Family Child Care requires a securely fenced yard, with at least 3.5m² of space per child. To have the maximum of 7 children per day, this means we are seeking a yard with roughly 25m² (~270ft²), of usable outdoor space within the fenced area.
We are open to financing the fencing, or at least to contributing to it, if one is not already in place.
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