Child Care & Community Care Home Providers Licensing

To make sure that you are ready to apply for a child care licence and operate your facility safely, you must make sure that your child care program meets all provincial government requirements for:

• Health and safety
• Staffing qualifications
• Staff-to-child ratios
• Space and equipment
• Program standards

These requirements are outlined in the Child Care Licensing Regulation, which describes basic health, safety and care requirements for licensed child care facilities. The Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Government of British Columbia rules for operating a licensed child care facility further describe your legal obligations.

To be sure that you are ready for the application process, you will need to review the following:

• Community Care Licensing – Frequently Asked Questions
• Obtaining a Licence Fact Sheet
• Local Government Requirements
• The Guide to Applying for a Child Care Licence
• The Role of a Licensing Officer Fact Sheet
• The Role of a Licensee Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Opening a Licensed Child Care Facility
• Operating a Licensed Child Care Facility
• Child Care Resources and Referral Centres
• How Health Legislation Applies in Licensed Care Facilities

It’s okay if you have questions or would like more information about how to prepare for the licensing process. Interior Health Licensing can provide you with support and resources as you obtain your licence.

The Guide to Applying for a Child Care Licence will walk you through the application process including documents to be submitted.  

Ensure the following items are submitted: 

1.0 Schedule B – Requirements for a Licence Application

• 1.1 Application for a Licence – Form 820071
• 1.2 Municipal Referral (as per Standard Work Document)
• 1.3 Environmental Health Referral (as per Standard Word Document)
• Written authorization from owner/leaser of premise

2.0 Schedule Care Programs

• Detailed description of care program

3.0 Suitability of Applicant

• 3.1 Suitability of an Applicant Form OR
  • Manager Declaration
  • Training Documents
  • Assessment of Suitability Questions
  • References

4.0 Criminal Record Checks

• Criminal Record Checks
  • Applicant
  • Manager
  • Others > 12 yrs.

5.0 Employee Plan

• Employee Plan

6.0 Site Plan

• 6.1 Site Plan
• 6.2 Offsite Play areas

7.0 Employee Plan

• Safety Plan for Regular or Daily Transportation

8.0 Off-Site Activity Plan

• Off-Site Activity Plan

9.0 Floor Plan

• Floor Plan

10.0 Budget

• Statement of projected monthly revenue and expenditures

11.0 Society Applicants

• Society Applicants (if requested by Licensing Officer)

Policies and Procedures

1. Fire and Life Safety Checklist for Home Based Child Care Setting
2. Behaviour Guidance
3. Active Play/Screen Time Policy
4. Repayment Agreement
5. Safe Release of Children
6. Care and Supervision Policies
7. Food and Drink Policy
8. Emergency Plan

Initial Inspection(s)

• Scheduled
• Complete

After you have reviewed the Guide to Applying for a Child Care Licence in Step 1, submit all required completed forms or documents to Licensing Direct via email (preferred), mail, fax or in person. A licensing officer will review your information and contact you.

A few tips for submitting are as follows:

• Keep copies of all documents you submit for your records
• Interior Health stores all documents electronically; paper documents are scanned and uploaded into an electronic file and the paper destroyed
• We don’t advise submitting more documentation than what is required because it may cause unnecessary delay
• Submit all documents individually, naming each document according to the Guide to Applying. This promotes processing efficiency. Documentation submitted in a manner that does not follow the guide may be sent back to you for reformatting and resubmission

NOTE: If at any time you decide to withdraw your application for licence, please advise Licensing Direct immediately so that your file can be closed.

Once your application has been submitted (including all required documentation), you should prepare for the following steps in the application process:

• An inspection of the proposed facility site (inside and outside)

• A review of your facility’s policies and procedures, including the following:

  • A behaviour guidance policy

  • An active play and screen time policy

  • A repayment agreement

  • A safe release of children policy

  • Care and supervision policies

  • A food and drink provision policy

  • An emergency plan

• An assessment to make sure you will be a good care provider

At the conclusion of this initial inspection, an inspection report will be provided to you. If items are outstanding, a possible follow-up inspection(s) will be conducted to ensure completion of these items.

If your application is denied

If you are denied a licence, a medical health officer (MHO) will give you written reasons for the denial. You may then respond to the MHO with written reasons why the decision should be reversed. A MHO will respond with written reasons confirming the original decision or an alternate decision. You may then submit an appeal to the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board within 30 days of that decision.

If your application is successful, you will be issued a licence. The time between making an application for a licence and a licence being issued will vary for each individual application.

Upon receiving your licence, you must prominently display it and the name of your facility manager in your facility. Once licensed, a facility will be routinely inspected by a licensing officer to ensure compliance with the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Child Care Licensing Regulation. An inspection may occur within the first six months of receiving a licence; the frequency rate of future inspections will then depend on the risk assessment and the hazard rating at the time of inspection.

Ongoing support services

Support is available to help you to deliver healthy and safe child care services. Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) programs offer services to child care providers, including start-up and administrative information, registry listing, workshop and networking opportunities, referral to community resources, and access to library and toy resources.

Eligible licensed providers may also qualify for funding to assist with day-to-day costs, reduce fees for parents and enhance Early Childhood Educator wages.

If staff at your facility qualify, you can apply for an Early Childhood Educator or Assistant Certificate.

View the Information for Applicants document for more information. Familiarize yourself with the legislation, standards and resources for operating a licensed facility.

Review the Guide to Applying for a Community Care Licence for Applicants and the Community Care Applicant Guide to understand the application process. Please note, residential care is a term that is still in use for community care homes.

To be sure that you are ready for the application process, you will need to review the following:

• Community Care Licensing – Frequently Asked Questions
• Obtaining a Licence Fact Sheet
• A Guide to Community Care Facility Licensing in British Columbia
• The Role of a Licensing Officer Fact Sheet
• The Role of a Licensee Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Operating a Long-term Care Facility
• How Health Legislation Applies in Licensed Care Facilities

Contact your local fire and/or municipal authority to request an inspection of the proposed facility. They will complete the process necessary to meet their systems. Once completed, the final fire inspection report must be submitted to Licensing prior to completion of the application process.

It’s okay if you have questions, or would like more information about how to prepare for the licensing process. The Interior Health Licensing department can provide you with support and resources, as you obtain your licence and after.

The Guide to Applying for a Residential Care Licence will walk you through the application process including documents to be submitted:

• Community Care Licensing Application Form
• Suitability of a Licensee form
• Record of Confirmation – Manager
• Record of immunization of staff in your facility
• Environmental health requirements
• Criminal record checks
• Care program
• Staffing plan
• Site plan
• Floor plan
• Emergency plan
• Copy of your occupancy permit if you are constructing a building
• Purchase Lease Agreement
• Proof of liability insurance, if your facility will offer long-term care
• Monthly operating statement
• Repayment agreement(s)
• Policies
• Fire inspection report

Submit all required completed forms or documents to Licensing Direct via email (preferred), mail, fax or in person. A licensing officer will review your information and contact you.

It is important to ensure that you have completed all application requirements.

A few tips for submitting are as follows:

• Keep copies of all documents you submit for your records

• Interior Health stores all documents electronically; paper documents are scanned and uploaded into an electronic file and the paper destroyed

• We don’t advise submitting more documentation than what is required because it may cause unnecessary delay

• Submit all documents individually, naming each document according to the Guide to Applying. This promotes processing efficiency. Documentation submitted in a manner that does not follow the guide may be sent back to you for reformatting and resubmission

NOTE: If at any time you decide to withdraw your application for licence, please advise Licensing Direct immediately so your file can be closed.

Once you have submitted the required documents for the license application, a licensing officer will contact you to conduct an initial inspection of your premises. At the conclusion of the initial inspection, an inspection report will be provided to you. If items are outstanding, a possible follow-up inspection(s) will be conducted to ensure completion of these items.

A license will be issued once all application requirements are met. Please note, residential care is a term that is still in use for community care homes.

If your application is denied

If you are denied a licence, a medical health officer (MHO) will give you written reasons for the denial. You may then respond to the MHO with written reasons why the decision should be reversed. A MHO will respond with written reasons confirming the original decision or an alternate decision. You may then submit an appeal to the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board within 30 days of that decision.

If your application is successful, you will be issued a licence. The time between making an application for a licence and a licence being issued will vary for each individual application.

Upon receiving your licence, you must prominently display it and the name of your facility manager in your facility. Once licensed, a facility will be routinely inspected by a licensing officer to ensure compliance with the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Residential Care Regulation (which governs community care homes). An inspection may occur within the first six months of receiving a licence; the frequency rate of future inspections will then depend on the risk assessment and the hazard rating at the time of inspection.

You must submit to Licensing Direct:

• A completed Application for Licence Form indicating the new type of care or capacity

• An updated floor plan*

• A site plan*, including boundaries and outdoor areas

• Fire approval of emergency exits and fire drill system (capacity change only)

• Record of municipal approvals (care type and capacity changes)*

• An updated budget

• An employee plan (if applicable)

*Plans must be approved before any structural changes can be made

You must submit to Licensing Direct:

• A completed Application for Licence Form advising of changes to your facility name and/or mailing address

Notify Licensing Direct of any of the following changes (an application for licence is not required):

• Change or absence of a manager
• Change to licensee contact information
• Change to months, days, hours of operation
• Facility Closure (temporary or permanent)
• Floor or Site Plan Change (from original application)
• Contact information Change: Mailing address, phone number, email address
• Outdoor Playspace Change
• Detailed Description of Care Program Change (Schedule B Change from original application)
• Structural Change (resulting in no change to facility care program or capacity)
• Absent Licensee (Family & In-Home Multi-age Care only)
• Overnight care

Change or absence of a manager

If your facility manager leaves or expects to be absent for more than 30 consecutive days, you must notify Licensing Direct right away. Please provide:

• The replacement manager’s name and contact information
• The replacement manager’s start date

You must also post the new manager’s name in your facility.

Learn about hiring a manager in a licensed facility

Any requirement of the:

• Community Care and Assisted Living Act (except those sections listed in Schedule A of the Child Care Licensing and Residential Care Regulation)
• Child Care Licensing Regulation (except those sections listed in Schedule A)
• Residential Care Regulation, which governs community care homes (except those sections listed in Schedule A)

• Your facility name and address
• Licensee and manager names
• Type of care
• Maximum capacity
• The section of the legislation from which you are requesting the exemption
• The length of time for which the exemption is required, including the start and end date
• The number of exemptions which are currently granted to your facility
• A health and safety plan which shows that there will be no increased risk to the health and safety of persons in care if the exemption is granted
• How all the persons in care and their families/representatives were notified of the exemption application
• How all the persons in care, their families/representatives were notified on how they could comment on the exemption to Interior Health by contacting Licensing Direct
• The plan on informing all persons in care, their families/representatives if the exemption is granted

When you submit an exemption request, you should consider the following health and safety issues that may need to be addressed. Your submission should reflect what your facility will do over and above what is normally required. This could include addressing:

• Staffing levels
• Staff qualifications
• Programming
• Physical plans – indoor and outdoor, equipment and furnishings, and enhancements to safety practices (e.g., hygiene)

For each of the following exemptions, provide the information detailed below:

Temporary placement or retention of a child

• Child’s name and date of birth
• Days of the week the child will attend
• The names and dates of birth of all other children enrolled in care
• The days of the week all other enrolled children attend
• Child-to-staff ratio and staff qualifications with a guarantee that the staff-to-child ratio and group size will not change
• A description of why the exemption is in the best interests of the child
• A program plan to address the needs of the children in care
• A statement that this is a request for exemption from Section 5(2) of the Child Care Licensing Regulation
• How the persons in care and their families/representatives were notified of the exemption application
• How the persons in care, their families/representatives were notified on how they could comment on the exemption to Interior Health by contacting Licensing Direct
• The plan on informing persons in care, their families/representatives if the exemption is granted

Staffing Exemption Request

• A description of what has been done to recruit appropriately qualified staff
• A statement that this is a request for exemption from Section 34(2)(b) and Schedule E of the Child Care Licensing Regulation
• The name of the proposed exempted staff member
• A training plan for the proposed exempted staff member
• Current training and experience to support the exemption
• How the persons in care and their families/representatives were notified of the exemption application
• How the persons in care, their families/representatives were notified on how they could comment on the exemption to Interior Health by contacting Licensing Direct
• The plan on informing persons in care, their families/representatives if the exemption is granted

1. Applications should be submitted at least four weeks in advance. Email all information to Licensing Direct

2. Your exemption request is reviewed and you’ll be contacted if more information is needed

3. The request is based on its own merit and you’ll be notified in writing of the decision. The time frame for a decision may vary

If you are approved

Once an exemption is approved, the licensee must ensure that the submitted plan is maintained. If the approved plan is not being met, or there is an increased risk to persons in care, there may be a decision to suspend, cancel and/or attach or vary terms and conditions of an exemption. If any of these actions are taken, you will be informed of your right to appeal and reconsideration of the decision.

Exemptions are not transferrable once approved. They are relevant to the specific situation/person applied for.

If you are denied

The denial of an exemption request cannot be appealed to the Community Care and Assisted Living Act board; however, you can reapply if you have new information.

Exemption decisions cannot be appealed by a licensee, however, a licensee may reapply for an exemption by submitting the request with additional or new information.

A person in care, their agent or representative, as well as their spouse, relative or friend can appeal an exemption that was granted