Centre-based
Full-time	3,137
Part-time	603
School-age	535

Total regulated spaces

4,275

Maximum centre size:  50 spaces

Two rooms are required if more than 25 children are present.

Staff qualification requirements Centre supervisors must have either a 1 year certificate in early childhood education and 1 year experience in a licensed centre, or a 2 year diploma with no specifications regarding experience. A related degree with 1 year's experience in a licensed centre is considered a comparable qualification. Supervisors approved prior to 1989 are not required to have these qualifications. There are no training requirements for other staff.

If more than 25 children are enrolled in a centre, the Day Care and Homemaker Services Licensing Board recommends, but does not require, that a second person with supervisor qualifications be present.

Parent involvement Centres are required to make efforts to encourage parents to visit their children in the centre. Otherwise, parent involvement is not specified.

Licensing, monitoring and enforcement Newly hired staff must have Certificates of Conduct from the police or RCMP. Monitoring and enforcement of standards is carried out by social workers employed by the Department of Health and Community Services. Child care is a specialized caseload for social workers who are not required to have a background in early childhood education. Each of the four regions outside St. John’s region has a day care social worker with a part-time caseload. St. John’s has four full-time day care social workers. Training and orientation in early childhood education is provided periodically for social workers. Fire/life safety and health inspections are done annually by officials of the provincial Government Service Centre, Department of Government Services and Lands.

A license to operate a child care centre is issued to new centres by the Day Care and Homemaker Services Licensing Board for an initial probational period of up to 6 months. After this period licenses are renewed for up to 3 years.

A monitoring visit to each centre every 6 months is required. Infractions result in a violation order to the centre requesting immediate compliance. The legislation authorizes a licensing hearing of non-compliance and closure of a centre if deemed appropriate.

REGULATED FAMILY DAY CARE

At the time of data collection, Newfoundland did not have regulated family day care. (See RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.)