A Public Health Guide For Child Care Providers

Parents, guardians and child care providers are entrusted with the important task of caring for the health and well-being of young children. Children depend upon their care providers to maintain a safe and healthy environment to grow and develop.

To protect children from illness and infection, it is vital to strictly follow specific infection prevention and control measures at home, school and at child care centres. These measures include things such as proper hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, sick policies, pest control, outbreak management and more.

See the following resources to learn more about preventing the spread of illness at home, school and at child care centres.

Resources for Parents/Guardians

Here are some resources to help prevent the spread of disease-causing microorganisms at home and at play:

Resources for Child Care Providers

Public Health Guide for Child Care Providers

The Public Health Guide for Child Care Providers offers child care providers current information and resources to support the delivery of safe and healthy child care in settings such as child care centres, schools, or homes. This guide is not intended to serve as legal or medical advice. The guide is organized into five chapters on preventing illness, outbreak management, immunization and health records, safe environments, and healthy growth and development.

Infection prevention and control
Cleaning and disinfection
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
Emergency management
Visiting animals

For any animal bite incidents contact York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 Ext. 4

Environmental health

Refer to Environmental Health for more information on the following topics:

  • Bed Bugs
  • Extreme Cold and Extreme Heat
  • Giant Hogweed
  • Indoor Air Quality
  • Outdoor Air Quality
  • Pesticides
  • Preventing Rats and Rodents Infestations
Reporting infectious diseases and outbreaks

Promptly report infectious diseases, respiratory and enteric outbreaks in child care settings, to York Region Public Health. Visit Infectious Diseases and Outbreak Management to learn more.

Opening a New Child Care Centre

Anyone planning to open a child care centre must:

  1. Meet the requirements listed by the Ministry of Education. Review application details: Apply for or renew a child care licence | Ontario.ca
  2. Notify York Region Public Health of your intention to open a child care centre by completing the online notification form. A Public Health Inspector will follow up.

Refer to A Guide to Opening a Child Care Centre and Resources for Opening a Child Care Centre in York Region for more information about public health requirements.

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