Operators of Early Learning and Child Care Centres provide an important service to Island families. High-quality child care centres have positive benefits for the children who attend, their families and the community. Federal and provincial governments are investing in this sector to improve affordability, increase access, increase quality, and support inclusion. This page outlines resources to support current operators of licensed early learning and child care centres, and those who may be interested in learning more or are ready to begin their journey.
On this page:
- Early Learning and Child Care types
- Licensed child care services
- Unlicensed Child Care
- Early Childhood Centre Licensing
- Supports for Growth
- Additional Resources
Early Learning and Child Care types
In Prince Edward Island, types of child care are categorized as licensed or unlicensed. Each kind of child care offers different types of learning and providers must meet different regulations set out by the PEI Early Learning and Child Care Board.
Licensed child care
Licensed child care services include Early Childhood Centres, Family Home Centres, Preschool Centres, and School-Age Centres. Anyone operating a licensed child care centre must adhere to health and safety standards, have emergency protocols, offer a daily program schedule and have staffing requirements.
An Early Childhood Centre (ECC) is a centre that provides services for infants (0-22 months), preschool children (22 months old to school entry age) and school-aged children (school entry age to 12 years old).
- ECCs who follow the early learning framework are called Early Years Centres (EYCs). They also have regulated parent fees ($10/day).
A Family Home Centre is located in a private residence that provides services for infants (0-22 months), preschool children (22 months old to school entry age) and school-aged children (school entry age old to 12 years old), and they also have regulated parent fees ($10/day).
A Preschool Centre is a centre that provides early learning and child care services for less than 4 consecutive hours per day for children between the ages of three and five years.
A School-aged Child Centre provides child care services for school-aged children (school entry age to 12 years old) on weekdays when they are not in school (ex: before and after school care, school hours when schools close for the day). They do not have regulated parent fees.
Licensed child care centres must have clear policies for parents, including details on:
- The fees they charge;
- Their procedures for dropping off and picking up children;
- Their approach to child development and care.
Licensed centres are required to comply with regulations regarding:
- The maximum number of children they care for;
- The number of staff members responsible for caring for children;
- Staff training requirements;
- Food provided for children;
- Programs that support children’s growth and development tailored to specific age categories;
- Health and safety standards;
- Annual inspections by the Province;
Unlicensed child care services might be offered by a relative, friend, or neighbour. Individuals offering unlicensed care are not required to meet the same obligations as licensed child care providers. There are limits to how many children they can care for:
- Five children with no more than two infants, or;
- Six children if all are preschool aged children, or a combination of preschool and school-aged children, or;
- Seven school aged children.
This number includes the caregiver’s own children and does not increase if more than one caregiver is present.
Early Childhood Centre Licensing
Operators of early learning and child care centres are required to become licensed under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulations. The PEI Early Learning and Child Care Board oversees the licensing process and is responsible for the renewal of licenses, ensuring compliance with the standards set forth in the Act and Regulations.
If you are a new operator who is applying for licensing an Early Childhood, Preschool, or School-aged Child Centre, you can review the guidelines and submit your online application.
If you are a new operator who is applying for licensing a Family Home Centre, you can review guidelines and online application.
Supporting documents during the licensing process:
- Directory of Licensed Early Learning and Child Care Centres
- Early Learning Framework
- Early Years Centre Designation
- Early Years Centre Designation Criteria
If you are an existing operator who wants to modify your license: Apply to Modify Early Learning and Child Care Licence Online | Government of Prince Edward Island
Supports for Growth
The Department of Education and Early Years provides several grants for operators in the early years sector to encourage system expansion and improve capacity in existing centres.
The Early Learning and Child Care Business Plan Grant is for operators of Early Years Centres or individuals who intend to operate an Early Years Centre for funding to help with the cost of their professional business plan for business expansion planning or new child care facility planning.
Funding is available to increase and improve home-based child care across PEI. Three types of Family Home Centre grants are available to increase and improve home-based child care across PEI.
The Early Years Centre Architectural Fee Reimbursement Grant is a one-time only grant to support architectural fees related to creation of new licensed early learning and child care spaces within new or existing infrastructure where there is a demonstrated need and where growth would include new infant and/or toddler aged children.
The Special Needs Grant supports the inclusion of children with special needs in a licensed early learning and child care setting by providing funding for additional staff.
Additional Resources
- Current and future operators may also be able to access additional business support through Innovation PEI and Finance PEI.
- The Early Childhood Development Association of PEI is a provincial, non-profit organization committed to promoting and supporting quality early childhood development programs and services for Island children & families.
- The Province of Prince Edward Island is working strategically to increase capacity in the early learning and child care sector. Information on space creation can be found here: Early Learning and Child Care Space Creation Progress
- The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) is a non-profit policy research institute with a mandate to work towards an equitable, high quality, publicly funded, inclusive early learning and child care system for all Canadians. This website provides resources for building a system of early childhood education and child care.