Ask An ECE - General

I do not know of anyone who has interviewed in the Toronto Board. However, we would love to hear about your experience afterwards. Good luck!

I think a lot would depend on the error committed. Do you have your ECE? Are you a member of the College of ECE's If so, was the infraction reported to the College? Was a serious occurrence filed by the child care centre as a result of the error? Were criminal charges filed?

If all the above answers are no, then a potential employer would have no way of knowing about this error unless you told them, your former employer told them (I do not believe they can due to privacy laws, but I would have to look into that further) or they heard through the child care community. I know in small towns, news travels fast through networks of supervisors etc.

If it was a minor error, I would rather a potential employee be honest and tell me what happened, and how they learned from the mistake, as opposed to learning through the grapevine that they had been dishonest with me.

I am not sure where to find statistics on this topic. However, you might want to contact Umbrella Services. They do a survey every year regarding a number of issues in child care and I think this would be a great question to add to their survey. I would be very interested in hearing the results as well.

I do not believe it is right to divide a job on gender basis. We have touched on this topic in an article on this site: http://www.askanece.com/general/men-in-child-care

I would talk to your guidance counselor at your college to be certain. When I was in ECE, there were a number of universities that offered transfer credits to university courses. I believe Brock had a program to take your ECE and then continue in child studies with advanced standing. You may get a decreased number of classes to take to get your degree. It has been awhile, so I am sure there are many more now.

Ryerson currently offers a direct entry option. If you have a B in your ECE studies and complete 3 liberal arts credits at the university level you can enter year 3 of a 4 year degree. This is a fantastic option to graduate in only 2 more years with a ECE diploma and a Honours BA in Early Childhood Education.

There are also a number of options at the college level to continue studies in Resource teaching, early intervention, administration or ABA studies.

I enjoyed going to Loyalist online. I felt working full time in child care while going to school was a huge plus for me as an ECE. I graduated with far more knowledge then most of my counterparts who took in class courses. I graduated with honours, I found distance ed to be easier to get high marks, but then I learn better reading and learning things on my own.

As for working in the board, you would need to have your diploma. That being said the only people I know who have been accepted into the board also have additional qualifications. Not to say that is a requirement, but I think the competition is so fierce for the positions, that the people who also have Montessori credentials, university degrees, etc are getting priority for the interviews.

Best of Luck!

Welcome! I have been looking for a poster with High Scope experience for awhile. I know in Durham while some may be moving towards this philosophy, it is not widely available yet.

Family Day in Toronto, uses this philosophy in their centres and has a great Q&A section on their website. http://www.familydaycare.com/highscopefaq.html

I have been looking here: http://www.highscope.org/ for more info. They have a section about implementing High Scope in your own centre.

Perhaps you could call the Region and ask if they have any centres with purchase of service agreements who use the High Scope philosophy? Their program advisors know the local programs very well and may be able to suggest a good centre to go visit.

We would love to hear from you when your project is finished. We have had a number of requests for High Scope information. If you'd like to write an article for the site on this topic, please get in touch with me at IMNECE@gmail.com

This is a great question, it has come up many times over the years and each company I worked for handled it differently. One company never allowed a non ECE to cover an ECE position period, it was company policy. That being said, it was a large company with a number of staff and supply staff was never an issue.
Another company allowed Assistants to cover in an emergency, but with notice would always find an ECE where possible. They often used short term staffing staffing companies. Since they were located in the GTA where this is common, it made sense.
My current local is rural, we do not have a long list of supply staff and as such our Program Advisor has often allowed us to cover an ECE position with our assistant staff. She prefers ratios be met at any cost and understands that finding qualified staff may not always be possible. In each case she required that they have first aid/CPR, CRC and be over 18 years old. Because they are all employed by us anyway, we had all this on file already.
I really think this is situational. If you know the teacher will be off for weeks, it is worth hiring a contract staff person. However, if it is a couple of days hiring a new staff member will not be possible. I would call your Program Advisor and have a chat. Ours is very easy to talk to and will give us any advise after hearing all the details.

This is a pretty generic question. I would define a curriculum as a body of knowledge and experiences that the group/cohort of children need to know at a certain level (toddler/preschool/kindergarten etc). The curriculum content and/or how it is delivered depends on your educational perspective/philosophy. We develop and implement the curriculum through our program plans.

It would depend on how many classes you left to finish. Classes were priced based on classroom hours so development classes or placement classes etc were more expensive then shorter Children's lit classes for example. I believe they ranged from $179-336 per class. That was about 6 years ago however. You also need to pay for the prior learning assessment to figure out which classes you have taken they will accept towards their diploma. I think it was $25/class.

Here is some information I discovered online, looks like you shouldn't have a problem in Quebec:

Two-year ECE programs of at least 1,800 hours are deemed equivalent to a DEC. Individuals must have a secondary school diploma earned in another province of Canada because, outside Québec, high school education is one year longer than in Québec.

One-year ECE certificate programs between 750 and 1,800 hours are deemed equivalent to an attestation of college studies (ACS) or a university certificate in Québec. No equivalency is granted for graduates of other early childhood programs comprising less than 750 hours of training.

Individuals must present a copy of their diploma and official transcript to the child care licensee.

From: http://www.ccsc-cssge.ca/english/guide/search.cfm?tag=ECE%20Qualificatio...
Child Care Human Resources Sector Council
Guide to Early Childhood Education Credentialing in Canada

That depends on the demand for ECE's where you live. If you are in a rural area,there are less positions to fill. In an urban area, there are lots of child care spaces and therefore more teaching positions. Personally, I have never had a problem finding a position. Granted upon graduation I was willing to work in summer camps, as an assistant or in before and after school program as well as in a child care centre in order to gain the experience that would make me competitive.
ECE diplomas can also get you a job as an nanny, in the school board in a JK/SK classroom or an EA, at an early year centre or drop in centre as well. So lots of options upon graduation.

Being #6 on my list of questions to ask potential ECE employees, that is personal question you are definitely going to have to answer yourself. What do you do to ease stress?

Loyalist is absolutely an accredited College. My ECE diploma is from there via online learning. It was a great way to get my ECE diploma. I was able to work full time while going to school.

An ECE diploma and membership in the College of ECE's is all that is required to work as an ECE in a Kindergarten classroom, however it is competitive. In my area it is rumored that there were hundreds of applications for less then 20 positions. Colleagues of mine who have moved to the school board all have more then their ECE diploma. One has her BA, another has her BA and BEd and a third has her Montessori credentials all in addition to their ECE diploma.

A number of Ontario Colleges have training requirements as it pertains to apprentice students. Most require 4-5 "bridge" courses to upgrade your certificate to an ECE diploma, then you require enrollment in the College of ECE's to call yourself an Early Childhood Educator.
Here is an example from Niagara College:

http://www.niagaracollege.ca/content/ContinuingEducation/PartTimeCertifi...

The College of ECE's is handling the equivalency assessments now. Check here for info on individual assessment to see about advanced standing and Prior Learning Assessments.
http://collegeofece.on.ca/en/BecomeAMember/Pages/equivalency.aspx

Best of luck!

In the summer there is a good chance you could work in child care in the summer camp programs. In Ontario you can get approval based on your schooling and be Ministry Approved to work as an ECE. I have had a number of employees that worked while finishing their schooling.

I am not sure where you are located, but in my area, if you want to open a centre, you need to provide your own funds. You would need a business plan to secure a business loan. Purchase of service agreements can only be obtained once a centre has had 2 Ministry visits and that takes at least 6 months. In our area, all PSA's have been frozen and no new centres are being considered.

This is a tough one as having your ECE is not a requirement and so many people are pursuing this type of career without training. While I am 100% FOR all child care providers having some type of training, I too had difficulty finding legitimate articles to support my point of view.
Having an ECE diploma and being a member in good standing with the College of ECE's (in Ontario) helps me feel that the staff caring for my child are educated in health and safety, programming developmentally appropriate activities for my child and supporting their language and social development, just to name a few pro's. It also guarantees a minimum number of practicum hours and a medical check, criminal reference check and first aid training.
Best of luck with your debate. I would be very interested in hearing how it plays out.

From teh College of ECE website: "As of July 31, 2010 the College will directly handle applications from internationally trained applicants who require an individual assessment of their educational credentials."

Here is the link for more information.
http://collegeofece.on.ca/en/BecomeAMember/Pages/equivalency.aspx

The AECEO handled equivalency until the summer of 2010, all my staff had gone that route, so I have no direct experience with the Colleges process.

Good luck!!!

I would have to say it is definitely the budget. Making sure the supplies are always stocked, groceries purchased, toys and materials replaced as needed, special events paid for, insurance, payroll etc. If parents do not pay on time, everything is affected. So being super organized and top of things is key!

You can go to college to gain your Early Childhood Education diploma, either in person or via distance ed. There are apprenticeship programs to help you go to school while you work full time in the field as well. You can also apply for equivalency however you would already need to have a background in childcare or teaching to get started.

We have discussed opening your own program in our forums, check here for more information: http://www.askanece.com/forum/2008-11-18/opening-your-own-daycare

The majority of my experience is in licensed child care centres. As far as I know the limit is 5 children plus your own whether licensed or not, at least that was how it was when my daughter attended home care. Here is a link to a group that may be able to offer more information: http://www.hccao.com/

Here is the information on licensed home care from the Ministry and children and youth services Ontario website: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/homebased.html

Home-based child care

Home child care is provided in a caregiver's home. You can find home child care for infants, toddlers pre-school and school-aged children.

Licensed agencies contract individual caregivers who use their own homes to look after children.

Caregivers are screened, approved and monitored by home visitors, who work for the home care agency.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services inspects the agencies and some home child care locations at least once a year to make sure that they are meeting the requirements of the Day Nurseries Act.
What do home visitors do?

Home visitors have training in early childhood education, child development and family studies. They make sure that the caregivers are following the agency's policies and procedures. They may also help caregivers:

plan activities for children at different stages of their development
give advice about nutritious meal planning
check that the home is safe for children
help choose toys and equipment that are safe and suitable for the children
make sure provincial requirements are met

What are the advantages of this kind of care?

Children of the same family may be placed together
agency provides assistance, support and monitoring
caregiver has to meet certain standards of care
small group size. By law, caregivers can only provide child care for five children under the age of ten. The regulation sets out additional restrictions for the number of children cared for under the age of six years.

Here is the Ministry's orientation package for prospective operators, your licensing questions can be answered here: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/orientation-package-en.pdf
There are planning and design links on page 9.
As far as I know there are home daycares that use lower levels. However, they must meet all guidelines for lighting, exits etc. A rep from Wee Watch would likely be able to answer questions as well. Wee Watch poviders are licensed.
Whitby is pretty competitive. The rates I quoted previously were for Durham Region. Particularily Oshawa. Further North there are less providers so they can charge more since there is less competition.
Good Luck

As far as I know the owner could call him/herself whatever they wanted as long as they had an ECE as supervisor. I have worked in a centre where the owner was a business person and not ECE trained at all. He left the running of the daycare to the supervisor and he was rarely seen.
We have directors at our centre who are not ECE's, but they are members of the Board of Directors. This is obviously a different situation if your centre is not run by a Board.

It is definitely cheaper to buy from outside sources. I find the mark up on daycare furniture from daycare sites very high. However, you get what you pay for. Our school-agers have been very kind to our Ikea furniture and book shelves from there are perfect for that room. However, I would not buy those same shelves for the preschool/toddler room.
We have found a gentlemen that hand makes all our furniture. It is custom so more expensive then Walmart, but very sturdy, fits our space perfectly and it is beautiful! He delivers for free and installs anything that needs to be bolted to the wall for safety etc. Furniture from Ikea or Walmart will have to be built and that will take staff hours. Make sure to factor that into your costs.
The Ministry and Public Health will look at safety and will want to ensure the furniture is sealed, wipe-able and non-porous. This is very important. Cheap melamine will peel and crack over time and they will force you to replace these items. So longevity is key. Spending a little more now will save you in the long run.
Also check out local cabinet builders. They may be able to knock out a basic cupboard for toy storage etc much cheaper then a site selling specific daycare items.
Good luck.

I have longer wondered the differences in names too, so I do not have a definitive answer for you. However, in speaking with a Program Advisor from the Ministry a few years back, he mentioned about Montessori schools being licensed and governed by both the DNA via the Ministry of Child and Youth Services and the Ministry of Education and how there were a few conflicts ie nap time for children under 4 etc. I wonder if Academies have affiliation with the Ministry of Education as well?

This would be very interesting to find out for sure, as the Licensing process if changing with the new ELP. I am sorry I could not offer more insight. Has anyone else had any experience here?

As far as the number of preschool rooms, you would need to look at your demographics. What are your area's needs? In my area of Durham Region, the extended care option is not widely offered so we still need school-age programs. In other areas school age programs will become obsolete if the ELP takes off. How many schools in your area are offering the ELP in the next year? When were you planning on opening? These are factors that will affect your decision. Do you have the option of having an extra preschool room now and altering it in the future to an infant room or providing care for junior and senior toddlers if preschool needs drop? I would check out your Boar dof Education website and see which schools near your site will be affected and go from there.
Good luck!

Do you mean the Durham Region Childcare Conference?
Registration is due by September 24.

Please contact for registration:
Emely Bennett
Administrative Assistant
Resources For Exceptional Children And Youth - Durham Region
865 Westney Road South
Ajax, ON L1S 3M4
Tel: (905) 427-8862 ext. 327

Cost: $55/person

Info: http://durhamstrategicalliance.ca/departments/social/childcare/operator/...

If you are a catered centre, I think you have two options:

1. Make it a policy that staff bring their own lunches and do not eat the children's food. I have worked at a centre where this was the case. Staff sat with the children, but did not eat the catered food until the children were finished. We were allowed to eat the left overs as we saw fit as they were disposed of during sleep time anyway. You are not required to feed your staff. They get lunch breaks for this reason.

2. Order more servings to include your staff team.

My current centre has a cook and she makes enough food for everyone. This works really well for us as everyone eats together. The children are well behaved and closely supervised as their teachers are sitting with them and modeling good behaviour at the table. Lunch is a social time, we talk about our mornings and practice self help skills and communication skills. That being said, there is always more then enough food to go around and staff are always served last. We do not incur much additional cost in adding a few more servings. We are a small centre and our meals are often casseroles and soups etc. The costs per serving are minimal. We also find that by allowing the staff to eat with the children their mid day breaks are more relaxing. Instead of prepping and eating their lunches, they can relax, read, nap, go for a walk, return personal calls etc. Their time is their own to do as they wish. They are more relaxed and come back after break more refreshed.

The College of ECE's only took over this responsibility last week. I haven't had anyone go through it with them as of yet.

However, in my experience a Montessori diploma and daycare experience would receive Otherwise Approved status with the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. This allowed a person with that background to work in an ECE position. It is different then recognized equivalence, but allowed that person to work in a daycare. Otherwise Approved Status is site specific and non-transferable.

When the AECEO was granting equivalences, they were quite strict. I had one staff member with 75% of her ECE courses completed plus over a decade of experience, who still had to complete classes to meet equivalence. However she found it quite easy to complete the requirements via distance ed and had her equivalence within 6 months.

Good luck

I do not feel comfortable talking about specific program advisors or child care centres. Please forward all your comments/concerns regarding your program advisor and/or license situation to your local office of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

That being said, did you receive a notice of intent? This would have been given to you had she decided to close your centre and not renew your license.

If you were given a provisional License with a date to comply with certain requirements to get your full license, she will be back to to a follow visit with you. Was this after a complaint or a yearly inspection? You must have received a copy of the inspection report. Were there items you needed to complete for compliance?

You can check out your daycare status here: http://www.ontario.ca/ONT/portal61/licensedchildcare

Good Luck

The AECEO used to handle accreditation and equivalency. However, as of July 31 2010, The College of ECE's has taken over this process.
This link will take you to their site: http://www.collegeofece.on.ca/main.php?page_id=53&main_page=2

Good luck!

The majority of daycare supervisors just have an ECE diploma and 2 years experience as required by the Ministry. Of course now you will have to be registered with the college of ECE's in Ontario as well.

There are some great courses for furthering your education. George Brown has one that comes highly recommended by my peers. It is a one year post diploma program. http://www.georgebrown.ca/earlychildhood/programs.aspx However, this type of training is not required.

There is some information on opening a centre here:
http://www.askanece.com/forum/2008-11-18/opening-your-own-daycare
http://childcarelearning.on.ca/prospective_operator/orientation-package-...

This applies to Ontario centres.

Best wishes.

You would have to speak with your program advisor to ensure she/he was on board, but I have worked at a centre that had the cook open at 7AM and the ECE's started at 8AM. The situation was similar, no children generally arrived before 8AM.

I have never felt comfortable having ECA's close alone. While my centre is permitted to have an ECA alone with children, I always felt ECE's should be there at the end of the day. What if a child was not picked up? What if a non-custodial parent arrived to pick up? Or the pick up parent was intoxicated? For these reasons, we actually have two staff close each night. We are also quite rural and it is a safety precaution for the staff as well.

These types of situations really need to be brought up with your program advisor. There is some flexibility, we have been given allowances for certain situations based on staffing/attendance etc. Our advisor is really good at sitting down with us and working out compromises that work for the DNA and our small centre.

I would say this depends on the situation. Is the ECA alone in the entire centre, or alone taking kids to the washroom?
We have a cook that takes our one AM bus kid to the bus in the AM's so for 5 minutes a day she is alone with him while the ECE is in the building with the rest of the class. The cook also covers bathroom breaks for staff if needed.
I think a lot is based on your program advisor as well. We are permitted to have an ECA cover for an ECE in case of emergency (sick day) or summer vacation coverage. The priority is ratio coverage. The supply staff must have first aid and CPR training, a criminal reference check and have been with us for a minimum of 3 months to be alone with the children.
This would also depend on your centre's policy. I have worked in centres where ECA's were not allowed to be alone with children EVER, but this was the centre's policy.

This sounds an awful lot like some of the essay questions I had to answer while in college. While we are here to help our fellow ECE's, we are not going to do homework for you.
One issue off the top of my head would be a diverse range of children from many cultures and backgrounds. Often daycare is their first experience with the English language. Often their parents do not speak English either. This can be very difficult and at the same time very rewarding.

The content of the job offer will depend heavily on your centres circumstances. Probably best to use any forms as a template and personalize the from to suit your exact situation. For example, at my small centre I was expected to do minor maintenance/plumbing etc. At my larger centre we had a maintenance crew to take care of these things. Will your supervisor being strictly admin in the office or have floor time as well?

I found this great template online:
http://www.askanece.com/files/Day_Care_Coordinator_JD.pdf

Credit to Government of the Northwest Territories Municipal and Community Affairs website. www.maca.gov.nt.ca

Great descriptions and subheadings. Can really be altered to work for your personal situation.

Are these two staff members in the same classroom? Often the supervisor will sit in on a classroom to get a read on the situation. At our centre we have a staff liaison (member of the board) that the staff members can speak to if they feel they can not discuss the matter with the supervisor.
I like to promote team building exercises during staff meetings to keep the team working well together. We also actively search for professional development in team building.
If the supervisor has an open door policy, staff will feel comfortable enough to come in and discuss the situation before it gets out of hand.

The DNA says ECE staff must hold a 2 year diploma from a recognized Ontario College. However, there are other routes that can get a staff member Ministry Approval. The supervisor would have to submit paperwork to the program advisor.
You could also apply for recognition from the AECEO in the form of an equivalency letter. You would need to fill out an application form and fees do apply. However, once in possession of this letter you would have all the rights and privileges of a staff member trained in Ontario and be eleigible for entry to the College of ECE's.
Here is a link for information on Equivalency: http://www.aeceo.ca/content/equivalency-canadian-trained.html

A Google search for daycare forms will bring up a ton of sites. They require sifting through, some are much better then others. Here is a site I really like for forms and letters: http://www.supportingproviders.com/childcareforms1.htm

S.P.I.C.E stands for Supporting Provider In Childcare Environments

This question is largely based on where you are located and the competition. Is the centre for profit or non-profit? Non profit centres receive grants to help subsidize wages and their wages are largely based on these grants and their income from fees.

Contact the Region in which you work to see about average fees. They will have this type of information as they are responsible for fee subsidy. They can give you an idea of the competition and you can set your fees accordingly.

There is a wonderful publication in the GTA put out by Umbrella Central Daycare Services, http://www.umbrelladaycare.com/, that is based on responses from local daycare's from Toronto, York Region, Peel and Durham. Copies are given free to those who participate in the survey, copies can also be purchased from Umbrella. The information is broken down by geographical area.

If you are not from this area, you are going to have to do some foot work. Ask around as to rates/fees. Some centres will give this info freely, others will not.

Larger centres are more likely to be able to afford benefits for employees as it is more cot effective to purchase these types of things in greater numbers. Smaller centres, in my experience, often have to skimp on wages to afford benefits and many employees (mostly married women with husbands who have benefits already) prefer the higher wage.

Sorry for the delay. Took a month off to have a new baby. No we are back on track.

This question is nearly impossible to answer. It depends on how backed up your program advisers, fire dept and public health dept are too. Part of the problem with Sept. openings are everyone is on vacation for 2 months prior to your opening when you need appointments. We ran into the same problem and opened 2 months late as a result. I would give yourself a buffer if the Sept start is written in stone. I would suggest a 4 month window at least.

Good luck.

Sadly, this is where there is a big gamble. You will need your space ready for children to walk in the door before MYCS will give you the time of day. You can fill in all your paperwork and send it back, however you will not get your final inspection until you have had your public health inspection and your fire inspection. Make sure to plan accordingly your time schedule. If public health comes in and demands a list of improvements, these will need to be completed and reinspected before MYCS comes out for your final.
I say if you have a copy of the DNA and all the licensing requirements, as well as the fire code and public health requirements, take them to a walk through of the space you are considering. If you are confident the space will pass and or require minimal alterations (since it was already a daycare, assuming it was licensed, it should be fairly close to passing inspections), then go ahead and sign your lease. Get floor plan drawn up and complete all your paperwork.
Get public health in ASAP to get their advice and get started on any improvements they require. These can be time consuming. Create your fire plan or alter the plan the existing centre used if it is available. Ensure all your extinguishers are up to date and functioning. Check all your smoke detectors and replace all batteries. This inspection is fairly easy if you take an hour or two to make sure everything is functioning and your plan is safe and feasible in all weather conditions etc.
Good luck, opening a new centre is a lot of hard work but so rewarding. Please let us know how it turns out!

Here is an article written on your topic. I hope it helps. http://www.askanece.com/for-teachers/interview-daycare-cook

We always ask candidates to bring a menu plan for one weeks worth of AM/PM snacks and lunches for the age groups we serve, as well as the budget for that menu. I have found over the years that this is VERY important. We have gotten some incredible menu ideas, however some are simply not feasible on a daycare budget or can not be made in quantity and on time in a daycare setting. Make sure these candidates are realistic about the time budget and space they will have at their disposal. Working in a restaurant with a large budget and unlimited ingredients as well as gourmet appliances is likely not the same as the kitchen space you have available.
It is always good to ask a few questions about adaptability. Make sure the cook can easily alter a lunch for a child who must have soy milk instead of 2% for an example. Ensure they are flexible enough that, in an emergency, they could alter a lunch if they are needed for staff coverage at a moments notice or if products they ordered are not in stock.
We now call our cook position "kitchen manager" and it really fits. They are responsible for everything from food orders menus public health inspections and meal prep. A good kitchen manager will ake the pressure off the administration in a number of ways and really keeps a daycare running smoothly.

Great question.
I need to know more information about where you are located in order to answer properly. I can answer based on criteria for Ontario and I have experts on the board across Canada. I can do research for areas outside of Canada once I know where you are writing from.
To start, there is a great thread here: http://www.askanece.com/forum/2008-11-18/opening-your-own-daycare with some info on starting your own child care centre. There is also a lot of great information here: http://childcarelearning.on.ca/prospective_operator/orientation-package-...
Best of luck, it is a very rewarding career.

I suppose it would depend on what you did and where you were applying. Every centre will require a criminal record check to secdure employment. Most centres use thier discretion as to the results. I have worked at a few centres that took it on a case by case basis. Some centres have had a zero tolerance policy. I once had an amazing candidate turned down for an unpaid speeding ticket. Personally, I do not feel something like a speeding ticket in ones distant past has any bearing on what sort of educator you are. However, each centre will have thier own policy. All you can do is be honest, try your best and wow them in the interview and hope they will look past your little indiscretion. Good luck.

This is a great question. I have met a lot of potential employees that may be fantastic educators, however their interview skills were lacking.

I posted an article with some questions I typically ask. Make sure to have answers to these types of questions or something similar in your mind. If I ask what your strongest qualities are, I am looking for someone who can answer with conviction and confidence. I tend to lose faith in people who can not even tell me what they are good at. Be proud of your hard work and be willing to share your successes and failures with me. If you had an activity that didn't work out, tell me and let me know how you adapted and continued with your day. That is a sign of a great educator. Someone who is flexible and can adapt.

I have two major pet peeves in interviews: People showing up late and people who tell me they got into early childhood education because "they didn't know what else to take" or because "they are going to go to teacher's college once they save up". Be on time and at least pretend you enjoy your work and want the job. I do not want to feel like you will just be putting in time at my centre before you move on to bigger and better things.

Even if not asked, bring samples of your program planning or portfolio. This shows me you have initiative and shows me your creativity and what sort of work i can expect from you in the future. I will often ask candidates to bring a weekly program plan on a theme I have picked. Candidates who do not bother to put in the effort will not be considered. I want to see what new creative ideas you can bring to my staff team.

Most of all, be yourself. Good luck!

http://www.askanece.com/for-teachers/ece-job-interview-questions

I think you could definitely make a go of this career if you are passionate, however you would likely need to watch children you know first and get a few references. Sadly, some people probably will overlook you because you are a male. Perhaps you could attend a few courses, local homecare groups etc and get your name out there? Have a chance to tell your story and get to know you. Can you volunteer with local groups to get to know area families that might be in need of care? Perhaps knowing you first will help in getting familes to give you a chance. I wish you the best of luck, it's a great career choice!

Thank you for joining! I have started a thread in our forum section to deal with your question. This will allow other experts on our site to add their 2 cents and have you fill us in a little bit more with your plan.
Where are you located and what sort of building are you looking at? Will you be building form scratch or remodeling an existing building? Let's chat in the forum section!

http://www.askanece.com/forum/2008-11-18/opening-your-own-daycare

Thanks so much for joining! We're glad to have you on board.

Come to our forums and join in the conversation!

If there is any content you would like to see, let us know. Suggestions are always welcome. We are also looking for members to write articles for the site.

It is true and it has already started! If we register by Jan. 31, the government will cover the registration fee ($75) and we will only have to pay the $150 yearly fee. So it is definitely worth registering earlier, then later.

Full information, as well as a downloadable application form are available here: http://www.collegeofece.on.ca/main.php?page_id=37&main_page=2

It would definitely help to know where you are located. There are different rules in different states/provinces. Here is a great site (http://www.daycareresource.com/startyourowndaycare.html) to start with. Lots of books you can order to get yourself started.
I would highly recommend creating a business plan, even if you are not applying for a business loan. There are many free online programs to create your own.
I would also call your regional office and ask about the rules as they pertain to home daycares in your area. Some areas require you to be licensed which will involve some permits and inspections before you get started. Some regions do not require providers to be licensed.
Let me know where you are from and I can research some contacts in your area.

I think your goal is a great one. Why pay someone else to do what you can do yourself? In Ontario, Seneca College offers an apprenticeship program that you can do part time while working full time http://www.senecac.on.ca/ece/ecef/. I know there are classes at Newnham Campus (Finch/404) and satellite classes in Durham Region. The training is great, but it takes a long time to get your diploma. If you are not located in the GTA, Loyalist College (Belleville) offers their entire ECE diploma via distance education http://www.loyalistcollege.com/programs-and-courses/online-distance-educ.... A great option to accelerate your learning if you have the time/discipline to take multiple classes at once and continue working. George Brown College offers a daycare management post diploma course, but you would require your ECE diploma to enroll.
If you are located outside of Ontario, let me know where you are and I can dig a little deeper into options in your area.
Keep in mind that to get Ministry Approval to be a Supervisor in Ontario, you need a diploma and 2 years experience. Would you be able to promote one of your qualified staff to "supervisor", still have them count in ratio and be on the floor, but do some admin work for you a couple of hours a week? They can be the required supervisor and you can still be the Owner/Director? Another option would be to apply to the Ministry for Director's approval while you take ECE courses based on your experience. It's a stretch, but never hurts to try.
I am glad you mentioned "accredited courses", please beware of career colleges that offer early childhood diplomas. Not all are accredited with the Ministry (diploma must be from an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology) and you could walk away with a very expensive and worthless diploma after all your hard work.
Good Luck!