Parent FAQs
General
There are so many! We believe the warmth and love a child receives from being in home child care is unparalleled. Here are a few of the other benefits:
- Siblings can be cared for together. Often in centres, children are separated according to age. A home child care setting allows children of all ages to play and learn together.
- ‘Home-away-from-home’ atmosphere.
- Home child care hours can accommodate a variety of scheduling scenarios. With parents working around unique schedules (work-from-home, part-time, shift work), flexibility is key!
- Lower numbers of children allow for adaptable routines. Your child’s development and changing needs can be addressed on an individual basis.
- Unannounced visits by the Agency help ensure peace of mind. At TotLot, we visit your child at least once per month. When your child is new to care we will often drop in two or three times within the first few weeks. We want to get to know your child!
When a Provider’s home child care has been opened by an Agency, such as TotLot, they are considered to, also, be licensed through that Agency. Being licensed means that the Provider meets strict standards and guidelines set by the Ministry of Education, as well as by the Agency. These homes are government-regulated and inspected, regularly, by our Agency to ensure they meet specific standards. These standards apply to a wide variety of things such as ratios of children allowed in a home, educational program requirements, nutrition, and home safety compliance.
A licensed Provider can care for up to 6 children (including three children under the age of 2-years-old), at the discretion of the Agency. Their own children count in these numbers up to the age of 4-years-old. These limits are regulated by the Ministry of Education’s Child Care and Early Years Act.
We are glad safety is one of your concerns, because it is ours too! The safety of your child is of paramount importance. We practice safety in everything we oversee, and educate our Providers to be pro-active about your child’s well-being. Here are some of the ways we provide peace-of-mind to parents:
- Vulnerable sector police checks are completed regularly by all adults living in the home or visiting regularly.
- Safety checklists are used when opening a Provider’s home, and during regular, unannounced visits.
- Age-appropriate equipment is supplied to Providers, such as baby gates, high chairs, playpens, and strollers.
- Children learn about, and participate in, monthly fire drills in the Provider’s home. It is never too early to learn about fire safety!
- Each Provider’s home is equipped with a carbon monoxide detector.
- Providers regularly update their first aid and CPR certification. They are each supplied with a well-stocked first aid kit.
- All persons and pets residing in the Provider’s home are immunized.
Good question! The Child Care Advisor plays an important role in the Provider’s home. They work with the Provider, from the very beginning, to get their home ready to care for children. They ensure a Provider’s home has been set up safely and is maintained to the standards of the Child Care and Early Year’s Act. They engage in ongoing training of the Provider, ensure the Provider has the necessary equipment for the children in care, offer suggested activities, and assist with the process of setting up interviews with families looking for care. They oversee your child’s care by dropping in for unannounced visits to monitor your child’s development. Child Care Advisors are here to support you and your child, as well as the Provider. If concerns or questions arise, they are available to help! Our Child Care Advisors are all Registered Early Childhood Educators who have years of experience in the child care industry.
This is a common misconception about home child care. Most new parents have heard horror stories of people scrambling to put their child’s name on a waiting list, years in advance. There is no need for panic! A good rule of thumb is to apply for care approximately 6 months before the start date of care. Since the nature of the home child care landscape is constantly changing, spots become available usually with only a few weeks’ notice. We generally set up interviews for children two to four months prior to the start date of care, but we have also been known to place children with a 5- to 7-day turnaround! In short, feel free to apply at any time, but there is no pressure to contact us years in advance. If you haven’t already, you can register your child on the City of Ottawa’s Child Care Registry and Waitlist. Please select ‘TotLot Licensed Childcare’ as one of your preferred providers, so that we can see your child’s profile.
There is help available! The City of Ottawa offers subsidies to qualifying families, to help cover the cost of child care. You can find all the information to apply for a subsidy here. Please be sure to select ‘TotLot Licensed Childcare’ as one of your child care options.
Finding Care
Definitely! In fact, if you have been ‘accepted’ you can only obtain child care through a licensed organization, such as TotLot.
Absolutely! We’d love to help!
Please give us a call at 613-727-0010 or send and email to childcare@totlot.ca
Once we receive your child’s registration form, we will contact you if there are spots available in the area in which you are seeking care, within two to four months of when regular care will begin.
Yes, there are some part-time spots available. Many Providers welcome part-time families into their homes, and some even provide evening and weekend care!
It depends on the hours of care you need. We attempt to match your family to a Provider who can accommodate the hours of care you require.
We do the legwork for you! If there are child care spaces available in the area in which you are seeking care, TotLot will contact you with information about the Providers who are available, and you choose the ones you wish to meet. We then set up interviews for you to meet the Providers in their homes. Interviews are generally held during the evening or on weekends, when Providers can give you their undivided attention.
There are no fees associated with the interview process. We will do our best to find a spot for your child, free of charge! Only once you have selected a TotLot provider, will you be asked to submit a non-refundable deposit to hold your child’s spot in that provider’s home. (This applies to fee-paying families, only. Families with subsidy coverage make payment arrangements through the City of Ottawa.)
Not at all! You are not under any obligation to choose a TotLot provider. If we have potential providers available for you to interview, our hope is that you meet someone you feel comfortable with, who would be a good fit for your family.
Care Specifics
Transition care is the period where a child is eased into care, before regular care begins. It is recommended to transition your child into care, from two to three weeks before regular care is required, depending on how easily your child adjusts when left with others. When older children require care, or when a child is relaxed when left with others, a transition period may not be required.
Provider payment is based on availability, rather than your child's daily attendance. This means that you are responsible for paying for the scheduled days and hours of care, even if your child is absent. Your payment reserves a dedicated space for your child in the Provider’s home and helps ensure the Provider can offer consistent care, while maintaining a stable, predictable income.
You are only required to pay for child care on days that the Provider is available to provide care. If the Provider is not available, no payment is required.
‘Alternate care’ is a term used to describe care provided to a child by someone other than a child’s regular Provider, whether in the Provider’s own home or in the home of another Agency Provider. If your regular Provider is closed for child care, we may be able to arrange care for your child with another TotLot Provider. This service is based on availability. In these instances, the fee will be paid to the alternate care Provider.
Need more information? Give us a call!