Daycare staff-to-child ratios: the rules in Québec and Ontario
Staff-to-child ratios for Québec childcare centres, home daycares and Ontario licensed centres, how to calculate them and how to meet them all day.
The short answer
In Québec childcare centres (CPE) and daycares, you need at least 1 adult for 5 children under 18 months, 1 for 8 children from 18 months to under 4 years, and 1 for 10 children 4 years and older. In a home daycare, a provider on their own cares for at most 6 children, including 2 infants, and 9 children, including 4 infants, with someone assisting. In Ontario, licensed centres follow other ratios: 3 for 10 infants, 1 for 5 toddlers, 1 for 8 preschoolers.
These figures come from the official regulations, cited at the end of the article. Always check the version in force: rules change.
Québec: childcare centres and daycares
Section 21 of the Educational Childcare Regulation sets the minimum number of childcare staff present with the children:
- Under 18 months: 1 adult for 5 children.
- 18 months to under 4 years: 1 adult for 8 children.
- 4 years and older: 1 adult for 10 children.
The ratio counts adults present with the children, at every moment of the day. An educator on break or in the office doesn’t count.
Québec: home daycares
A recognized home educational childcare provider:
- on their own, cares for at most 6 children, including at most 2 under 18 months;
- with someone assisting, at most 9 children, including at most 4 under 18 months.
Some of the provider’s own children may not be counted, under specific conditions: your coordinating office can explain them.
Ontario: licensed child care centres
Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 137/15 sets, in a licensed centre:
- Infants (under 18 months): 3 adults for 10 children, group of 10 at most.
- Toddlers (18 to 30 months): 1 adult for 5 children, group of 15 at most.
- Preschool: 1 adult for 8 children, group of 24 at most.
The ministry’s licensing manual describes the few moments when a reduced ratio is allowed, and the groups where it isn’t.
Calculating how many educators you need
For each age group, divide the number of children by the ratio, round up, then add them up. In Québec, 7 infants need 2 adults (7 ÷ 5 = 1.4), 10 two-year-olds need 2 (10 ÷ 8 = 1.25), and 21 four-year-olds need 3 (21 ÷ 10 = 2.1): 7 adults in all.
Our staff ratio calculator does this for Québec, Ontario or your own ratios. For a mixed-age group, your regulation’s exact rule applies.
Example: a 50-spot centre in Québec
Take a centre with one group of 10 infants, two groups of 16 children aged 18 months to 4 years, and one group of 8 four-year-olds:
- 10 infants ÷ 5 = 2 adults;
- 32 children aged 18 months to 4 ÷ 8 = 4 adults;
- 8 four-year-olds ÷ 10 = 0.8, rounded up to 1 adult.
So you need 7 adults present with the children when everyone is there, not counting the director in the office, the cook or breaks. In practice, the schedule also covers breaks and the team’s lunch, and staggered arrivals in the morning.
Ratio and qualification: two different rules
The ratio says how many adults are present; another rule says how many of them must be qualified. In Québec, childcare centres and daycares must generally have at least two qualified childcare staff out of three present each day, with temporary easings announced by the ministry. Check the rule in force for your centre.
What parents ask
Parents often ask about ratios when they visit. A simple answer reassures them: each group’s ratio, how many educators work in it, and how the daycare replaces an absent educator. Posting each group’s team at the entrance helps too.
Keeping a record
Some regulations ask daycares to keep attendance records and staff schedules. Even when they don’t, a daily record of arrivals, departures and who was on duty in each group is the simplest way to show that ratios were met, and to plan the next month’s schedule.
Rules change
Ratios and qualification rules are revised from time to time, and temporary measures come and go. Note the date you last checked your regulation, and check again at each new school year, or whenever your ministry announces a change.
Meeting ratios all day long
Ratios are hardest to meet at transitions:
- drop-off and pick-up, when children arrive faster than educators;
- team breaks and lunch, to plan group by group;
- outings, to prepare according to your regulation’s rules;
- an unexpected absence, which calls for a substitute or the grouping your regulation allows.
A dashboard that counts children present and adults on duty in real time avoids surprises. That’s what the director’s dashboard does in Maliah Classes: group by group, it shows whether the ratio is met or exceeded.
Elsewhere in the world
Every province, state and country has its own ratios, and they change over time. Check with the body that issues your licence or recognition; our calculator accepts your own ratios.
Frequently asked questions
What is the daycare ratio in Québec?
Under section 21 of the Educational Childcare Regulation: 1 childcare staff member for 5 children under 18 months, 1 for 8 children from 18 months to under 4 years, and 1 for 10 children 4 years and older.
How many children can a home daycare provider care for in Québec?
On their own, up to 6 children, including at most 2 under 18 months. With another adult assisting, up to 9 children, including at most 4 under 18 months.
What are the ratios in Ontario?
In a licensed child care centre: 3 adults for 10 infants, 1 for 5 toddlers and 1 for 8 preschoolers, with groups of at most 10, 15 and 24 children (Schedule 1 of Ontario Regulation 137/15).
How do I calculate how many educators I need?
Divide the number of children in each age group by its ratio, round up, then add them up. Our free calculator does it for you.
This article is for information; it does not replace advice from a health professional. In Québec, call Info-Santé 811 when in doubt (elsewhere in Canada, your provincial health line). In an emergency, call 911.
Sources
- Educational Childcare Regulation (S-4.1.1, r. 2), Légis Québec
- Becoming a home educational childcare provider (in French), Gouvernement du Québec
- O. Reg. 137/15: General, Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, Gouvernement de l’Ontario
- Child care centre licensing manual: ratios and group size, Government of Ontario