A licence holder for a day care centre and/or out of school care program must ensure that the following minimum primary staff member to children ratios, and the maximum number of children who may be included in a group, in the day care centre and/or out of school program are in effect at all times:
| Age of Children | Primary Staff Member/Children Ratio | Maximum Number of Children in a Group |
| Under 12 months | 1:3 | 6 |
| 12 months or over, but under 19 months | 1:4 | 8 |
| 19 months or over, but under 3 years | 1:6 | 12 |
| 3 years or over, but under 4 1/2 years | 1:8 | 16 |
| 4 1/2 years or over | 1:10 | 20 |
| For children attending an early childhood services program | 1:10 | 20 |
| For children attending grades 1 to 6 | 1:15 | 30 |
A licence holder for a day care centre must ensure that a fulltime program director who holds a level 3 qualification certificate is on the staff of the day care centre at all times. A licence holder for an outofschool care centre must ensure that a fulltime program director is on the staff of the outofschool care centre at all times.
If Alberta staff qualifications are satisfied with the results of the applicant's criminal record check, including the vulnerable sector search, they may issue a
- A Child Development Assistant (Level 1) qualification certificate to an applicant who has completed an orientation course for day care centre staff or has completed course work that is considered to be equivalent to an orientation course.
- A Child Development Worker (Level 2) qualification certificate to an applicant who has received a oneyear certificate in early childhood development or education from a college, or has completed course work that is considered to be equivalent to the course work required for a certificate.
- A Child Development (Level 3) qualification certificate to an applicant who has received a 2year diploma in early childhood development or education from a college, or has completed course work that is considered to be equivalent to the course work required for a diploma.
At Churchill Park Family Care Society, we recognize that each child is an individual and that, as individuals, they will develop at different rates. We feel that it is important to plan activities that are open ended and that allow each child to participate at his or her level. Room will be left for the child to be challenged. We believe that day care should be play based, since children learn best by doing. Children need to be able to touch and manipulate the world around them in order to learn how things work and how they relate to each other.
Accredited family day home agencies and licensed day care centres provide a level of excellence in child care that exceeds provincial licensing requirements. These higher standards have been developed by members of the child care sector together with Alberta Children’s Services. Accredited programs are monitored for adherence to these standards by an independent accreditation association, The Alberta Association for the Accreditation of Early Learning and Care Services. This voluntary program is the only one of its kind in Canada. You can find more information on accreditation here or visit The Alberta Association for the Accreditation of Early Learning at http://www.abccaccred.ca.