Legislation aimed at strengthening child care safety in the province

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on October 31, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The Alberta government is introducing legislation that it says strengthens child care safety in the province.

The government announced on Wednesday that it is tabling Bill 25: Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act, 2024 which would strengthen its ability to hold non-compliant child care providers accountable, speed up the ability to address issues in care and uphold public trust in the provincial child care system.

Additional amendments would allow the province’s child-care licencing team to impose penalties on licence holders and educators who jeopardize the safety of children and who don’t meet quality standards.

Act amendments would also ensure parents have vital information about the care of their children. That information would include the certification status of early childhood educators and stop orders against unlicensed providers.

And amendments would also enhance the government’s ability to target specific issues at a facility which would prevent closure of an entire facility, instead letting the government temporarily close a specific part of a program.

The province says while it recognizes that the majority of providers are dedicated to providing safe and quality are, action’s necessary when safety is compromised. It adds that the changes will align Alberta with other provinces.

“If passed, the updated Early Learning and Child Care Act would address the recommendation from the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel to clearly state that all facility-based licence holders must comply with applicable zoning, health and safety legislation,” said the province in a release.

“Alberta’s government continues to work with child-care providers, the federal government and parents to ensure the child-care system works within the province’s unique, mixed-market child-care system,” the release adds.

Proposed amendments have several intentions. They include:

• enhance the authorities of the statutory director by enabling them to:

1. act in the public interest to cancel or refuse to issue or renew a facility-based licence or a family day home agency licence;

2. temporarily close a facility or a portion of a facility;

3. suspend a family day home agency licence and issue a probationary licence; and

4. compel a provider to amend or revise their program plan.

Amendments would also address administrative issues including:

1. explicitly stating that certified 16 and 17 year olds can work in ratio under adult supervision;

2. enabling public disclosure of early childhood educator certification status;

3. public posting of all stop orders for unlicensed providers;

4. explicitly allow the statutory director to create standards for FDHs; and

5. allow the Minister to appoint a member(s) to an appeal panel.

Amendments would allow the statutory director to direct changes to a program plan and provide clarity on 16- and 17-year-olds working in out-of-school care, preschools and licenced care without impacting child-to-educator ratios.