Child care onboarding
These resources provide information about the overall early years and child care system in Peel. They will also help you train and onboard new staff and licensed home child care providers.
Onboarding checklists
This onboarding checklist will help you cover all the items that a new hire or licensed home child care provider needs to be aware of. The checklist will also help you plan and monitor the onboarding process. You may want to add your own items.
The checklists are MS Word documents that you can download and print.
Peel's early years and child care sector
This presentation introduces the early years and child care sector in Peel, including Peel Region's role as the Service System Manager.
The Early Years and Child Care Service System Plan 2019-2024 sets the path for how we will continue to build and grow an early years and child care system that is responsive to the current and future needs of children and families in Peel.
This system plan includes strategic priorities and outcomes that have established the framework for Peel Region.
To shape the new early years and child care plan for 2025 to 2030, we reached out to Peel's diverse families. Their feedback along with existing data is helping us learn what’s important to families in our community.
The purpose of the Early Years Specialist position is to collaborate with licensed child care agencies that have an early years and child care services funding agreement with Peel Region. Broadly, the specialist:
- Builds partnerships with the child care community.
- Provides supports and referrals to strengthen overall viability.
- Provides supports to enhance the quality of licensed child care programs.
The specialist supports licensed child care centres and licensed home child care providers by:
- Reviewing the early years and child care Service Provider Handbook yearly with the service provider and program supervisor.
- Reviewing funding guidelines, applications, tools, and resources.
- Supporting ongoing authentic participation. This includes accepting children in receipt of child care subsidy, participating in quality enhancement practices, and being inclusive of children with special needs.
- Collaborating with Peel Inclusion Resource Services resource consultants and Child Development Resource Connection Peel Quality Initiatives mentors to offer recommendations and resources to enhance quality and build up the skills of program staff.
- Supporting the implementation of "How Does Learning Happen?" through visits, observations, and discussions.
- Supporting the implementation of legislative requirements from the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
- Onboarding new service providers.
Child care providers can connect with their specialists directly by phone or email.
The Peel Inclusion Resource Services (PIRS) Memorandum of Understanding explains the roles and responsibilities of child care service providers, PIRS Special Needs Resourcing agencies, and Peel Region.
Peel Region provides child care subsidy to help eligible families with child care costs for children 12 years and younger in licensed child care programs. You can find information about eligibility criteria, parent responsibilities, and the application process.
The Journey Together program is an Indigenous child and family outreach program for EarlyON and licensed child care centres. The Indigenous Network delivers the Journey Together program.
Child Development Resource Connection Peel (CDRCP) offers high-quality, diverse, and responsive professional learning for Peel's early years and child care community.
CDRCP offers in-person, live online, and pre-recorded learning sessions that are engaging, relevant, and informative, to support professionals in the sector to engage in and provide the best care and practices for the children and families in Peel Region.
In-person sessions
These learning opportunities involve working together with others through idea sharing or hands-on learning. The sessions take place at a designated location in Peel region. You must pre-register and pay for the session before the start date. These sessions may include resource materials, giveaways, and refreshments.
Live online sessions
These live online learning opportunities take place at designated times. You must pre-register and pay for the session before the start date. We encourage you to use cameras and microphones to enhance the overall learning experience.
Pre-recorded webinars
New on-demand webinars are regularly developed based on community feedback and system needs. You can access them anytime from a laptop or smartphone device. Some webinars may be available for a limited time depending on the subject matter.
New pre-recorded webinars are released throughout the calendar year. There are various topics about supporting the early years and child care sector. Webinars support the following audiences:
- Licensed child care
- EarlyON
- Licensed home child care
- Francophone
Webinars are also divided into the following categories:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
- Human resources
- Fostering engagement
- Health and wellness legislation
- Program and curriculum
- Special needs
CDRCP has an online, searchable professional learning calendar, as well as a professional learning resources and booklet. These resources list the professional learning opportunities for the upcoming season.
Subscribe to receive professional learning opportunity updates.
InfoPeel is operated by Child Development Resource Connection Peel (CDRCP). InfoPeel provides quality, timely, and accurate information through directories, resources, and interactive calendars for:
- Child care
- EarlyON programs
- Special needs services
- Community programs
InfoPeel offers the following information:
Community services directory - Information on community programs and services for people looking to access supports in Peel.
EarlyON - Search for local EarlyON centres and programming.
Early years and child care - Information and resources about accessing quality licensed child care, child care funding options, child care subsidy, Peel Inclusion Resource Services.
French language services directory - Provides access to French language information and resources on early learning, child care, health, special needs, community, and social services, as well as programming calendars for families looking to take part in activities for Francophones.
Kids Pathways Peel - This program offers service coordination to families. Service coordination is available to children diagnosed with developmental disabilities up to age 18. It's also available to children diagnosed with developmental delays or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder up to age 9. Families connected to Peel Inclusion Resource Services in full-time child care do not qualify for this service.
Peel early learning and child care directory – The licensed child care search tool supports families to access licensed child care or before and after school programs in Peel.
Respite services - A service that supports families of children, youth, and adults with special needs by connecting them with self-employed respite providers who meet their specific needs.
Special needs directory - A specialized service for children, youth, and adults looking for either special needs or mental health supports. Supports include a directory, information and resources, programming calendar, webinars, and workshops.
System navigation service
CDRCP also delivers the Early Years and Child Care System Navigation service to make it easier to access resources and programs by identifying and providing support to overcome barriers for families, vulnerable populations, and those needing more support due to varying needs.
Through the System Navigation service, CDRCP empowers individuals and families to identify their needs or concerns, establish connections with services and community agencies, and build the community's ability to effectively navigate Peel's early years and child care system independently.
Families can access InfoPeel by phone, online live chat, and email.
contact@infopeel.ca
905-890-9432
Live chat: www.InfoPeel.ca
Ontario Child Care Management System (OCCMS) is a provincial, cloud-based tool with custom-built features for data management. OCCMS supports the administration of provincial funding such as child care subsidy and the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program. Service providers report attendance for children eligible for CWELCC and those who receive child care subsidy.
Peel Region uses attendance records to determine funding amounts eligible service providers will be paid.
Peel Public Health offers support to parents and caregivers at each stage of parenting. All services are free of charge.
Refer to children and parenting for information about:
- Pregnancy
- Perinatal mood disorders
- Feeding your baby
- Caring for children 6 years or younger
- Dental health
- Eye health
- Vaccinations
- Getting active with your child