Muskoka Home Child Care Agency Providers

You are an entrepreneur of your own small business. This means that you are able to take some liberties around your business such as hours and days of operation.

You may choose to only do before and after school care, or perhaps you will choose to close during the summer. Some of our Providers choose to work a 4 day work week. We respect these choices because we want to see healthy Providers who can assess their own self-care needs.

Not only does this help Providers, but it also helps families as there are fewer burnouts and more longevity retention. We do recommend being transparent and upfront with families from the onset to keep their trust and confidence in you and your business. 

As a Provider with the Agency, you have signed a Service Agreement which means that you will follow our Policies and Procedures, but beyond this, each Provider is able to create a program around their passions.

Maybe music is important to you, and this theme is seen throughout your program. Perhaps nature inspires you and most of your programming is done outdoors. These elements, make your program, unique to you as an independent business owner.

Yes! As independent business owners, Provider’s are able to choose the right families and children for their unique programs.

Although we have a waitlist that we encourage you to use, you can also recruit your own families and have your own waitlist.  We feel that it is important to find the best fit for your program to ensure that the placement is successful and joyous.  

Aside from the Agency’s Policies and Procedures, Providers are able to create their own policies such as Late Fee Policies and choose your own program supplies, as long as they do not contradict your Service Agreement. These are choices you get to make as a business owner.

As independent business owners, Providers can choose to have Back Up-Providers, Volunteers and Students in their homes. Back-Up Providers can work alongside a Provider helping with day to day tasks or independently, when you are not in the program. Volunteers and Students are only able to work alongside a Provider.

We believe that having a Back-Up Provider can really enhance your programs reliability, your personal well-being and overall your program supports and that’s why we encourage this team approach. Back-Up Provider’s are required to complete necessary paperwork such as a Criminal Record Check with a Vulnerable Screening, etc. as well as some foundational training. As independent business owners, Back-Up Providers are considered your employees and are paid and retained by you. 

 As of November 1, 2022, the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency has opted in, to implement the Canada Wide Early Learning Child Care (CWELCC) plan, making quality child care more affordable, accessible and inclusive. Please see the District of Muskoka website for more information.

We value and appreciate our Provider’s because we know that their career is among one of the most important professions in the world. These first years of life are so critical to future outcomes and the impact a caregiver has on a child can be life changing. We honour this as much as possible with top up funds throughout the year.

These funds change from year to year based on funding allocations from the government. In 2021, Provider’s received approximately $9000 additional dollars of top up funds. In addition to this, they were also paid to attend Agency Team Meetings and Professional Learning opportunities. 

In 2020 the Agency chose to waive the Agency Administration Fees. Now, Providers receive, dollar for dollar, what families pay for care each day.

Throughout Ontario, a survey was completed from different Licensing Municipalities regarding Agency Administration Fees. Out of the survey respondents, it was discovered that the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency is 1 of only 3 municipalities that does not charge an Administration Fee. This means that the money that is collected for daily child care rates, goes directly to Providers, with no deductions from the Agency

Within the first month of opening, the MHCCA reimburses for start-up costs such as Criminal Reference Checks, Medical Screening, Fire Safety Inspections, Standard First Aid and Driver’s Abstracts for Providers and others involved in the program.

The Home Child Care Enhancement Grant is a provincial fund that helps support the licensed home child care sector. It wants to recognize the quality of Provider’s while not adding expense to families.

Provider’s approved with an Agency are able to receive an extra $20 a day for each day they are open with a minimum of one child care child and are open for over 6+ hours, or $10 for being open under 6+ hours. This could equal thousands of dollars annually.

Providers approved under a licensed Agency are able to have 6 children as opposed to 5, when running a Home Child Care program. The addition of one extra child, could mean thousands of dollars per year.

Capacity limit details include:

• No more than six (6) children may be in care at any one time, including the Provider’s own children under the age of four.
• After September 1 in a calendar year, any of the Provider’s own children who will turn the age of four in that year do not have to be counted in the total number of children. 
• Of the total number of children in care, including the Provider’s own children, no more than three (3) children may be under the age of two (2).

Agency placed families receive a prorated allotment of absent days up to 15 per year, to use as they see fit; vacation time, sick leave or any other reason they deem needed. These are days that you receive payment, but families are not charged.

It is important to us, to make child care affordable for families. As an approved home under the Agency, your families are eligible to apply to have a portion or all of their child care fees paid for by the District Municipality of Muskoka. Subsidy is based on a few factors including income levels and can be accessed when families are working, attending school or have special family circumstances as identified by a third party agency.

• Child Care Fee Subsidy Program
• Child Care Subsidy Calculator

MHCCA has a resource library that Provider’s are able to access. It includes resources such as cots, playpens, high chairs, booster seats, safety equipment, furniture, toys, strollers, and other materials.

Our Agency strives to show our children, Providers and families that we appreciate them.

We do this in various ways from providing each child with a birthday gift, to throwing an annual dinner celebration with our Providers. We offer field trips, whether virtual or in person, as well as activities for the children throughout the year. We may show up for a visit with your favourite hot drink, but these smalls gestures are to let you know we care and value you.

A wealth of knowledge in the Early Childhood Education field, related to neuroscience, has really elevated the profession to a new level. Our interactions with children in the first years of their life are known to have life changing affects. To be a knowledgeable, successful and brilliant educator for children, one must know why we do what we do, and how our actions affect their growth.

Our aim is to remove habit and replace it with intention. For this reason, we offer professional learning opportunities several times throughout the year. In addition to this, we speak with Provider’s about their own professional learning needs and offer lots of opportunity for discussion and reflection. 

When Providers are anonymously surveyed and asked to list the top reasons why they are with the Agency, support from the Agency is always topping the list.

As Registered Early Childhood Educators, our Home Visitors’ visit our Provider’s regularly for announced and unannounced visits. During these times, documentation is completed and reviewed, observations are recorded, child development assessments and strategies are exchanged, activities are presented, and Early Childhood practices are shared and built upon. These visits are viewed as a time to connect, learn, and engage in meaningful conversations and exchanges with our Providers and children.

Being a home child care Provider has it’s moments of feeling disconnected from others. When you join with the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency, you get an entire team.

Not only do you have the team from the Agency to support and encourage you along your journey, but we also host Provider nights where all the Providers are able to connect with one another. These happen regularly throughout the year and it offers a platform where you can connect with your peers. Some of our Providers, even offer mentorship coaching. 

Another benefit of joining with the Agency, is that we stay current with the latest child care policies from the Ministry so you don’t have to spend your time researching these details. We have policies and procedures that make sense and are there to support children, families and you.

Unquestionably, there are administrative duties necessary to operate a small business as an approved home under a Ministry of Education license. The MHCCA team has worked diligently to make forms user friendly including creating digitally fillable ones. We also maintain your binder of necessary information for you and we do most of the Registration requirements with families, so you don’t have to. 

We have an extensive waitlist of eager families looking for care throughout Muskoka. Although you are able to create your own waitlist and find your own families, we can help you if desired. Simply, let us know what spot you’re looking to fill and we will contact families to begin the interview process with you. We want you to find the best fit for you, the children you currently have in care, your family and your program.