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Part of Quality, safety and compliance

Childcare – Report an incident or concern

Contact information to report incidents or concerns, either as a parent, guardian or a provider.

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Quality, safety and compliance

Overview

Parents and providers can call Childcare Connect to report an incident, concern or complaint related to licensed or unlicensed childcare programs. Licensing officers will collect your information and forward it to the appropriate staff for follow-up.

Icon of phone receiver with lines to show it is ringing.

Call Childcare Connect toll free: 1-844-644-5165.

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed daily from 12:00 pm to 1:00pm, closed statutory holidays) 

Report as a parent

Parents and caregivers should feel confident about the care their children receive. If something does not feel right, or if you have concerns about what you have seen or heard, start by speaking with the childcare program director or licence holder.

If your concerns are not resolved or you still feel uncomfortable, you can report the issue by calling Childcare Connect.

  • What to expect when making a complaint

    • All complaints are taken seriously and reviewed by a licensing officer.
    • Your information is confidential and will not be shared with the provider.
    • Anonymous reports are accepted, but licensing officers may need to contact you during an investigation.

  • What happens next

    • If your complaint falls under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulation, or the Family Day Home Standards, an investigation will be conducted.
    • Some complaints may be referred to other authorities, such as police, fire services, public health, Child Intervention or municipal government.
    • Your identity will be protected unless disclosure is required by law (for example, criminal charges or civil litigation).
    • If you have already reported a concern and want to follow up, contact Childcare Connect to learn about the escalation process, including which steps are being taken.

Report as a provider

Licensed programs are required to immediately report and respond to any incident that may seriously affect the health or safety of a child in their care.

It is important that all primary staff and volunteers know how to report an incident, as failure to do so may result in a non-compliance.

Steps to report an incident are as follows.

  • Step 1. Call emergency services (if necessary) and contact parent(s)

    Immediately contact any necessary emergency services and notify parents first, before submitting a report.

  • Step 2. Contact Childcare Connect

    Licence holders of facility-based programs and family day home agencies must immediately report an incident to Childcare Connect.

    • Family day home educators must immediately report incidents to their agency.
    • Reports can be made by phone (1-844-644-5165) or email ([email protected]).
    • If it is not possible to contact Childcare Connect immediately because of circumstances outside their control, a licence holder has up to 24 hours to make an initial report.

  • Step 3. Submit an incident report form

    Within 2 working days of the incident, an Incident Report Form must be completed and submitted to Childcare Connect using the email above. 

    Fillable PDF forms may not open properly on some mobile devices and web browsers. See the step-by-step guide or contact PDF form technical support.

  • Step 4. Participate in inspections

    Follow-up may be conducted by licensing staff and/or your agency or other law enforcement agencies as required.

If you are unsure whether an incident should be reported, contact Childcare Connect to confirm. You can also refer to the reporting guidelines in the following:

Child Abuse Hotline

If you believe a child is at risk, you must report it. Call 1-800-387-5437 (KIDS) to get help if you, or children you know, are being neglected, abused or sexually exploited. Help is available in multiple languages 24/7.

Learn how to recognize the warning signs of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

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