Overview
The Alberta government can issue a stop order to an unlicensed child care provider if:
- the provider is caring for more than six children at a time, not including their own
- there is an imminent threat to the health, safety or welfare of children in their care
Understanding different types of stop orders
The Early Learning and Child Care Act and regulation allows unlicensed child care providers to care for up to 6 children other than their own. When an unlicensed provider is issued a stop order because they are over maximum numbers, the stop order remains in effect indefinitely. When this type of stop order is in place, the provider may continue providing care, as long as they reduce the number of children in their care.
When a stop order is issued to an unlicensed provider because of imminent threat to the health, safety and welfare of children, the provider must not continue providing care. The order can be rescinded if the provider proves that they have addressed any issues and come back into compliance with legislation. If a provider fails to comply with this type of stop order, it may be escalated to include other enforcement measures, including court orders.
To ask about a specific stop order, or to report concerns in licensed or unlicensed child care, contact Child Care Connect at 1-844-644-5165.
Understanding data in the stop order lookup tool
For an imminent threat stop order, if the “date stop order rescinded” field is blank, it means the stop order has not been rescinded and the threat to children’s safety, health or welfare may still exist. For an over maximum numbers stop order, the “date stop order rescinded” field is not applicable (N/A) because this type of stop order is never rescinded, even though the provider may have come into compliance by reducing the number of children in their care.
Data in this lookup tool dates back to February 2021.