Capital Program: Early Childhood Development

Program Statement

The Capital intent of this program is to establish environments conducive to promoting early childhood development and preparing the children for enrolment in school. Life safety and health concerns are main proponents of the Act. A new program must meet the criteria not only established under standards and criteria but also those operational requirement noted in the act.

Qualifications for these facilities shall be based on the following:

• demand
• potential and future enrolment
• existing operations and services
• availability of staff
• cultural aspects
• alternatives available
• operation costs/funding structure

The inclusion of this program in the school's functions should recognize areas of joint use to prevent duplication of space. Every attempt shall be made to consider shared use where program needs are not compromised.

Once a school-based child day care facility has been accepted as a capital project, it must conform with the following standards and criteria.

Legislation:

The Department administers the functions associated with child day care in accordance with the Child Day Care Act. All capital projects are governed be this act and must conform to the latest version of the Child Day Care Standards and Regulations.

Qualifying Criteria

A school facility may qualify for an integrated early childhood development component as part of its program if the approved Capital Estimates have identified an existing school for expansion or major renovation/upgrade; or a new independent school is being created to meet growing community needs; and none of the following alternatives are available.

1. There are no licensed Daycare spaces available, or planned for the community that meets the need.
2. There is no suitable facility available near the school which could cost effectively be used or adapted into an early childhood facility.

After the above qualifications have been met, either of the following conditions must be true in order to include the early childhood development program in the project scope of work:

Either:

Condition 1

a) enrolment projections, based on the occupancy date of the project, show a minimum of 60 senior secondary students (Grades 10-12), and;

b) the community has a minimum projected population of 60 females between the ages of 15 to 19 years old at the time of occupancy, and;

c) statistical evidence shows the number of 15 to 19-year-olds is staying the same (S), increasing (I), or increasing greatly (II)

Or:

a) there is evidence that at least eight students have pre-school children (ages 0 to 5), and;

b) the students will continue their education and their children will attend the early childhood program located in the school.

Subject to the conditions being met, the Department would allocate appropriate resources, in accordance with the standards and criteria, to include these spaces in the planned school work. This facility will have a minimum of eight spaces. Successive increases are based on the following table:

Size determination (all must meet minimum
qualifying conditions noted above)

Any program with more than 24 spaces will have to be justified through a program needs evaluation.

The capital standards and criteria determine program space needs based on facility positions.