Care For Newcomer Children (CNC): Highlights

Care for Newcomer Children (CNC) is a new childcare support service that enables eligible parents to attend CIC-funded settlement services, while their children receive care at the same site.

CNC, will be implemented in April 2013 and will replace LINC Childminding and Occasional Child Care.

Development of the CNC model was carried out from July 2009 through March 2010 in consultation with representatives of stakeholder groups from across the country and with the guidance of experts in the early childhood field. In 2011/12, elements of the new CNC model were piloted at two Service Providing Organizations (SPOs), with a third-party assessment of the pilot model undertaken in January, 2012.

The CNC model provides flexibility and choice. Rather than providing child care support for individual CIC-funded services, SPOs will be able to support all adult services within a single child care program. This program model reduces barriers, increases efficiency and service uptake, and allows SPOs to care for more children and better meet the needs of the newcomer families they serve.

SPOs will choose the type of care that will best complement CIC-funded settlement service delivery. Final decisions on services and the type of care offered are subject to CIC approval.

Types of Care

SPOs currently offering licensed care can continue to do so. Please review provincial child care licensing regulations.

SPOs choosing to offer unlicensed care can choose from three basic types of CNC: Long Term, Short Term, and Combined. SPOs may offer more than one type of CNC depending on the needs of their clients and funding conditions.

Long Term CNC is similar to current childminding and is defined as “care that is provided on a regular basis to the same group of children.” It will be chosen by SPOs offering only regular, ongoing programs such as the current Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) or Enhanced Language Training (ELT) i.e., any programming lasting several weeks or months.

Short Term CNC is similar to the Occasional Child Care (OCC) currently available in Ontario and is defined as “care that is provided on an irregular, occasional basis to children who are usually different each time care is offered.” It will be chosen when care for an individual child is needed on an irregular, occasional basis by SPOs offering services such as counseling appointments, short term training or workshops for information and awareness or employment. These sessions may last a few hours or days.

For Short Term CNC, staffing is needed only when sessions operate. Short Term care can be offered in temporary space that is not dedicated to child care.

Combined CNC is a new option. When offering Combined Care, SPOs can care for short-term and long- term children in the same space, at the same time. Combined Care is defined as “care for children who attend on a daily basis as well as children who attend on an irregular basis.” There is one child care support program for all, regardless of the CIC-funded service or how long the children are in care.

Combined CNC works well for SPOs offering ongoing language classes, who want to provide care for other short-term CIC-funded services, such as counseling sessions or workshops. Combined CNC may also be beneficial to SPOs who currently have ongoing vacancies in their childminding or occasional child care programs.

Selecting the CNC Program Type

The type of care chosen by each SPO will depend on the CIC-funded settlement services that require child care support. SPOs will choose the type of care that best complements CIC-funded settlement service delivery, while also considering client needs and organizational capacity.

SPOs offering only long-term CIC-funded language classes or other long term programming, may choose to implement a Long Term CNC program.

SPOs offering short-term workshops, information sessions and events, etc. may consider the potential value of Short Term CNC .

SPOs who have child care needs associated with a variety of CIC-funded services at the same location may consider Combined CNC to maximize resources and increase uptake.

Since each SPO provides different services, CNC can be customized to accommodate the many variables that affect care. Selection of a CNC program type is directly related to the adult services the program will support. When choosing a program type, SPOs must also consider carefully and:

  • Evaluate the needs of the organization, not just any one particular program.
  • Develop a plan to manage the CNC space available. For example, determine how you will know when space is available, and who will decide who will have priority access.
  • Schedule CNC according to when adult services are offered.
  • Consider how to market the availability of CNC throughout the organization in order to keep staff and parents aware of the availability of care.

Characteristics of CNC

Long Term CNC

SPOs choosing to offer Long Term CNC are responsible for developing systems to coordinate staffing, registration, communication, marketing and the general logistics required to deliver Long Term CNC.

Important features:

  1. There is a maximum program size. No more than seventy-two (72) children can be cared for in one program. Where a SPO provides care for more than seventy-two (72) children at one location they must implement an additional program.
  2. The requirements have a standard ratio and age range across the country.
  3. For CNC, a toddler is defined as any child who is between nineteen (19) and thirty-five (35) months of age, and a preschool child is between thirty-six (36) months and six (6) years of age.
  4. The age of children eligible for care is from six (6) months to school-age.
  5. Infant space requirements are 16.8 square metres for each group of three infants to accommodate large equipment for sleeping and eating.
  6. Physical activity space is not required if no individual child is in attendance for more than three hours per day.
  7. All full-time staff working in a CNC program must complete five hours per year of professional development.
  8. Before assuming CNC duties, all CNC administrators and staff must also complete an orientation to the program, and their roles and responsibilities within CNC
  9. Qualified staff must include one Early Childhood Educator (ECE) for every twenty-four (24) children or one ECE for the first twenty-four (24) children and one early childhood assistant for every sixteen (16) children.
  10. At least one CNC staff with an ECE or equivalent must be designated with responsibility for the CNC program during operation. The staff with designated responsibility cannot be included in the ratio when providing care to more than thirty-three (33) children in a Long Term program.
  11. A minimum of two staff must be on site during the operation of a CNC session. If ratios can be met by one staff member, then the second person may be a volunteer working directly with the children.

Short Term CNC

For SPOs choosing to offer Short Term care, it is crucial for program administrators to work together to determine how many short-term CNC spaces are required organizationally, and to prioritize and plan for how spaces will be used. SPOs are responsible for developing systems to coordinate staffing, registration, communication, marketing and the general logistics required to deliver Short Term care.

Important Features:

  1. There is a maximum program size. No more than seventy-two (72) children can be cared for in one program. Where a SPO provides care for more than seventy-two (72) children at one location they must set up staff to implement an additional program.
  2. For CNC, a toddler is defined as any child who is between nineteen (19) and thirty-five (35) months of age, and a preschool child is between thirty-six (36) months and six (6) years of age.
  3. The age of children eligible for care is from six (6) months to school-age.
  4. Short Term care can be offered in temporary space that is not dedicated to child care.
  5. Infant space requirements are 8.3 square metres for each group of three infants
  6. All full-time staff working in a CNC program must complete five hours per year of professional development.
  7. Before assuming CNC duties, all CNC administrators and staff must also complete an orientation to the program, and their roles and responsibilities within CNC
  8. Qualified staff must include one ECE for every twenty-four (24) children or one ECE for the first twenty-four (24) children and one early childhood assistant for every sixteen (16) children.
  9. At least one CNC staff with an ECE or equivalent must be designated with responsibility for the CNC program during operation. The person with designated responsibility cannot be included in the ratio when providing care to more than thirty-three (33) children in a Short Term program.
  10. A minimum of two staff must be on site during the operation of a CNC session. If ratios can be met by one staff member, then the second person may be a volunteer working directly with the children.
  11. Time must be built into the hours of the staff to accommodate the set up and take down of each session as is necessary. For example Short Term programs may operate in changing spaces that may require staff to move furniture, set up the play area and return the space to it original condition at the end of the session. This would mean a staff member would need to arrive prior to and remain after the session to accomplish these tasks.

Combined Care

For SPOs choosing to offer Combined Care, it is crucial for program administrators to work together to determine how many short-term and long-term CNC spaces are required, and to prioritize and plan for how spaces will be used. SPOs are responsible for developing systems to coordinate registration, communication, marketing and the general logistics required to deliver Combined Care. When choosing Combined Care, the space allocated to short term children should not be filled by long term children.

Important Features:

  1. There is a maximum program size. No more than seventy-two (72) children can be cared for in one program. Where a SPO provides care for more than seventy-two (72) children at one location they must set up staff to implement an additional program.
  2. There is a standard ratio and age range across the country For CNC, a toddler is defined as any child who is between nineteen (19) and thirty-five (35) months of age, and a preschool child is between thirty-six (36) months and six (6) years of age.
  3. The age of children eligible for care is from 6 months to School Age.
  4. Infant space requirements are 16.8 square metres for each group of three infants to accommodate large equipment for sleeping and eating.
  5. Physical activity space is not required if no individual child is in attendance for more than three hours per day.
  6. All full-time staff working in a CNC program must complete five hours per year of professional development.
  7. Before assuming CNC duties, all CNC administrators and staff must also complete an orientation to the program, and their roles and responsibilities within CNC
  8. Qualified staff must include one ECE for every twenty-four (24) children or one ECE for the first twenty-four (24) children and one early childhood assistant for every sixteen (16) children.
  9. At least one CNC staff with an ECE or equivalent must be designated with responsibility for the CNC program during operation. The staff with designated responsibility cannot be included in the ratio when providing care to more than twenty-five (25) children in a Combined Care program.
  10. A minimum of two staff must be on site during the operation of a CNC session.
  11. Time must be built into the hours of the staff to accommodate their duties such as; set up and take down of each session as is necessary.
  12. SPOs must have a system for identifying short-term children in the CNC program, and matching them with their parents upon departure.
  13. CNC should be available during the hours in which parents are participating in services. Be sure to consider service hours when planning hours to offer CNC.

Please note: CMAS cannot assist SPOs with the Call For Proposal. After proposals have been submitted, we will be posting resources to help you further. a variety of supports have been developed to help you understand and implement CNC. Information, tools and resources will be available in good time to support the successful transition into CNC.

 

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