Effective Supervision in
Child Care Settings
Standards

Caregivers

Provincial standards for child care programs (Child
Care Licensing Regulation, AR 143/2008 and Family
Day Home Standards Manual, July 2011) require that children are at all times under supervision that is effective in ensuring their safety, well-being, and development.

Effective caregivers are always aware of the physical environment of the child care program.

What is Effective Supervision?
Effective supervision reduces the risk of harm to children by preventing injuries and accidents.
It also promotes positive, responsive, and intentional learning environments for children and child care providers.
Effective supervision requires primary staff in licensed child care settings and approved family day home providers to be involved and familiar with the children in their care. This is important because the most effective kind of supervision for a particular setting can change depending on the type of program provided (out-of-school care versus a family day home), or the ages and individual needs of the children under care.
Effective supervision also requires child care programs and staff to assess their supervision practices on a regular basis to ensure that they continue to promote safety and to meet the needs of children enrolled in the program.
Effective supervision is about more than watching children; it is about using techniques that promote effective supervision practices and create safe care environments.

They:
• conduct regular safety checks of the program premises and equipment to remove hazards;
• position equipment and arrange the environment to allow caregivers to supervise the children’s play, rest, and toilet areas;
• know which individuals are authorized to pick-up a child from the program in place of a parent;
• notice when children