Prince George, B.C. – The seemingly sudden end to the school year in B.C. public schools has resulted in some parents scrambling to find suitable care for their children.   And that opens up the possibility that parents unexpectedly finding themselves needing child care immediately may make hurried decisions which could have repercussions.

Kathy Basaraba,  Licensing Officer, Public Health Protection branch with Northern Health, says both parents and care providers must adhere to provincial regulations.  “If you are providing or want to provide child care you need to follow The Child Care Licensing Regulations and Community Care and Assisted Living Act.”  Those are laws that set the base level of protection of the health, safety and dignity of those in care.  Basaraba says “if you care for more than two children who are not related to you, you are required to be licensed.  If you are caring for two children and the parents would like to qualify for a higher rate of subsidy, or you wish to have some training and quality checks in place, you may become registered with Child Care Resource and Referral.”  They can be contacted at www.ccrr.bc.ca or at 250-563-2483.  Community Care Facilities Licensing can be reached at http://www.northernhealth.ca or at 250-565-2150.

Basaraba says there are several things to take into consideration when arranging child care, not only during the current schools situation but at any time care is required.  “The person, the environment and the programming are all important pieces that make up a good place for children to spend their days.  All parties involved need to be happy with the arrangement.”

She says care providers need a good understanding of child development; the care provider needs to be able to meet the needs of the child and also have a good relationship with the parent; and the child’s temperament, requirements and development  must receive due consideration.