Waiting List Policy
TayCare Children’s Centres, including our school age programs does not charge parent/guardians for the opportunity to place their child(ren) on the waiting list for an unsecured space in our child care centre.
Who Can Apply?
A child cannot be placed on our waiting list if they have not yet been conceived. However, a child can be placed on our waiting list if the child has not yet been born, by using the due date as their date of birth.
A child can be placed on either the toddler waiting list or the preschool waiting list. If placing a child on a before and after waiting list please only place them on the waiting list for the school they will be attending. In order to attend a before and after program they must be attending one o the schools that our program is in. If adding to the summer care waiting list, a child needs to be added each year.
Placement on the List?
We consider the following factors when determining the order in which children are placed on the waiting list.
Date on which the “application” is submitted and completed accurately and in its entirety.
If a parent/guardians defer a space or moves the start date to another month, their space on the waiting list will be from the date they deferred the space or made changes to the waiting list.
Priority
Priority is given to the following;
- Families who currently have a child(ren) enrolled in one of our programs, as long as their account is in good standing;
- Families looking for full-time child care
- Extreme circumstances will be taken into consideration. (i.e., CAS is involved, employee’s children when short staffed)
Holding my Place on the Waiting List
Parents or guardians must email TayCare Children’s Centres every 6 months to keep your spot on the waiting list, using the email address waitinglist@tayside.ca If we do not hear from the parent or guardian within si months, we will assume you no longer require a space, and will remove you from the waiting list.
A child will be moved from the toddler list to the preschool list according to the date they were initially added.
When a child is no longer eligible for a preschool, as they are now attending school. They will be removed from the preschool waiting list. They will not be added to a before and after programs waiting list, unless requested to do so by a parent/guardian.
When signing a child up for a before and after programs waiting list, you must select the waiting list for the location your child will be attending.
The waiting list for our summer camp is done on a yearly basis. You will need to add your child each year in order to be on the waiting list for this program.
Children who are currently in one of our before and after programs get priority. Once we know how many spaces and for which age group (kindergarten or school-age) we will begin contacting families on the waiting list.
Child Care scheduling requirements
With child care spaces being limited and the demand high, we are only accepting families requiring full-time care into our toddler programs. We may be able to make exceptions for extreme circumstances (i.e., CAS involvement)
TayCare Children’s Centres does accept families for our preschool programs, as well as our before & after programs that require full-time, part-time which includes full and half days (with restrictions).
Part-time – A child must attend our full day locations a minimum of two (2) full days a week. A child attending a before and after school program must attend three (3 before OR after, or two (2) before AND after. These must be the same days each week.
After joining the waiting list, parents will parents will receive a link to check their child’s position on the waiting list.
Important to note that this placement will fluctuate as children are added to and removed from the waiting list.
Offering of Childcare Spaces
Spaces become available when a child graduate’s from or when a family terminates care. Parents are required to give two weeks’ notice prior to leaving care. Therefore, it is expected that the amount of notice a family will receive about an available space will be approximately two weeks. We endeavour to give a family as much notice as possible if we are aware of upcoming spaces. Spaces will be filled in order of response to the available space being offered. If you decline a space being offered your child’s name may remain on the waiting list (if you request not to be removed) however your new date on the waiting list will be the date you declined the space.
When a space becomes available, parents will be contacted by telephone. Parent/guardians will be given until the end of the following business day to accept the space.
If you decline a space being offered your child’s name may remain on the waiting list (if you request not to be removed) however your new date on the waiting list will be the date you declined the space.
Parents/guardians will receive an update every one to three months regarding the location on the waiting list their child currently is. If you have any questions regarding the waiting list please contact us at waitlist@tayside.ca
Updated: October 23, 2023
