North Edmonton Family Day Home Agency - Edmonton

Information on Being a Educator

Qualifications:

A Family Day Home Educator should be someone who:

• Has a genuine enjoyment of working with children and can offer an environment where all children will feel welcomed.
• Understands the impact her role as Care Giver will have on the lives of the children coming into her care.
• Is physically and mentally strong.
• Is living in a stable nurturing environment.
• Must be a resident of the home and that home must met the requirements of the government for safety, health & hygiene, ventilation, appropriate lighting, adequate inside play space, and enclosed outside play space. We do not at this time approve apartments.
• Is able to submit for all members of the household a clear Criminal Record Check, clear Intervention Record Check, medical and 3 personal references.
• Is willing to operate her day home according to the standards set by the Government of Alberta and this agency.
• Has the ability to perform the required administrative duties and learn new skills as necessary to run a successful small business.
• Has well developed and effective communication skills so as to work with children and adults.
• Demonstrates the ability to respond to children’s needs appropriately and the skills to guide children’s behavior in a positive manner.
• Wants to operate her day home with the support of a strong team of professional consultants coming into her home.
• Has an awareness of the importance of professional development and a desire to improve her skills as a childcare worker through participating in training opportunities made available through the agency.
• Must certify in First Aid with in 3 months of starting with agency.
• Is flexible and able to offer a service that meets the needs of clients looking for care.

Approval Procedure:

The first step is to contact our agency to set up an appointment for our Coordinator to come out to see you. The approval procedure will require a minimum of 3 visits to your home. Those visits will focus on Orientation & Home Study, Safety/ Home Set-up, and Policies and Contract signing. Be prepared that the screening requirements (Criminal Record Check and Intervention Record Check ) can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks. As with any small business you will have some start up costs. These can vary from educator to educator depending on resources already in place. Be prepared that the following requirements will have a cost associated with them:

1. Criminal Record Check
2. Medical
3. First Aid Course
4. Fire Safety Equipment
5. Child proofing materials
6. Toys and equipment
7. Insurance

Once approved, if needed the agency can assist you with some of these start up-costs through short term loans.

Training Opportunities:

The agency will provide, at no cost to the our caregivers, training in a variety of formats. All educators receive an Orientation Binder, Nutrition Binder, Standards of Care, Family Day Home Manual, and 2 books “Home Child Care A Caregiver’s Guide” and ”Little Well Beings A Handbook on Health in Family Day Care”. These resources are yours to keep while with the agency. All minimal training requirements other than First Aid Certification will be supplied by the agency at no cost. In addition the agency will make available materials so as to complete either the Step Ahead Child Care Course or the National Family Child Care Training course. Both courses have an equivalency of child Care Assistant/Level 1. The agency will also offer throughout the year Training Workshops and opportunities for Educators to network.

North Edmonton Family Day Home Agency supports educators taking post secondary studies with an in house Bursary Program.

Certification:

In the Province of Alberta there are three levels of certification for Child Care Staff. These levels are directly connected to the three levels of wage enhancement funds paid out to Care Givers. Wage enhancement is money paid to child care workers by the province of Alberta for the recruitment and retention of qualified trained child care staff.

Child Development Assistant:

Formally know as Level I this certification requires a minimum of 50 hour of study. Educator can achieve this certification through the Step Ahead Training course and National Child Care Workers course, or the Online Child Development Assistant Course. All are available at no cost to the educator. This certification pays an additional $2.14 per hour to a maximum of $387.34 per month.

Child Development Worker:

Formally know as Level II this certification requires a minimum of 1 year post secondary study with some field placement component included. There are many different organizations offering courses for this certification at a personal cost to the Care Giver.

This certification pays an additional $4.05 per hour to a maximum of $733.05 per month.

Child Development Supervisor:

Formally know as Level III this certification requires a minimum of 2 years post secondary study with a full field placement component. There are various Colleges and Universities offering courses for this certification at a personal cost to the Caregiver. This certification pays an additional $6.62 per hour to a maximum of $ 1,198.22 per month.

If you have further questions regarding certification in the province of Alberta call our agency or you can contact directly the Child Care Certification Office at 1-800-661-9754