City posts daycare ratings
January 22, 2008
Vanessa Lu
CITY HALL BUREAU
The city of Toronto posted ratings on its website today for 650 of the 900 day-care centres it subsidizes.
Brenda Patterson, the city’s general manager of Children’s Services, said 96 per cent of the centres received an average score of at least three out of four, which is considered acceptable.
Those that scored below three out of four in certain areas were given deadlines to improve. If they fail to do so, further sanctions – including the loss of a fee subsidy from the city – may result.
The ratings are compiled from a long list of categories, ranging from physical environment and activities to types of toys and food.
The assessments were conducted by 22 city employees, who conducted at least two random spot checks of each centre each year.
Toronto’s rating system offers far more detail on day-care centres than a provincial website, which only lists whether centres are licensed.
The rating system has been in the works for years. It comes on the heels of a Star investigation last year, which revealed that the province allowed dozens of centres to stay open after failing to meet minimum standards.
Click here to see the city ratings for day-care centres.