New Rules on Administrative Penalties

Effective September 30, 2025, updates to the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulation will come into force.

AECEA understands this has created uncertainty for ECEs. We want to ensure that educators have the information they need to understand how this affects them.

What's New

Administrative penalties (financial fines) can now be issued if the Act, Regulation, licence terms, or certification rules are broken.
In facility-based programs (daycare, preschool, out-of-school care), penalties apply to the licence holder (the program), not individual staff.
As Family Day Home (FDH) Standards are now part of the Regulation, FDH educators may face a penalty if other compliance approaches fail.
Certified ECEs can also face penalties if they do not meet the terms in the provincial Certification Guide (for example, providing false information or not following conduct requirements in the guide).

What This Means for You

Certified ECEs are responsible for following all conduct and certification requirements set out by the province in the ECE Certification Guide (2025)
Licence holders are accountable for making sure their programs meet legal requirements set out in the Regulations and will only issue administrative penalties if all other tools fail to bring a licence holder into compliance.

For more details, see:

Upcoming Information Sessions

The Ministry will be hosting information sessions where ECEs can ask questions. The same presentation will be delivered each time—please register for one session only.

Wednesday, September 17 | 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. → [Register here]
Wednesday, September 17 | 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. → [Register here]
Thursday, September 18 | 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. → [Register here]
Friday, September 19 | 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. → [Register here]
Friday, September 26 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. → [Register here]

Questions will be submitted through the Zoom Q&A feature. Microphones and cameras will not be required.