Ministère de la Famille
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Inspections in childcare centres (CPE) and day care centres

To ensure the quality of the services offered to the children, Ministère de la Famille inspectors conduct inspections in childcare centres (CPE) and daycare centres. They thus ensure compliance with the legal and regulatory requirements related to children's health and safety standards, such as:

  • the ratio between the number of educators present and the number of children admitted;
  • the qualifications of the staff members assigned to application of the educational program with the children;
  • verification that no impediment exists for staff members, trainees and volunteers;
  • access, premises and outdoor layouts;
  • mandatory apparatus and equipment in the service areas;
  • diet;
  • medications and their administration;
  • cleanliness and sanitation;
  • storage of maintenance products and toxic products;
  • contents of registration cards;
  • list of emergency telephone numbers;
  • verification of attendance cards.

Since the children's health and safety is a priority for the Ministère de la Famille, the inspection process is very rigorous. The fact that a large number of elements are inspected explains why it is very rare for a childcare service not to show any breach during an inspection.

Out of a concern for information, transparency and continuous quality improvement, the Ministère de la Famille, since November 15, 2009, has made accessible the results of the health and safety inspections conducted in childcare centres (CPE) and daycare centres in Québec. These results allow parents to better know the educational childcare services that interest them.

It is possible to access this information with the Childcare Establishment Locator.

The Ministère de la Famille has also created the Info Inspection bulletin to distribute information on matters concerning children's health and safety inspection practices in educational childcare services. This bulletin also provides clarifications regarding the application of certain legislative and regulatory provisions. Info Inspection is mainly intended for childcare centre (CPE) and daycare centre permit holders.

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Last modified date :
April 9, 2020