Ontario standards for operators: Child care facilities (daycares) licensed under the Child Care and Early Years Act are required to meet and maintain specific provincial standards to protect the health, safety and well-being of the children. Licenses must be renewed at least every year.
TBDHU responsibilities: TBDHU is responsible for monitoring licensed facilities in the District of Thunder Bay to ensure:
- Proper food handling, preparation and storage guidelines are being followed
- Proper infection control guidelines are being followed including those related to hand hygiene, diapering, cleaning and immunizations
Operator resources: Find below a series of resources. Some are produced by TBDHU and others have been identified by staff as valuable to operators and staff.
Immunization Guidelines & Requirements for Children and Staff
See the information included in the document linked below:
- Immunization Guidelines (PDF)
Child Care Manual for Operators
- Printed copies no longer distributed: Printed copies of this manual are no longer distributed to licensed child care facilities.
- New and updated sections: All new resources are marked as NEW. If a section is updated, it will be noted as Updated. Some sections have been reviewed and this is noted below.
- Topic areas other than what is listed below: For questions on other topics (e.g. nutrition, physical activity, injury prevention), please contact the appropriate program area. You can find a list of program and contact information by visiting our Programs & Services page.
Gastrointestinal (Enteric) Outbreak Resources for Child Care Staff
See the resources below that were developed to assist operators in managing an enteric (gastrointestinal) outbreak in their facility:
- Gastrointestinal (Enteric) Outbreak Management Guidelines for Staff of Child Care Facilities (Updated - June 2022)
- Poster to alert families of the outbreak (PDF) (French) (Reviewed - June 2022)
- Line list to track the outbreak (Reviewed - June 2022)
For more information about operator requirements, please speak with the public health inspector assigned to your facility.
Common Childhood Illnesses Guide
- Resource: The goal of the Common Childhood Illnesses Guide is to assist operators with managing childhood illnesses or diseases.
- Last update: The resource was last updated in October 2025.
- Contents: The resource includes an overview of common childhood infections or diseases of concern by providing information on the signs, symptoms, means of spread as well as any exclusion guidelines that may apply for each infection.
- If the infection or disease is reportable to TBDHU it is clearly indicated on the specific disease chart provided. However, it is important to know that a health care provider must make any diagnosis.
Nutrition Resources
- Importance: Child care providers have an important role in helping children develop lifelong healthy habits. Young children need healthy foods and beverages to support their growth, development, and well-being. Since many children spend a large portion of their day and consume several meals and snacks in child care settings, child care providers need to offer nutritious foods and supportive nutrition environments.
- Goal: These child care nutrition resources were created to support child care providers in planning and preparing healthy food for children in their care, as well as to create a supportive nutrition environment for children to eat, learn, play and grow.
- Menu Planning: The following resources were developed to support menu planning.
- Other resources: See the Ontario Dietitians in Public Health website for other resources:
For Further Information
General: Call the public health inspector assigned to your child care centre.
Immunization/vaccines: Call the Vaccine Preventable Disease program: (807) 625-5900 or toll-free 1-888-294-6630