Legislation and Licensing
Legislation
The Ontario Education Act, 1990 specifies that children are required to attend school, or a suitable educational substitute, once they turn six years old. Full-day public kindergarten is not mandatory, and parents have a choice about whether to enroll their four- or five-year old child at the local public or private school.
Since AIFK’s Nature Kindergarten program is designed for children under the age of six, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA), 2014. The CCEYA details the rules and regulations for: 1) Licensed child care centres and providers, 2) Unlicensed child care providers, and 3) Authorized recreational and skill building programs. AIFK’s Nature Kindergarten program is privately operated, home-based, and small group (five children or fewer). With this in mind, AIFK’s Nature Kindergarten best fits under the second umbrella category of unlicensed child care. The CCEYA legislates that an unlicensed child care provider can care for a maximum of five children under the age of thirteen (with no more than three children under the age of two). AIFK fully complies with this legislation.
Licensing
Algonquin Island Forest Kindergarten discloses to prospective parents that, “This child care program is not licensed by the Government of Ontario.” Furthermore, AIFK discloses that its Nature Kindergarten program is not a registered private school, child care centre, or authorized recreational and skill building program.
While elements of AIFK’s pedagogy and curriculum have been influenced by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and his philosophy of Waldorf Education, AIFK would like to clarify that it is not a Waldorf early childhood program. AIFK is not a member of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN) or the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), the latter of which owns the registered marks WALDORF and RUDOLF STEINER in Canada.
As a child care service, Algonquin Island Forest Kindergarten’s Nature Kindergarten program is exempt from charging GST/HST. Receipts of payment will be provided and may be used to claim child care expenses when filing personal income tax.