At Social Planning Committee on October 15th, Council endorsed proposed Child Care Design Principles and Guidelines. The principles and guidelines are intended to apply to all new City-related childcare facilities (e.g. City initiated, funded, owned, or supported facilities, including those built through the Community Benefit Bonus Policy or new Amenity Cost Charges). 

The principles are as follows: 

1. Location, Siting, and Safe Access - Childcare centres must be in safe, accessible, carefully chosen areas to foster a sense of community and build trust among families. 
2. Children – Indoor Spaces – Childcare centres must provide a minimum of 3.7 m2 of usable indoor floor space per child. Additionally, there should be a safe and direct connection, both visually and physically, to the outdoor playground. 
3. Children – Outdoor Playground – Childcare centres require dedicated outdoor playgrounds for each program, offering both covered and open areas for children's use. These playgrounds must provide a minimum of 6 m2 of usable space per child, excluding areas like storage, waste disposal, walkways, gate/door swings and planters. Additionally, there should be a safe and direct connection, both visually and physically, to the indoor spaces.  
4. Families – Childcare centres must be designed to be welcoming, inclusive spaces that promote family involvement and encourage families to enjoy and benefit from the created community. This principle and associated guidelines provide guidance on centre layout and features such as welcoming entrances, cubby areas, small meeting rooms, adult seating, windows at children’s heights between corridors and rooms to allow for transparency, and adult-height family counters for sign-in/out and information sharing. Together, these features are designed to foster strong relationships between families, educators, and caregivers.  
5. Staff- Workplace Environment - This principle and associated guidelines emphasize the importance of separate spaces for childcare centre staff for staff learning and break times. 
6. Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity – Childcare centres must be designed to be fully inclusive and accessible to ensure the meaningful participation of children with diverse abilities, developmental needs and backgrounds. 
7. Resiliency and Future Proofing – Childcare centres must be designed to be flexible, durable, cost-efficient to operate, and incorporate climate-resistant strategies.  

More information can be found in the full report by City staff.