Alberta runs child care under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and its regulation, with licensing through Alberta Children and Family Services. There are two genuinely different paths — pick first, then execute. (Binding sources: the Alberta licensing pages and licensing handbook.)
Path A — Family day home
Private dayhome: up to six children (excluding your own), no licence required. Full autonomy; no affordability-program access; you carry everything (insurance, contracts, compliance) yourself.
Agency day home: contract with a licensed family day home agency — they screen, train, visit and support you, and your families can access affordability funding, which materially improves what you can charge net. Most providers who plan to do this for years end up on the agency path.
Path B — Facility-based licence (7+ children)
- Attend the orientation/information session for first-time applicants (offered by Children and Family Services) — it walks the requirements and saves months of guessing.
- Secure a compliant space: municipal zoning + development permit, fire inspection, AHS health approval, and at least 3 m² of net play space per child (hallways/washrooms/storage excluded), plus outdoor play requirements.
- Apply for the licence: program plan, policies, staffing plan, insurance, floor plans. A licensing officer reviews and inspects.
- Staff to ratio and certification: educators must hold Alberta ECE certification (Levels 1–3); see the Alberta ratio table for the staffing math by age.
- Decide on affordability funding: Alberta’s grants and subsidy bring parent fees down dramatically at participating programs â like CWELCC everywhere, it trades reporting obligations for filled spots. Our operator guide covers the record-keeping spine that makes reporting painless.
The viability math
Alberta's combination — lower commercial rents than Toronto/Vancouver, affordability funding, and 1:8/1:10 ratios for 3+ — makes preschool-age rooms the economic engine; infant rooms (1:3 under 12 months) are a service you cross-subsidize. Model the staffing step function before signing a lease: the margin guide and profitability calculator do the arithmetic.
Open with systems, not paper
Licensing inspections, affordability reporting and parent trust all run on the same fuel: clean daily records. Attendance, enrolment, daily reports, invoicing and staff hours from day one — Mitten does exactly this, free until your sixth child, which conveniently is the moment you become a licensed facility.
Run your daycare on Mitten — free to start
Mitten does everything in this guide — daily reports, photos, messaging, billing, even payroll prep — free for your first 5 children, then just $20/mo + $2 per child.
Start free — no card needed → See the live demoFrequently asked questions
- Do I need a licence to run a dayhome in Alberta?
- You can operate a private dayhome caring for up to six children (not counting your own) without a licence — or join a licensed family day home agency, which brings oversight, support, and access to affordability funding for your families.
- How many children require a daycare licence in Alberta?
- A licence is required for facility-based programs caring for seven or more children. Private dayhomes max out at six unrelated children.
- How much indoor space does an Alberta daycare need?
- Licensed facility-based programs need at least 3 m² of net primary play space per child (measured excluding hallways, washrooms, storage and similar).