A practical comparison

Private day home or licensed-agency approval?

The right fit depends on the kind of support, oversight and provincial-program eligibility you want for your home-based childcare program.

Private operation

A home-based child care provider may operate without a licence when they stay within Alberta’s permitted child-number limits. That can offer independence, but it is different from operating as an approved educator under a licensed agency.

Approved educator with an agency

When an educator signs a contract with a licensed family day home agency, the educator becomes approved and the agency provides ongoing support and monitoring. Alberta describes benefits that can include agency guidance, regular home visits, referrals, training opportunities and possible access to applicable funding programs.

Read Alberta’s current approved family day home overview for the provincial details.

Questions worth asking before you switch

What support and monitoring will the agency provide?
What training, documentation or readiness work is still needed?
How are family inquiries and administrative work handled?
What funding, if any, could apply to your specific certification and arrangement?

SMADA can discuss these questions honestly before you decide whether agency approval is the right next step.

Talk through your next step with SMADA.

SMADA is a licensed Alberta Family Day Home Agency serving Calgary and surrounding communities. An application starts a conversation; it does not promise approval, funding, or placement.

Apply as an educator Looking for childcare?