The licensee/designate must ensure:
- Students and volunteers will always be supervised by an employee and never permitted to be alone with any child or group of children who receive childcare.
- Students and volunteers will not be counted in staff to child ratios.
- Ensure that all applicable policies, procedures and individual plans are reviewed with students and/or volunteers before they start their educational placement or begin volunteering, annually thereafter and when changes occur to the policies, procedures and individualized plans to support appropriate implementation.
- Ensure that a vulnerable sector check (VSC) and annual offence declarations are on file for all students and/or volunteers in accordance with the childcare centre’s criminal reference check policy and procedures and Ontario Regulation 137/15.
- Ensure that expectations are reviewed with students and/or volunteers including, but not limited to
- how to report their absence;
- how to report concerns about the program;
- health and safety practices
Inform students and/or volunteers that they are never to be included in staff to child ratios or left alone with children.
- Appoint supervising staff to the students and/or volunteers and inform them of their supervisory responsibilities.
- Inform students and/or volunteers of their duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect under the Child and Family Services Act.
- Give students a tour of the Childcare, answer and questions they may have regarding the program.
The supervising staff must:
- Ensure that students/volunteers are never included in staff to child ratios.
- Ensure that students/volunteers are supervised at all times and never left alone with children.
- Introduce students and/or volunteers to parents/guardians.
- Provide an environment that facilitates and supports students’ and/or volunteers’ learning and professional development.
- Provide students and/or volunteers with clear expectations of the program in accordance with the established program statement and program statement implementation policy.
- Provide students and/or volunteers with feedback on their performance.
- Work collaboratively with the student’s practicum supervising teacher.
- Monitor and notify the centre supervisor of any student and/or volunteer misconduct or contraventions with the centre’s policies, procedures, prohibited practices or individual plans (where applicable) in accordance with the childcare centre’s written process for monitoring compliance and contraventions.
Students and/or volunteers must:
- Maintain professionalism and confidentiality at all times.
- Notify the supervisor or designate if they have been left alone with children or have any other concerns about the childcare program.
- Submit all required information and documentation to the supervisor or designate prior to commencing placement or volunteering, such as a valid VSC.
- Review and implement all applicable policies, procedures, individual support plans, medical plans, and sign and date a record of review, where required.
- Review allergy lists and dietary restrictions and ensure they are implemented.
- Respond and act on the feedback and recommendations of supervising staff, as appropriate.
- Report any allegations/concerns as per the “Duty to Report” under the Child and Family Services Act
- Complete offence declarations annually, no later than 15 days after the anniversary date of the last VSC or offence declaration (whichever is most recent) in accordance with the child care centre’s criminal reference check policy.
- Provide an offence declaration to the supervisor as soon as possible any time they have been convicted of a Criminal Code (Canada) offence.