How to read a Ontario daycare inspection report
Ontario daycares are inspected by Ministry of Education (Ontario) (Ontario Ministry of Education). Inspection reports are public record — you can look them up before enrolling.
Look up a provider's inspection history
Ontario Ministry of Education — Ontario provider search
What you'll find in an inspection report
Ontario conducts annual licensing inspections and posts compliance and inspection reports online. Non-compliances range from minor paperwork issues to serious health and safety concerns.
Inspection type
Routine annual inspections are planned. Complaint inspections are triggered by parent or staff reports.
Citations and violations
Listed as specific regulatory code violations. The severity level (minor, moderate, serious) determines corrective action timelines.
Correction records
Shows whether violations were corrected and by when. A corrected violation is better than an uncorrected one — but patterns matter.
Capacity and ratios
Ontario requires minimum staffing ratios. Infants (under 12 months) must have a undefined ratio; overall infant rooms at 1:3.
Red flags to watch for
Repeated violations
The same violation appearing in multiple consecutive inspections suggests the provider isn't correcting issues — or can't.
Staff-to-child ratio violations
Understaffing is a safety risk. If a center repeatedly fails ratio requirements, supervision gaps are a real concern.
Supervision deficiencies
Citations for children being left unsupervised are serious regardless of how minor the wording sounds.
Sanitation & health violations
Persistent issues with diaper changing, handwashing, or food handling can signal systemic problems.
Unreported injuries or incidents
Providers are required to report injuries to the province. Failure to report is a serious compliance issue.
Good signs
No violations or only minor administrative citations in recent reports
Any past violations were corrected promptly and haven't recurred
The provider voluntarily participates in quality rating programs
Staff credentials and training records are in order