Reasons for refusal of a childcare space

As part of the admission process for educational childcare centres and subsidized day care centres, children who have been referred to a facility are sometimes not admitted. It is important for both parents and childcare providers to understand the various reasons for which admission may be refused and the reasons why a referral may not lead to an admission, since both situations will have repercussions on the child's application for admission to the facility.

Childcare providers may refuse admittance if they have attempted twice to reach the child’s parents and the parents have failed to respond within the specified time limit.

The first time this happens, the child’s application for admission is suspended from the waiting list for the facility and the parents must confirm if they want their child’s name to remain on the list.

If the child is referred again and the parents fail to respond within the time limit for the second time, the child’s application for admission is withdrawn from the list for the facility.

When the reason for a refusal is connected with an error made by the childcare provider in entering the characteristics of the space offered, the referral is placed on hold with no impact on the application for admission or the child’s priority on the facility’s waiting list.

If the parents are not eligible for the reduced contribution, the child’s application for admission is withdrawn from the waiting list for the facility. A message is sent to the parents asking them to update all applications for admission for their child.

If the parents decline a space that has been offered (for example, because they have found other childcare arrangements or because they would rather wait for a facility closer to a parent’s workplace), the child’s application for admission is withdrawn from the waiting list for the facility, with two exceptions.

The first exception concerns parents who had stated a willingness to accept a space that did not fully meet their needs (days/times) while waiting for a suitable space to become available. The second exception concerns parents who had stated a willingness to use a space on an occasional basis when another child is temporarily absent, while waiting for a permanent space.

In both situations, the application for admission will not be suspended or withdrawn, but going forward the parents will only receive offers that fully meet their needs.

The childcare provider may refuse a child’s admission for reasons specific to the situation, particularly if it determines that it is unable to adequately ensure the child’s health and safety or those of the other children.

When a provider refuses to admit a child referred through the registration portal, it must select the option “Autre raison donnée par le service de garde” and contact the parents in writing within 15 days to explain the reason for the decision. The child is then withdrawn from the waiting list.

Childcare providers may refuse admittance if a space is offered based on information that is inaccurate or out of date at the time of the referral.

For example, if the parents mistakenly indicated that the child’s sibling had already been admitted to the same facility, which would give the child undue priority on the waiting list, the childcare provider must indicate this on the registration portal and the child’s application for admission to the facility concerned will be suspended. The parents will be sent a request to update the information concerned so that their child can be placed back on the waiting list.

When a child is not admitted to a facility after being referred, the child’s application for admission may be suspended or withdrawn from the waiting list, depending on the circumstances.

In the case of a suspension, the parents are notified and must quickly confirm if they want their child to remain on the waiting list for a future referral. They must also check that all information in the application for admission is correct to ensure that the child can be referred again.

If an application for admission is withdrawn, this will have major consequences for the parents, because it irreversibly resets the count of days since the child was registered on the list for that facility. If the parents decide to submit a new application for admission, the number of days on the list will start again from zero.