In ChildFriendly Pro's January 21, 2026 Director Lunch & Learn, child care operator Krystal Churcher identified the four most common areas of licensing non-compliance as active supervision, ratios during transitions and mixed-age groups, medication storage and consent, and attendance records, and advised operators to ask licensing officers to show where each requirement is stated in the regulations.
What the session covered
Child care regulations are the detailed operational rules that license holders and educators must follow, and they are enforced through licensing inspections. In this Director Lunch & Learn, hosted by the Association of Child Care Entrepreneurs (ACE) and sponsored by ChildFriendly Pro, Krystal Churcher gave a high-level refresher for Alberta operators, speaking as a fellow operator rather than for licensing or the ministry. She distinguished the regulations, which she called the "how" with direct implications for inspections, from the child care act, the legal framework that sets out intent, principles and broad legislative goals. Churcher explained why policy matters to operators: regulatory compliance can affect eligibility for programs such as Affordability Grant funding, and the past year brought new enforcement tools, including administrative penalties. She noted that although regulations are intended to be applied consistently, interpretation by individual licensing officers can vary with context, experience and professional judgment, so operators should understand where each requirement comes from.
How should operators work with their licensing officer?
Churcher described the licensing officer's role as conducting inspections, monitoring regulations as implemented under the act, and providing guidance, support and mentorship. She called licensing officers the experts on the practical application of regulations and encouraged operators to treat them as partners in the program rather than as enforcement officers. Her main advice was that when an operator is unsure during an inspection or is asked to change something, they should ask where it is stated in the regulations or standards, so that they understand the intention and can implement the change correctly. She acknowledged that many operators feel nervous asking questions during an inspection but said the system is meant to be collaborative and supportive. Churcher recommended using every visit to the floor or classroom to ask questions and gather information about why something is an issue and how to remedy it. In the Q&A, an operator with a new licensing officer asked whether to email ahead about her availability; Churcher agreed that introducing yourself and stating when you are on site builds the relationship.
What do Alberta's active supervision and ratio requirements look like in practice?
Churcher quoted the regulation that at all times children must be under supervision adequate to ensure their safety, well-being and development. She defined active supervision as constant, vigilant, strategic positioning so that staff can see and hear children at all times. Common causes of non-compliance include standing with your back to the group, shelving or corners that block sightlines, and room layouts such as a change table that faces away from most of the children. Personal devices are another cause, including tablets used to update parents during supervision. For ratios, she said every staff member, including floating staff, must know the ratios for each age group and room they work in. Transitions to and from outdoor play and through common areas are high-risk times, so staff should count children leaving, while outside and on return. Churcher said miscalculating during transitions is among the most consistent issues she sees, along with not tracking children's birthdays, which can change ratios in mixed-age groups. In her example, two groups combined unexpectedly and exceeded ratio until licensing noticed during an inspection.
What medication and attendance records do licensing inspectors check?
Churcher stated that medication must be kept in its original labeled container and administered according to the label directions; a pre-measured syringe sent without the original packaging does not comply. She said medication must always be locked away, and centers need a completed form recording how and by whom it is administered, plus parental consent and waivers where required. In her example, licensing found prescribed medication stored in an unlocked area and given at the wrong time because of unclear labeling and incomplete consent forms. For attendance, centers must keep accurate arrival and departure times, including late arrivals and early departures, so they know exactly who is present. She said records may be kept digitally or on paper under Alberta's regulations, but staff must know where they are, how to access them quickly, and who is permitted to access child records. In her example, missing sign-in signatures and inaccurate departure times led to a compliance order, mandatory staff training on recordkeeping and follow-up inspections. Churcher recommended annual regulation refreshers and daily supervisor checks of attendance, medication and allergy forms.
Licensing compliance checklist from the session
| Time | Key point | What centers should do |
|---|---|---|
| 05:14 | Churcher: regulations are the "how" that inspections check; the act is the legal framework and intent. | Train staff on the regulations as practical, daily requirements. |
| 06:50 | Churcher: interpretation can vary between licensing officers. | Ask the officer where a requirement is stated in the regulations or standards. |
| 09:39 | Churcher: licensing officers provide guidance and mentorship as well as inspections. | Build a working relationship and use visits to ask questions. |
| 11:59 | Churcher: children must be under supervision adequate for their safety, well-being and development at all times. | Check sightlines for shelving, corners and change table positions that block supervision. |
| 12:55 | Churcher: personal devices, including tablets used for parent updates, cause supervision lapses. | Set a device policy and update parents only when supervision is covered. |
| 14:18 | Churcher: transitions are high-risk times for ratio errors. | Head count when leaving, while outside and on return; brief floating staff on each room's ratio. |
| 15:15 | Churcher: children's birthdays can change ratios in mixed-age groups. | Track birthdays in each cohort and recheck ratios when groups combine. |
| 16:42 | Churcher: medication must be in its original labeled container, given per the label, and locked away. | Refuse unpackaged medication and keep a completed administration form and consent on file. |
| 18:44 | Churcher: attendance records need accurate arrival and departure times; digital or paper is allowed. | Record late arrivals and early pickups and know how to pull records during an inspection. |
| 20:53 | Churcher: annual refreshers and daily checks prevent repeat non-compliance. | Have a supervisor walk through attendance, medication and allergy forms daily. |
How ChildFriendly Pro automates this
The session described manual sign-in sheets and head counts that miss late arrivals and combined groups; at 22:27 Churcher listed what to look for in software such as ChildFriendly Pro: real-time attendance that shows children moving between rooms, automated ratio management that flags a non-compliant room visually, and audit-ready reports aligned with Alberta regulations.
Next steps
- Register for the next Director Lunch & Learn on child care compliance
- Real-time attendance and live room ratio tracking for child care centers
- Free regulation support template with supervision self-audit and attendance checklist
- Book a ChildFriendly Pro demo
