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Take the Child Care Checklist: How Healthy & Sustainable Are You? 

Take the Child Care Checklist: How Healthy & Sustainable Are You?

Creating Healthy and Sustainable Child Care Environments

Everyday actions — ranging from choosing safer cleaning products and toys to introducing a fragrance-free policy or composting program — can help a child care program create healthier indoor and outdoor spaces for children and staff, while contributing to environmental sustainability and action on climate change.

How healthy and sustainable is your child care environment?

Complete the free child care check list and receive a professional development certificate.

This checklist tool was created in partnership with the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health & Environment (CPCHE) and the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF) for Early Childhood Educators and Providers who want to learn about ways to enhance environmental health and sustainability, and to better understand where their child care program is doing well and where there are opportunities for improvement. Once the checklist is completed practitioners will earn one hour of Professional Development credit. A certificate is provided by the Canadian Child Care Federation and is auto generated upon completion and sent to the email address you provide.

Discover our topics on children and the environment

Child care administrators and directors may wish to use the checklist together with staff as an assessment and planning tool, and as a way to track and report on progress over time (e.g., sharing results with board members, communities and families). Public Health Inspectors may use it with child care programs during routine visits, as an additional resource to discuss environmental health concepts and suggest possible actions. Parents and guardians may wish to use it as a basis for engaging in a dialogue with their local child care program about health and sustainability.

The checklist corresponds with content in the CPCHE Healthy and Sustainable Child Care Resource Hub. As you move through the checklist sections, click the links provided to learn more about the recommended actions and why they are important. The ideas and suggestions included in this checklist and resource hub can help a child care program go beyond basic regulatory requirements to create healthier and more sustainable indoor and outdoor environments for the young children in their care.

You may complete the checklist all at once or, if you have provided your email address and selected save, you can return to complete the checklist at a later time.
The checklist comprises 102 questions across the following topic areas;

  • Outdoor Air Quality 
  • Indoor Air Quality 
  • Outdoor Learning and Play 
  • Indoor Learning and Play 
  • Sun Safety and Extreme Heat 
  • Cleaning and Disinfecting 
  • Kitchen and Food Preparation 
  • Facility Maintenance and Office Administration • Sustainability and Climate Action 
  • Inclusivity, Equity and Accessibility 


Important: As soon as you have submitted your checklist responses, please be sure to download and/or print the report and your certificate, as these will not be stored.

Discover more ECE topics here

Questions or for more information, please contact: gillian@healthyenvironmentforkids.ca

All children have a right to healthy learning environments

Take the Child Care Checklist: How Healthy & Sustainable Are You?


Canadian Child Care Federation. Copyright © 2023 Canadian Child Care Federation. Some Rights Reserved. User Agreement – Privacy Policy 

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Supporter membership rate $45 CAD. Join now!

Annual Membership rate $0 CAD with the code from your local affiliate. Join now!

Anyone working in licensed child care has to apply for certification. You will find certification information for your province or territory on our child care certification page.

With your resume and cover letter ready (we’ll provide guides for this soon), contact child care centres and introduce yourself! You can call, email, or even message them on social media. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a reply. Try again a few days later to give them your resume in person. Remember that due to safety reasons you need to call first. Tell them you live in their area, and that you’re looking for a position.

On our provincial and territorial map we link to child care associations in your area. Follow the link to your association and join today. The associations provide valuable information to anyone starting out in their career. Even experienced ECEs can benefit. You’ll also enjoy valuable member benefits like discounts, meet other ECEs, and become a part of the child care movement in Canada.


If you join your provincial or territorial affiliate, you’re automatically also a member of the CCCF.

All licensed and regulated quality child care programs in Canada require these for the safety and security of children and families.

If you’re just starting out:

  1. Get certified!
  2. Find the requirements for your province or territory
  3. Write your resume and begin your job search. We’ll provide tips on this soon. 
  4. Get your vulnerable sector check and first aid training

Join our Facebook Group and meet other ECEs who may be able to answer your questions

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are incredible professionals that have rewarding, important and demanding careers. They work with young children (and their families), ages 0-12, nurturing and educating them, observing and planning for their growth and development while ensuring that they are healthy. They create interactive and dynamic learning environments where children develop social skills, develop cognitive skills and foster lifelong learning. ECEs work in child care centres, classrooms, home child cares, preschool, and parent drop-in programs. You do not need a teaching degree to be an ECE, but you do need your ECE diploma.

Annual Membership rate $90 CAD.
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Annual Membership rate $65 CAD.
Join now!

Annual Membership rate $65 CAD.
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