Many first-time operators ask if it’s possible to open a daycare anywhere. They notice daycares in various locations such as churches, commercial buildings, houses, high-end office spaces, and even apartments.
It might seem like you can open a daycare anywhere, but it’s not that simple. Each city has its own zoning by-laws, and the terminology for daycare centres varies. Some cities call them Child Care Centres, others daycare centres or day nurseries. It’s essential to read the definitions in the by-laws to understand what they mean. All these terms typically refer to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, S.O. 2014.
Zonings are Different Per City
For instance, knowing that a daycare in one city operates in a C1 (Commercial 1) zone might lead you to think any C1 zone is suitable for a daycare. That’s incorrect. Each city has a unique set of zoning regulations and defines their zonings differently. Each zoning will have their own permitted uses which may or may not allow daycare centres specifically. Furthermore, there might be special provisions which limit some specific requirements for daycare use. For example, in one of the city’s zoning, they would require that the zoning only allows a daycare to run if it’s 150 metres away from another zone.
Take the City of Oshawa as an example: you can run a day nursery in a PSC-A zone. However, this specific zoning might not exist in other cities’ by-laws.
Parking Requirements are Also Different per Zoning
Parking is another issue that you should be aware of. There are specific parking requirements for a particular zone for daycare centres. For example, the City of Toronto only requires two parkings, whereas other cities might require 1 parking per 5 students and 1 parking per staff. These parking requirements not only vary city by city, it also varies zoning by zoning.
Checking the Zoning
Some cities, like Oshawa and Mississauga, allow you to check zoning maps online. On the other hand, the City of Markham requires a $75 fee (as of the time of writing) to search for zoning information.
When opening a daycare centre, ensuring the correct zoning is crucial. If your chosen location isn’t zoned appropriately, you might need a Site Plan Amendment or Zoning Amendment, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take two years or more to complete.
