01
Age Groups & Capacity
Infant, toddler, preschool and school-age programs do not use the centre in the same way. Define the intended groups and proposed licensed capacity before room areas and designated spaces are locked.
◆ Child care centre site + permit planning
Building Permit Plans for Toronto Child Care Centres
A daycare fit-out only works when the property, licensed program and approval sequence point to the same layout. iPermit helps define the Toronto building-permit path, prepares the agreed permit drawings and coordinates the municipal submission within scope.
Before You Draw Rooms, Decide Whether the Site Can Carry the Program
The first drawing decision is not the colour of the rooms or where to put the reception desk. It is whether the address can support child care, whether the intended age groups and capacity fit the indoor and outdoor space, and whether the existing building can be altered for that program.
Ontario’s licensing process also makes the program itself part of the plan: age groups, proposed capacity, operating hours, designated spaces and any required outdoor play should be defined early enough for the floor/site plans to represent the centre that will actually be licensed.
If child care use at the property is still uncertain, start with a Zoning Review before detailed permit drafting.
Toronto zoning can also impose day-nursery rules beyond a simple yes-or-no use check. Depending on the property context, the by-law can regulate matters such as the type of building in which the use is permitted, the storey where a child care centre may be located and where an outdoor play area may sit on the lot. These conditions should be checked against the actual address before the lease and room layout are treated as workable.
Ready to Define Permit Path?
Send project context first, the next step can then focus on scope, information gaps and the right page or service route.
A Good Lease Plan Can Still Be the Wrong Daycare Site
Three questions can force a major redesign—or stop the site from working at all.
| Decision | What can go wrong | What should be known early |
|---|---|---|
| Child care use at this address | The unit is available for lease, but the zoning or approved-use history does not support the proposed centre as assumed. | Property address, current approved use, zoning/use review and any site-specific approvals already known. |
| The licensed program fits the property | The indoor layout works on paper, but the intended age groups, capacity, hours or outdoor-play plan cannot be accommodated cleanly. | Age groups, proposed licensed capacity, hours, program rooms, hygiene/food functions and outdoor-play assumptions. |
| The existing building can support the conversion | New rooms, washrooms, exits, plumbing or other work create a larger Building Code or change-of-use issue than the lease plan suggests. | Existing drawings, photos, base-building information and whether the current occupancy/use materially differs from child care. |
If the existing occupancy/use is the main Building Code problem rather than the daycare layout itself, the Change of Use Permit page should lead that decision.
LICENSED PROGRAM
How the Child Care Site, Licence Plans and Building Permit Fit Together
Set the age groups, proposed capacity, hours, designated spaces and outdoor-play assumptions; develop the floor/site information for Ministry review.
01
Check the site and existing use
Confirm that child care is a viable use at the property and identify any zoning, existing-occupancy or outdoor-play constraints before the fit-out is locked in.
02
Define the licensed program and required plans
Establish the proposed age groups, capacity, hours and designated spaces, then coordinate the floor, site and playground information required for Ministry and Toronto Public Health review where applicable. Required Ministry plan approval must be obtained before construction or renovation begins.
03
Complete the Toronto building-permit scope
Prepare and submit the applicable permit drawings and coordinate structural, mechanical, plumbing or other project-specific design inputs where required. Municipal comments are addressed within the agreed scope.
04
Close construction and complete the separate licensing approvals
After construction, complete the required building inspections and permit closure, Fire approval and the remaining Ministry licensing steps. These approvals and the child care licence are issued by the relevant authorities, not by iPermit.
◆ The program drives the plan
Four Program Decisions to Fix Before the Room Layout Is Final
These four variables create more design change than a generic list of “daycare rooms.” They should be settled before the permit layout is treated as complete.
02
Hours & Program Model
Full-day, part-day and before/after-school programs can have different operational and outdoor-space implications. The floor/site plan should represent the program you intend to license.
03
Hygiene, Toileting & Food
Handwashing, diapering, toileting, food preparation/storage, cleaning, laundry and related support functions need real locations and relationships—not leftover space after the play rooms are drawn.
04
Outdoor Play & Daily Access
Where the licensed program requires outdoor play, the location, access and storage should be tested with the indoor plan. Do not assume the outdoor solution can be added after the floor plan is approved.
Licensed capacity also has a direct space implication. Ontario’s current licensing rules generally require at least 2.8 m² of unobstructed play activity space per child for infant, toddler, preschool and family age groups, and 2.58 m² per child for kindergarten and school-age groups, subject to the applicable exceptions and approvals. Capacity should therefore be tested against usable program-room area, not the gross leased floor area.
◆ The playground is a site decision, not a late add-on
Indoor and Outdoor Space Have to Work as One Child Care Plan
For child care programs that require outdoor play, the site and outdoor area should be considered early in the design.
Access, proximity to indoor rooms, storage, fencing, and the overall layout can affect whether the proposed location is practical for licensing.
The indoor floor plan and outdoor play assumptions should therefore be reviewed together before the permit drawings are finalized.
For a child care centre operating a program for six hours or more per day, Ontario’s current licensing rules generally require outdoor play space equivalent to 5.6 m² per child based on the licensed capacity, unless a different arrangement is approved by the Ministry. Location, fencing, supervision and age-group requirements can also affect whether the proposed outdoor area is acceptable, so the headline area calculation is only the first feasibility check.
Why a Daycare Floor Plan Cannot Be an Office Plan With New Room Labels
Toronto Public Health’s current child care floor-plan review looks at relationships that rarely drive a normal office fit-out. Depending on the age groups and functions in the centre, the plan may need to show:
- dedicated handwashing locations for relevant program rooms;
- separate handwashing at diaper-change areas where applicable;
- separation between diapering, food and programming functions;
- enclosed toileting areas with appropriate handwashing;
- toy-cleaning / disinfection facilities;
- secure storage for medical and cleaning supplies;
- laundry separated from food-preparation/storage areas; and
- a kitchen/food arrangement that matches the actual food-service plan.
The exact centre still depends on its age groups and operating model. The point is to build these daily-care functions into the floor plan early instead of discovering them after the room layout is fixed.
Ready to Define Permit Path?
Send project context first, the next step can then focus on scope, information gaps and the right page or service route.
Existing Daycare Space and Office-to-Daycare Conversion Need Different First Checks
| Existing licensed / former daycare | Office, retail or other conversion |
|---|---|
| Start with the current approved/licensed floor and site plans, present capacity/age groups and the exact modification being proposed. | Start by proving the child-care use/site direction and whether the existing occupancy/building conditions support the proposed conversion. |
| Check whether rooms, outdoor play, hygiene/food functions or licensed spaces are changing—not just whether the previous operator had a licence. | Expect more work to establish existing conditions, zoning/use, change-of-use implications and which building systems must be altered. |
| Use prior Ministry / Public Health / City / Fire comments as project evidence, but confirm they still match the new program. | If the approved occupancy/use is the main issue, resolve that through the Change of Use pathway before treating the daycare fit-out as final. |
In both cases, old drawings are evidence—not automatic approval for a new operator, capacity or program.
A previous operator’s licence does not automatically transfer with the premises. Ontario child care licences are not transferable when the legal entity responsible for operating the centre changes. A new operator may therefore need a new licence even where the physical space and earlier approved plans remain useful project evidence.
◆ Start with the property and licensed-program assumptions
What to Send for a Daycare Site & Permit Review
You do not need a finished daycare layout to start. The first review should establish whether the site, licensed-program assumptions and existing building can support the project before the permit drawings are fully developed.
- Address and current approved use: Send the property address, unit or floor and any zoning, permit or landlord information showing the present use.
- Age groups and proposed capacity: List the intended licensed age groups and the approximate number of children proposed for each group.
- Hours and program model: Confirm whether the centre will operate full-day, part-day, before/after school or another model and provide the expected operating hours.
- Existing floor and site information: Provide the best available lease plan, existing drawings, photos and base-building information.
- Outdoor-play concept: Show the proposed play area, access and storage assumptions, or flag that an acceptable outdoor solution has not yet been identified.
- Existing review comments: Include any Ministry, Toronto Public Health, zoning, Toronto Building, Fire or landlord comments already received.
◆ Child care site + permit questions
Daycare Building Permit FAQs
These questions cover the decisions operators still need after reading the site and approval sections above; repeated body questions were removed.
Is the Ontario child care licence the same as a Toronto building permit?
No. The Ministry of Education issues the child care licence. Toronto Building issues municipal building permits for applicable construction, material alterations or permit-triggering use changes. Licensing also depends on separate municipal, health and fire compliance.
Can I convert a regular office or retail unit into a daycare?
Possibly, but the lease category is not enough. Confirm the property’s child-care use direction, the existing occupancy/building conditions, the intended licensed program and the indoor/outdoor fit before treating the conversion as feasible.
Can daycare construction start before the Ministry approves the required plans?
Required Ministry floor/site/playground plan approval must be obtained before the child care construction or renovation begins. Other reviews can be coordinated around that sequence, but construction should not run ahead of the required plan approval.
Does every child care centre need the same outdoor-play arrangement?
No. Outdoor-play requirements depend on the licensed program, including factors such as age groups and operating hours, and the Ministry may need to review the proposed site/playground arrangement. Do not apply one generic outdoor-space rule to every centre.
Does Toronto Public Health review daycare floor plans?
It may. Toronto Public Health’s child care floor-plan review can examine handwashing, diapering, toileting, toy-cleaning, storage, laundry and food/kitchen relationships for the proposed centre.
Can I reuse the previous daycare operator’s plans?
Use them as evidence, not as automatic approval. Check whether they match the physical space, current approved use, proposed capacity/age groups, outdoor-play plan and the new operator’s Ministry/Public Health/municipal requirements.
Does this service cover child care inside a publicly funded school?
Not as the main scope of this page. Toronto has a distinct municipal approval pathway for child care centres in publicly funded schools, and some provincial space rules also have school-based exceptions.
How long does Toronto review a daycare building permit?
The City review target depends on the building classification and permit stream, so a single timeline should not be quoted for every child care centre. Toronto currently targets 15 business days for complete Small Building applications and 20 or 30 business days for complete Large or Complex Building applications. Zoning and ZAP work, Ministry plan approval, Toronto Public Health review, design coordination, Fire approval and applicant revisions sit outside those Building Permit review targets.