Licensed child care ยท home child care
First aid for licensed child care staff in Ontario
The certification you need
Intermediate First Aid + CPR-C (infant & child)
The regulation asks for first aid at the level now called Intermediate, including infant and child CPR. Infant-and-child CPR means CPR-C, not CPR-A.
This is real law, not employer preference, and it is the most demanding rule on this list, because it applies to people, not to a designated position.
O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act requires licensed child care centres and home child care agencies to ensure their supervisor, every employee counted in the staff-to-child ratios, and every home child care or in-home services provider holds a valid first aid certificate at the level now called Intermediate, "including infant and child CPR", from a training agency recognised by the WSIB.
Requirements change and can vary by employer, site and role, so always confirm what yours asks for before booking. Not sure? Call us at 705-985-3478 or send us a message, and we’ll work it out with you.
Your course
Intermediate First Aid & CPR
Intermediate First Aid & CPR with the CPR-C level is the combination that meets this rule. Our $99 Basic course does not meet it, because the regulation names the higher level.
Price
$138 + HST
Online at home
9 hours
In class with us
7.5 hours
CPR level
CPR-C
What does CPR-C mean? The three CPR levels, and who each one is for.
The online part is required and must be finished before your in-class day.
Pick a date and book
Booking is subject to our course policies: refunds, date changes, photo ID and what to bring on the day.
What the requirement actually says
- The regulation was written before the 2026 course names. The level it names is the one the WSIB now calls Intermediate First Aid.
- Because the regulation specifically names infant and child CPR, an adult-only CPR-A certificate does not satisfy it. CPR-C covers adult, child and infant, and is the level that does.
- It applies to each person counted in ratios, not to one designated first aider per room or per site.
- The certificate must come from a training agency recognised by the WSIB, or otherwise approved by a director under the Act.
- Section 58 also contains a limited allowance for newly hired staff and an exemption tied to disability. If either might apply to you, check the section itself or ask your licensing contact rather than relying on a summary.
Source: O. Reg. 137/15 s. 58, made under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Check it yourself
- Ontario Child Care Centre Licensing Manual: staff qualifications, the ministry's own guidance on the first aid requirement
- O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, s. 58 is the first aid section
- WSIB: First Aid Program, confirms the current course names
"Basic First Aid is fine for daycare". It isn't
Basic First Aid does not meet this rule: the regulation names the higher level, now Intermediate. Staff who hold only the Basic certificate have historically been told to upgrade. The second frequent error is treating this as a one-person-per-room requirement, when it applies to everyone counted in ratios. And while people often say "the regulation requires CPR-C", the regulation does not use that label at all; it says infant and child CPR. The practical effect is the same, because CPR-A fails and CPR-C passes.
Childcare & early years staff: common questions
Does every staff member need it, or just one person?
Every employee counted in the staff-to-child ratios, plus the centre supervisor, plus every home child care and in-home services provider. It is not a designated-first-aider rule.
Which CPR level do I book?
CPR-C. The regulation requires infant and child CPR, and CPR-C is the level that includes adult, child and infant. CPR-A is adult only and will not meet it. CPR-BLS also includes infant and child, so it satisfies the requirement too if you happen to need BLS for another reason.
Does this apply to before-and-after-school programs and camps?
The rule sits in the licensed child care regulation and also reaches authorised recreational and skill-building programs. Licence-exempt programs and day-camp settings vary. Check your own program's authorisation before assuming which rules bind you, and if you tell us what you run, we can usually help you work it out.
Is a kindergarten ECE in a school covered by this?
Not by this regulation. A full-day kindergarten classroom in a publicly funded school sits under the Education Act, not the Child Care and Early Years Act, so the O. Reg. 137/15 rule does not apply to it. School board policy usually does, so see our page for school staff.
Training more than one person?
We’ll run the course at your site on a date that suits your operation, or host your group at our Barrie centre. Group pricing starts at six people, and a smaller group is welcome at that rate. One invoice for the lot.