Month-to-month agreements with written scope, DIN-registered disinfectants, and Ministry-ready cleaning logs. No 1-year lock-ins. VSS-screened staff. $5M insured.
A real contract is more than a price and a frequency. It is the document your Ministry inspector reads, the legal scope your insurer relies on, and the only protection you have when something goes wrong.
Most daycare operators in Ontario inherit a cleaning contract that was drafted by the cleaning company, not by the daycare. The result is usually short, vague, and weighted toward the contractor — "general cleaning of premises, 5x per week" is a typical clause, and it tells you essentially nothing about which surfaces actually get disinfected, with what products, by whom, or how that work is documented.
The Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) and your municipal public health unit care about specifics: which DIN-registered disinfectant was used in the diaper change room, when the cot frames were last wiped down, who was on-site, and whether their Vulnerable Sector Screening was current. A good cleaning contract spells those specifics out so that when an inspector asks, the answer is in a binder, not in someone's memory.
Below is what we include in every recurring daycare contract — and what you should ask for from any provider, not just us.
Six zones, with surface-level specificity. This is what gets written into the agreement.
Three contract shapes are common in the GTA. Each suits a different stage of daycare.
Quoted ranges reflect typical GTA pricing as of 2026. Final pricing depends on layout, frequency, and any specialty add-ons. We confirm everything in writing after a free on-site walkthrough.
The single most important clause in your contract is how easy it is to leave.
| Long-term contract (industry standard) | Month-to-month (our approach) | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial term | 1-3 years | Open-ended |
| Notice to cancel | 60-90 days, often inside a narrow renewal window | 30 days, any time |
| Early termination penalty | 50-100% of remaining term value | None |
| Annual price increase | Often automatic at renewal, tied to CPI plus a margin | Quoted in writing before any change |
| Why it exists | Locks revenue regardless of service quality | Earns renewal through consistent work |
If a cleaning company can only retain your business with a multi-year contract and a cancellation penalty, it tells you something about how they expect the work to go. We work month-to-month for the opposite reason — when the service is good, the renewal is automatic.
If you see any of these in a contract before you sign, push back or walk away.
The Act does not require a specific contract format, but it does require the operator to prove certain things. The contract should make that proof easy.
Section 11 and 12 require Vulnerable Sector Screening for anyone with access to children or to spaces where children are present. Your cleaning contract should name that requirement, confirm renewal frequency (typically every 3 years), and oblige the contractor to provide copies of records on request.
Section 33 and supporting regulations require licensed centres to maintain sanitary conditions, with specific attention to diaper changing, food preparation, and equipment used by infants and toddlers. Your contract should specify which products are used in each of those zones — and confirm they are DIN-registered with Health Canada, not generic "industrial cleaners."
Outbreak protocols in public-health guidance (Toronto Public Health, York Region, Peel) require bleach-based disinfection for norovirus and gastroenteritis. Quaternary ammonium products (the most common commercial disinfectant class) do not reliably kill norovirus. A good contract names the outbreak product separately and confirms it is on-site or can be on-site within 24 hours.
Ask for these clauses in writing. If a provider says "we do all that, we just don't write it down," that is the answer to whether you should sign.
Questions GTA daycare operators ask most often.
Free on-site walkthrough. Written scope, transparent pricing, no lock-in. Most GTA centres can start within a week.
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