Published September 22, 2026
“Licensed” is the first word on most daycare websites in Chilliwack, including ours. It is also the easiest claim to verify, because the regulator publishes the list. Here is how to check any centre in a few minutes, and what the licence does and does not tell you.
Step 1: find the centre on the Fraser Health public list
Child care in Chilliwack is licensed by Fraser Health’s Community Care Facilities Licensing program under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act. Fraser Health publishes a public list of licensed child care facilities for Fraser East, updated roughly every four months. Each entry shows the facility name, address, licensed capacity, the licensee’s name and a phone number.
Search the PDF for the centre’s name or street. If it is not there, ask the centre for its licence number and call the Chilliwack licensing office at (604) 702-4950 to confirm. Anyone caring for three or more unrelated children in BC needs a licence, so “we’re small, we don’t need one” is not an answer.
Step 2: read the licence category, not just the word “licensed”
The list groups facilities by the type of care they are licensed to provide. The categories that matter for a three-to-five-year-old are:
- Group child care (30 months to school age): full-day or part-day care for preschool-aged children. Maximum group size is 25, and the number of educators depends on how many children are present.
- Preschool (30 months to school age): a part-day program, with children at least 30 months old on entry. Maximum group size is 20.
- Family child care: care in the provider’s own home for no more than seven children.
- Multi-age child care: mixed ages in one group of no more than eight children.
A centre can only offer what its category allows. If a website describes “full-day care with preschool” but the licence says “Preschool”, ask how that works.
Step 3: check the capacity against what you are told
The list shows a licensed capacity for each facility. That number is a ceiling set by the regulator based on the space and the staffing, not a marketing choice. If a centre tells you it caps enrolment at a certain number, the list is where you confirm it. Ours, for example, is listed as Group Child Care (30 months to school age) with a capacity of 16.
Step 4: ask about ratios and certificates
For group care of children aged 30 months to school age, the Child Care Licensing Regulation sets the staffing at one educator for every eight children. For a group of up to eight that means one certified Early Childhood Educator (ECE); for nine to sixteen children it means an ECE plus an ECE Assistant. ECE and ECE Assistant certificates are issued by BC’s ECE Registry, and a centre should be able to show you them. Ask also about first aid: licensed centres must have staff with current child-safe first aid on site.
Step 5: look up inspection history
Licensing officers make routine inspections and investigate complaints. Fraser Health publishes inspection reports for licensed child care facilities on its website; searching the facility name there shows recent visits and any findings. A finding is not automatically a red flag. What matters is whether it was corrected and how the centre talks about it when you ask.
What a licence does not tell you
A licence confirms the minimum health and safety standards are being monitored. It does not tell you whether the routine suits your child, whether the educators are warm, or whether the room is calm at 4 p.m. on a wet Tuesday. Those are tour questions. The licence is where you start, not where you stop.
Quick checklist
- Facility appears on the Fraser Health public list
- Licence category matches the program being sold
- Capacity on the list matches the enrolment you were quoted
- Staff certificates and first aid are current and shown on request
- Inspection reports are available and any findings were resolved
Sources: Fraser Health, Public List of Licensed Child Care Facilities, Fraser East (HSDA 21), printed 3 July 2026; BC Child Care Licensing Regulation, Schedule E; BC ECE Registry.
