Prior to the site visit AELCS will randomly select two homes per Home Visitor caseload to visit on the day of the site visit. While the selection process is random, it also considers factors such as length of service with the agency and numbers of children in care.

A list of providers (addresses included) is forwarded to our office at the time of a Site Visit Request. The Field Coordinator will select 2 providers per Home Visitor's caseload. The agency will be asked to forward these providers' checklists and Action Plans to the AELCS office for the Lead Validator to review. At the time of a Site Visit, the Validators will choose 1-2 homes per Home Visitor's caseload to visit). For example, if the agency has 5 Home Visitors,there will need to be 10 providers' checklists and action plans coming into our office at the time of a Site Visit Request and of these, 5 homes will be selected for a site visit. Please note that this is our goal given ideal time considerations.

Some providers have chosen to develop their own portfolios that showcase the activities and planning they do in their own homes. This is not a requirement, but it is a good idea.

The Lead Validator and child care service Director will work together to set up interviews with parents. The Validator will randomly select 2-3 parents from the list that is provided to our office. Only those parents that have consented for interviews will be asked for an interview. The validators may ask parents if they are willing to be interviewed as they are picking up or dropping off their child. If they haven't already done so, they will need to sign a consent form before being interviewed. The Validators may interview parents by telephone if necessary.

Accreditation status is granted to the Family Child Care Agency. The agencies must demonstrate that they are meeting the ACCAP standards. Providers can state that they are contracted with an accredited agency, but they themselves are not accredited.

Although Providers can not state that they themselves are accredited, they can state that they are contracted with an accredited agency which means that the agency has demonstrated that they meet a high standard of service. Providers also benefit financially. (Refer to Alberta Children's Services website for further information about funding.) The accreditation process has enormous potential to enhance the quality of service, increase the visibility and credibility of the early child profession, and strengthen the capacities of families, staff, providers, administrators, and communities to work together towards better outcomes for children.

Yes, both the Facilities and Practices and Interactions and Daily Experiences checklists need to be completed in every home on each home visitor's caseload.

You need to make a comment of some kind in the "To Do" column of the checklists. If the item or interaction is observed or is currently being done, then it should state that. Some examples of comments might be:

"Has been done"
"Is continually observed"
"Is in place"
"Working on this for consistent practice"

The expectation is that a minimum of 20% response rate of registered families. If parents fill the survey out at the provider's home, seal it and then the survey can be picked up by the home visitor or sent in as a group to the agency office. A Field Coordinator will inform the agency if it has very few surveys coming in. The agency can decide if it would like to re-do the survey if it has a low return-rate or just extend its survey deadline and remind parents to get the surveys in. A 20-30% return-rate is considered typical in most surveys.

Download the AELCS Appeals Process document (PDF) for complete information on how to appeal a decision.