Toddler Group Childcare Coquitlam families ask about first. It's also the program with the tightest supply. BC licensing caps under-3 care at four children per caregiver, and our licence at 3007 Pasture Cir sets three under-3 spaces. All three are filled. The honest answer is a waitlist, not a start date. Our list moves on birthdays and the September kindergarten shuffle, and families who join early usually get the month they want.
The setup is a licensed family group, small by design. One consistent caregiver, one mixed-age room, one predictable rhythm. Toddlers share the space with older preschoolers, with age-appropriate activities layered through the day. Older kids model language and turn-taking. Toddlers get gentler routines, longer nap windows, and closer supervision than the age-3-plus block. That mixed-age dynamic is a real developmental win, not a scheduling shortcut.
If you're in Coquitlam, Ranch Park, or nearby River Springs, book a tour now, meet the caregiver, and get your name on the dated waitlist. If your child is already three or turning three soon, our preschool group has openings and you can enroll today.
How the Toddler Waitlist Actually Works
No mystery, no hidden queue-jumping. Here's the process from your first call to a start date.
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. First call or email | You reach us on (604) 338-8020 or lovekidsdaycare@outlook.com. We take your child's name, birth date, target start month, and days needed. |
| 2. Book a tour | Ideally at pickup hour, 4:30 to 5:30 pm. You see the real end-of-day rhythm and meet the caregiver. |
| 3. Dated waitlist entry | Your family goes on our written list in the order it arrived. No queue jumping, no favourites. |
| 4. Monthly check-in | We keep you posted when a spot looks likely, usually one to two months out from an opening. |
| 5. Spot opens, we call | Next family on the list for the days they need gets the call. You have 48 hours to confirm. |
| 6. Enrollment paperwork | Registration, immunization record, emergency contacts, ACCB application if you qualify. We help. |
| 7. Trial half-day | Two-hour trial with a parent nearby so your toddler sees the space, meets the caregiver, and eases in. |
| 8. First full day | Mid-week start, Wednesday or Thursday, so a weekend follows to settle in. |
That's the whole path. The step most families miss is the tour. It costs an hour and turns you from a spreadsheet row into a family the caregiver has met.
How Toddler Group Care Works Here
Three licensed under-3 spots, capped by BC
The three-spot cap is a licensing rule, not a business decision. BC's Child Care Licensing Regulation sets under-3 group care at four children per certified caregiver, and our licenced capacity at 3007 Pasture Cir is three under-3 spaces. Small by law, small on purpose. Your toddler gets eye contact, hands-on help with a fork, and a caregiver who catches the tired-cue before the meltdown.
One consistent caregiver, from waitlist to kindergarten
The single biggest reason families accept a longer waitlist upfront is what happens after. The same ECE-certified caregiver stays with your child from a toddler start all the way to their SD43 kindergarten send-off. No room changes, no new faces every few months. Big centres rotate staff between age rooms. We don't. Continuity is why families wait.
Safe-sleep supervision and daily written logs
Under-3 care means safe-sleep practice every nap. Toddlers sleep on their own mat, on their back, in a quiet room the caregiver can see from where she works. No blankets in cribs, no propped bottles, no exceptions. Every day a written log goes home covering naps, meals, diapers or bathroom, and one small note about a moment we saw. That log is how you know Tuesday from Wednesday when your kid still can't tell you.
Mixed-age group with layered activities
Toddlers share the room with our older preschoolers, not separated behind a wall. Activities layer by age. Sensory bins the toddlers can safely mouth, blocks the preschoolers stack into towers, songs and books everyone can join. Toddlers hear more language, watch more turn-taking, and pick up self-help routines faster because they have models. Preschoolers practice patience and gentle helping. Both groups benefit.
Why Coquitlam Parents Wait for This Toddler Spot
16+ years on the same block
Sixteen years running a licensed group program in the same Coquitlam home. Long enough that first-cohort kids are now bringing younger siblings back. Longevity tells you the operator won't disappear halfway through the year. When you're weighing a waitlist against a same-week opening at a rotating-staff centre, the sixteen-year track record earns the wait.
Fraser Health licence you can look up
Search "Fraser Health child care facility inspections" and pull our reports. Public, current, honest. Reports cover ratios, safe-sleep practice, food safety, staff qualifications, and emergency planning. Read the last two before you sign anywhere. We'd rather you verify than take our word.
Straight path from toddler to preschool group
When your child turns three, they don't change buildings, don't change caregivers, don't restart with a new peer group. They shift into the preschool block of the day in the same room. That birthday step-up is one of the smoothest moments in the whole daycare experience, and it's the reason many families accept a longer wait for the under-3 seat.
Real Coquitlam location, real yard
We're at 3007 Pasture Cir, minutes from the Lougheed corridor and easy to reach from Oxford Heights, Mary Hill, and Eagle Ridge. Real home, real fenced yard, gates on every threshold, safe outdoor space toddlers need for daily gross motor play. Parents in Chineside and Port Coquitlam get here in under fifteen minutes most mornings.
Fees, Subsidies, and What's Included
Once a spot opens, toddler group childcare is billed monthly. One honest fee holds your child's spot Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, and covers snacks, programming, outdoor play, safe-sleep nap supervision, and the daily written log. You pack lunch, diapers, wipes, and extra clothes.
Two provincial reductions apply to most families and come straight off the monthly fee. The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) is applied automatically. CCFRI reductions for under-3 care are typically larger than for preschool care. The Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) is income-based and requires a family application through the Province of BC. Stacked, ACCB and CCFRI cover a serious chunk of the monthly fee for qualifying households.
We walk every family through both reductions before enrollment. If you're already looking at our subsidized child care program, add the toddler waitlist call to the same conversation. Some under-3 families pay very little out of pocket once both reductions stack.
Nine things Coquitlam parents should know about toddler group childcare
Sixteen years of running a licensed under-3 program in Coquitlam, these are the things we find ourselves saying on nearly every waitlist call.
- Join the waitlist earlier than feels reasonable. Three to six months out is a minimum for under-3 care in Coquitlam. A full year out is normal. Spots move on birthdays and the September shuffle, not on parents' timelines.
- Ask about ratio, not room size. A big room with fifteen toddlers and three staff is not the same as a small home with three toddlers and one caregiver. Ratio decides how much real attention your child gets.
- Verify the Fraser Health inspection reports. Every licensed under-3 program in BC has a public inspection history. Pull the last two before committing to any waitlist, ours included.
- Book the tour even without a confirmed spot. A meeting turns you from a row on a spreadsheet into a family the caregiver knows. When the phone rings, that matters.
- Start ACCB before you have a start date. The Affordable Child Care Benefit application takes a few weeks. Filing early means your first invoice reflects the reduction.
- Nudge the home nap window before day one. Group care naps run 12:15 to 2:30 pm. Shifting home naps toward that window two weeks ahead saves the first month.
- Pack for Coquitlam rain October to May. Splash pants, boots, spare hoodie, a full change of clothes, plus a second change. Puddle season is real and toddlers find every one.
- Ask how the under-3 kid moves up to preschool. Does the same caregiver keep them, or do they change rooms and staff at three? At Love Kids the caregiver stays. At many centres it's a full restart.
- Meet the caregiver before you commit to a wait. Your toddler will spend more waking hours with this person than with you. Watch how they get down to eye level with the kids. Five minutes tells you more than the brochure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is toddler group childcare open for enrollment right now?
No. Our toddler group childcare is fully booked. All three licensed under-3 spaces at Love Kids are taken. What we can do is add you to the waitlist and call the moment one opens. If you have a preschooler age 3 and up, that group has active openings and you can enroll today.
How does the toddler waitlist actually work?
Call (604) 338-8020 or email lovekidsdaycare@outlook.com with your child's name, birth date, target start month, and days you need. We keep a dated, ordered list. When a spot opens, we work down the list in order. Most families join at least three to six months before their target start, some join a year out.
Why does Love Kids only have three under-3 spots?
BC Child Care Licensing sets the ratio for under-3 care at 1 caregiver to 4 children maximum in a group program, and our licence at 3007 Pasture Cir is set at three under-3 spaces. Small on purpose. One caregiver, three toddlers, all the eye contact, safe-sleep supervision, and hands-on help that age needs.
What ages count as toddler for licensing purposes?
In BC, a licensed group program treats under-36-month children as toddler or infant under-3. Once your child turns three, they move into the preschool age group with different ratios and a different daily schedule. That birthday step-up is when families on our waitlist often shift straight into an available preschool spot.
What does a day in toddler group care look like when spots open?
Arrival and free play from 7:30 am, morning snack, sensory play and songs, outdoor time in the fenced yard, lunch, safe-sleep nap on a mat with soft supervision, afternoon play, snack, and pickup by 5:30 pm. Same rhythm every day. Written daily logs go home so you see naps, meals, and diaper changes.
Is toddler care mixed with the preschool group?
We run a small mixed-age licensed family setting. Under-3 kids share the space with our preschoolers under one caregiver's care, with age-appropriate activities layered through the day. Older kids naturally model language and turn-taking for younger ones. Toddlers get gentler activities, longer nap windows, and closer supervision than the age-3-plus group.
Do you accept the Affordable Child Care Benefit for under-3?
Yes. Once a toddler spot opens and you enroll, families who qualify for the Affordable Child Care Benefit or the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative get that reduction applied straight to the monthly fee. Applications go through the Province of BC. CCFRI reductions for under-3 care are typically larger than for preschool care.
Can my toddler move up to your preschool group at age 3?
Yes, and this is the smoothest path. Kids on our waitlist who join as under-3s stay with the same caregiver in the same home when they turn three, they just move into the preschool group's daily rhythm. No new building, no fresh staff, no re-adjustment. That continuity is one of the reasons families accept a longer waitlist upfront.
How do I visit if there are no toddler spots open?
Book a tour anyway. Call (604) 338-8020 or email lovekidsdaycare@outlook.com and pick a pickup-hour slot around 4:30 to 5:30 pm. You see the space, meet the caregiver, and get a real sense of the daily flow before your waitlist call comes. We're at 3007 Pasture Cir, close to Ranch Park and easy to reach from Port Coquitlam, Mary Hill, and Oxford Heights.