Transporting Children in a Dayhome Setting
Learn about the rules for driving children in your care in Alberta, including driver’s licences, vehicle registration, insurance and car seat safety.
Alberta Transportation Guidelines
Did you know you require a special license if you regularly transport your dayhome children and charge a fee for this service? It’s true. Whether licensed or unlicensed, Alberta Transportation has specific regulations and guidelines for any person transporting children in exchange for financial compensation. If you charge your dayhome families an additional charge for transporting their children, you are required to hold a Class 4 license.
It is strongly recommended that a higher class of license is obtained when transporting passengers as part of your dayhome business; however, Class 4 licenses are only required if the dayhome explicitly charges parents for transporting children.
Carrier & Vehicle Safety Branch Compliance & Oversight
Phone: 403-755-6111
Toll Free: 310-0000
Email: compliance.info@gov.ab.ca
Vehicle Registration & License Plates (Fee for Service)
Vehicles used to transport children as an included service for the Child Care Operator are defined as commercial vehicles. Class 1, 2, and 3 license plates apply to commercial carriers transporting children in care in Alberta. Each commercial licence plate allows a carrier to perform a particular type of work. A Daycare operator must ensure they have the correct vehicle registration/plate for their operation. For more information, you can reference Module 3 – 2 of the Alberta Commerical Vehicle Safety Compliance Manual. You can also discuss with your registry agent what plate class works best for you. Even if you do not hold a “Class 4 driver’s license” you may need the correct commercial vehicle registration/plate for childcare purposes.
Adequate Vehicle Insurance
You’ll also want to ensure that you have adequate vehicle insurance to transport dayhome children in your vehicle. Most insurance companies will add a “rider” to a standard vehicle insurance policy for additional coverage that covers you when transporting additional children. Be sure to reach out to your insurance broker to ensure you are adequately covered for transporting dayhome children in your vehicle.
Carseat Safety
When transporting children it’s important to ensure you have the correct car seat installed in your vehicle. We have a variety of car seat safety resources available inside the ADSN Portal, including a self-paced car seat safety workshop.
You’ll also find a helpful template for a carseat safety waiver inside the Resource Center.
Carseat Advice (Selection & Installation)
Danielle was recently certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician.Â
You can expect some new resources to result from this new knowledge and designation!Â
If you would like general information on child passenger safety, feel free to reach out to Danielle.Â
We also offer some Member Exclusive services:
- Virtual Car Seat Checks
- Zoom Coaching
- Car Seat Recommendations
