Manitoba Child Care Search

Frequently Asked Questions for Facilities

What is the Manitoba Child Care Search (MCCS) tool?  
The Manitoba Child Care Search is an online platform used to connect Manitoba families directly with licensed child care facilities. Using the MCCS website, families can search for facilities that meet their needs based on a variety of search filters including location, hours and availability and facilities can keep their information up–to-date for families to view online. 
 
On July 29, 2021, it was announced that the Manitoba Child Care Search, would officially replace the former Online Child Care Registry as the preferred child care search tool and child care facilities would become responsible for collecting waitlist registrations, including any additional information they may require as per their enrollment policies. 

What are some of the other benefits of the MCCS? 
As of August 31, 2021, new features include: 

• An interactive map that makes it easier to browse facilities and find providers near the desired location. Users can filter the map by care type, facility type, vacancies and availability. 
• Expanded facility information to help families make decisions prior to contacting a provider, including contact information, hours of operation, languages of care, highlights of programming, enrollment policies and for-profit versus non-profit status. 
• A link to the facility's licence, so parents can find out if the facility has a licence in good standing or a provisional licence, the maximum number of children allowed at the facility, the period of the licence and any conditions applicable to the facility before making a decision about placement. 
• Information about when the data was last updated, to ensure parents know if the vacancies posted and other programming information is up-to-date. 

Why is the Online Child Care Registry (OCCR) being retired? 
The former OCCR was outdated and difficult to use for both families and facilities. It was used inconsistently by the majority of licensed early learning and child care facilities and therefore registrations were regularly outdated. It was designed to meet the basic needs of most facilities, but lacked the ability to be customized to meet individual facility needs. Features like the information it collects from families left gaps for some facilities whose policies needed more. Additionally, we heard from Manitoba families that they prefer contacting facilities directly versus being placed on a waitlist and waiting for a call. The OCCR was built with dated technology that has been surpassed by new, more modern tools like the MCCS, which is designed to support the information and child care needs of families today. 

What happens to my existing waitlist that is on OCCR and what if I need more information about the children and families on my waitlist?   
Each facility has received a password protected copy of their final waitlist from the OCCR as of August 31, 2021, for consideration when filling vacant spaces. The final waitlists were sent to facilities on September 3, 2021 as a PDF and are available in an Excel format on request.
 
The amount of personal information provided to facilities from on the OCCR waitlist was minimized to that required in order to protect the privacy of children and families and to expedite the final waitlist report for facility use.

If a facility enrollment policy, software or process requires additional information from families to determine eligibility, a facility can request this information from families using the family email in the OCCR waitlist provided on August 31, 2021 to proactively confirm and collect this information. 

With the retirement of the OCCR, how will waitlists be managed?  
All facilities are responsible for independently managing their own waitlists. This includes basic waitlist information (previously collected by OCCR) and additional information the facility may require to support their enrollment decisions. Facilities can now choose a waitlist process that suits their specific operational needs and connect directly with families that are interested in their early learning child care services.  

Will the government support the transition to individual facility waitlists? 
Yes, the Manitoba government is providing $958,000 to facilities through the Child Care Administration and Management Software Support Benefit to cover the purchase or annual cost of software or spreadsheet applications, as well as related training and/or supports. 

The one-time benefit is intended to assist facilities in moving from using the OCCR, to modern digital software and spreadsheet options. 

Currently, facilities report on vacancies, capacity, and whether they are open or not, as part of weekly updates to the Manitoba Child Care Search. In addition, facilities are regularly required to report on attendance. 

To be eligible for the benefit, facilities will be responsible to ensure the software or spreadsheet option they choose gives them the ability to track and manage waitlists and enrollment, as well as meeting existing requirements to report on vacancies and attendance. In addition, facilities will need to submit receipts to be eligible for reimbursement. 

How much in funding will my facility receive? 
Licensed centres are eligible for up to $1,200 each, enabling them to acquire or pay for their own waitlist management software and/or required training. Homes and nursery schools are eligible for up to $400 each, to purchase spreadsheet software and required training to manage their waitlists. Most homes and nursery schools do not require the full suite of platform features offered by a software management program. For many, a spreadsheet application will be sufficient to track and manage families on their wait list. 

A centre may choose to purchase a spreadsheet application and be reimbursed for up to the costs of the eligible spreadsheet. A home or nursery school may determine to purchase software, and would be eligible for reimbursement of up to $400 towards the cost of the software. 

What type of software or spreadsheet option can I choose? 
There are a number of software and spreadsheet options that are available in the market for registration and waitlist management. Facilities are encouraged to explore any options available to determine what will best meet their business needs. IT service providers may also provide assistance in identifying options. Some of the software options that child care facilities are currently using already have waitlist management functionality as part of the original software, or if not, they could purchase the ability to manage registrations and a waitlist as additional features.  

How do I access the benefit to support a waitlist management software or spreadsheet? 
Complete the following notice of intent form at: https://forms.gov.mb.ca/ccam-software-support-benefit/index.html by December 1, 2021. Following the deadline, the ELCC Program will be in contact regarding the next steps. 

How do I qualify for the benefit? 
Currently, facilities report on vacancies, capacity, and whether they are open or not, as part of weekly updates to the Manitoba Child Care Search. In addition, facilities are regularly required to report on attendance. 

To be eligible for the software benefit, facilities will be responsible to ensure the software or spreadsheet option they choose gives them the ability to track and manage waitlists and enrollment, as well as meeting existing requirements to report on vacancies and attendance. In addition, facilities will need to submit receipts to be eligible for reimbursement. 

What if I already have a waitlist and enrollment management software/spreadsheet in place? 
To ensure fairness, all facilities can apply for the funding available for an annual subscription for software or a spreadsheet gives them the ability to track and manage waitlists and enrollment, as well as meeting existing requirements to report on vacancies and attendance.   

The funds can also be applied to additional features or expanded training on any current software or spreadsheet application. 
 
Will families be contacting my facility directly to get on a waitlist?  
Yes. With the retirement of the OCCR, families will directly contact facilities to join a waitlist. Many of these families may have already been on your waitlist from the OCCR. If a facility enrollment policy, software or process requires additional information from families to determine eligibility, a facility can request this information from families using the family email in the OCCR waitlist provided on August 31, 2021 to proactively confirm and collect this information.

Are facilities still expected to update their capacity, available spaces and other information on MCCS?  
Yes, facilities will be expected to continue to update their information on MCCS. Facilities will receive a weekly email with a link to access and update their facility profile. To begin using MCCS, a new user must complete the facility profile. Once the facility profile is complete, the weekly maintenance of information that will follow should only take a few minutes to update.   

Keeping this information up-to-date on a weekly basis is critical in helping families to become aware and find current information about facilities, enrollment policies and services. This regular maintenance prevents the need to provide additional email or phone updates to your child care coordinator. It also helps reduce direct contact to those families whose interest and needs align with that of the facility.  
 
Who can I contact for help with the Manitoba Child Care Search?  
Families looking for child care can be directed to www.manitoba.ca/childcaresearch. Facilities can email MBchildcaresearch@gov.mb.ca.