If you run or work at a childcare centre, nursery school, or after-school program, first aid training for daycare staff in Toronto is not a nice-to-have — it is part of keeping every child in your care safe on an ordinary day and on the one day something goes wrong. Young children fall, choke, scrape knees, bump heads, and react to foods they have never tried before. The adult closest to them in that moment needs to know what to do, and needs to be able to do it calmly.
This guide explains which course fits which role, what the training covers for child settings, what it costs, and where you can take it across Toronto and the GTA.
Why first aid training for daycare staff in Toronto matters every day
Most childcare emergencies are not dramatic. They are a toddler who trips on the playground, a preschooler with a nosebleed that will not stop, or a child who develops hives after lunch. Handled well and early, most of these stay small. Handled poorly, they can get worse while you wait for help.
Training gives staff a shared, practised response instead of guesswork:
- Recognize the signs that a child needs emergency help, and call for it early
- Start CPR for a child or infant who is unresponsive and not breathing normally
- Clear a choking airway using back blows and thrusts practised on training mannequins
- Control bleeding, care for wounds, and respond to head bumps and falls
- Recognize a severe allergic reaction and act on it without delay
Our courses are aligned with the 2025 AHA guidelines, and the skills are practised hands-on in class, not just watched on a screen. That practice matters in a childcare setting, where the person responding may be the only adult in the room.
Which course should daycare and school staff take?
The right course depends on the role and on what your centre or school requires. Ask your employer which certificate they expect before you book, then match it to one of these options.
Basic First Aid and CPR Level C — $74.99 + HST
Basic First Aid is the new name for Emergency First Aid — they are the same course under two names. It covers CPR Level C with AED training, plus everyday first aid such as bleeding and wounds, heart attack and stroke recognition, choking, and allergic reactions. For many childcare staff, this is the practical starting point: it covers the emergencies most likely to happen around young children, and the certificate is valid for 3 years.
Intermediate First Aid and CPR Level C — $114.99 + HST
Intermediate First Aid is the new name for Standard First Aid — again, the same course under two names. It is the fuller curriculum, covering everything in Basic First Aid in more depth and with more first aid topics. Centres that want designated first aiders on site, supervisors, or staff who may be the senior person on duty often choose this level. The certificate is valid for 3 years. See our Intermediate (Standard) First Aid and CPR course page for what the course includes.
CPR Level C on its own — $54.99 + HST
If a staff member already holds first aid and only needs CPR renewed, CPR Level C focuses on resuscitation for adults, children, and infants, including AED use. The certificate is valid for 3 years. Staff who work only in a CPR role should confirm with their centre that a CPR-only certificate meets their requirement before booking this option instead of a full first aid course.
Not sure which one your centre expects? Call us at 905-884-6036 (Toll-free: 1-877-659-3215) and we will help you match the course to the requirement before you pay for the wrong one.
What the training covers for child settings
Choking in toddlers and preschoolers
Young children explore with their mouths, eat quickly, and talk and laugh while chewing — a combination every childcare worker knows well. Training covers how choking looks different in a small child than in an adult, and the back blows and thrusts used to clear an airway, practised hands-on so the movements are familiar before they are ever needed for real.
Severe allergic reactions and neffy training
Food allergies are a daily reality in childcare: snacks are shared, hands touch everything, and a child’s first serious reaction can happen at your table. Courses cover recognizing anaphylaxis — a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction — and responding to it. The Academy’s courses also include hands-on training with neffy, the epinephrine nasal spray that became available in Canada in August 2026. Per the Academy, it is the only first aid training company in the Greater Toronto Area to have built hands-on neffy training into its courses, so staff can practise with the nasal spray option alongside the traditional auto-injector.
CPR for children and infants
CPR Level C covers adults, children, and infants, because the technique changes with the size of the person. Compressions for an infant are not a smaller version of adult CPR — they are a different technique, taught and practised separately. For daycare staff who care for babies and toddlers, that infant and child practice is the core of the course, not an add-on.
Training a whole centre or school team
If several staff members need certification or renewal at the same time, training together keeps records simple: everyone renews on the same cycle, and the whole team practises the same response. See our group training for employers, associations and communities for group options, or explore our Toronto first aid, CPR and BLS training page if your centre is in the city.
Individual staff can also book their own seats. Training locations are Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, Barrie, Hamilton, and Kitchener-Waterloo, so staff who live outside the city can often train closer to home and bring the certificate to work.
How long the certificate lasts — and planning renewals
Basic First Aid, Intermediate First Aid, and CPR Level C certificates are each valid for 3 years. A simple habit keeps a centre covered: keep a list of every staff member’s expiry date, and book renewals before the busy start of a new school year or summer program, rather than after a certificate has already lapsed. If a new hire joins mid-year, check their certificate type and expiry on their first day and book them into the next available class if either does not match what your centre requires.
Book first aid training for your daycare or school
Whether you are a single educator renewing a certificate or a director training a whole team, the steps are the same: confirm which course your centre requires, pick a location and date, and register.
Register for a course online, or call 905-884-6036 (Toll-free: 1-877-659-3215) with questions about dates, locations, or group bookings.
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The Academy for First Aid and Safety
www.academyfor1staid.ca