Yvonne Fritz, Alberta's minister of children and youth services, is calling for all daycares in the province to be accredited. Yvonne Fritz, Alberta's minister of children and youth services, is calling for all daycares in the province to be accredited. (CBC)

Alberta's minister of child and youth services is calling for all daycares in the province to be accredited amid recent allegations of daycare staff abusing children.

"It only makes sense that if you have a daycare that's accredited and that the daycare is of the highest standards that the children are safer and their well being is assured more than it would be if they weren't accredited," said Yvonne Fritz.

Since 2004, Alberta's accreditation process has been voluntary. Currently just over 80 per cent of daycares in the province are accredited.

Fritz said in the next three months her department will introduce new regulations or increase funding to help daycares become accredited.

Her comments come after a daycare in Stony Plain lost its licence over allegations of staff abusing children.

The Stony Day Care Centre, west of Edmonton, will close July 24 after provincial investigators found children were being disciplined by biting, shaming and hitting.

Alberta has ordered the Stony Day Care Centre to close on July 24. Alberta has ordered the Stony Day Care Centre to close on July 24. (CBC)

Children were "humiliated as a result of toileting accidents," force fed and, in one case, a child vomited and the vomit was mixed into the child's food, said the notice cancelling the daycare's licence.

The daycare's owner denies the allegations and said she will appeal the licence cancellation.

Fritz said a review is underway to find out why some daycare operators are not going through the accreditation process. Daycares must meet government-set standards to become accredited.

Fritz's comments came the same week an 18-month-old Medicine Hat toddler was flown to a Calgary hospital with critical injuries that police believe were suffered at her day home.

The toddler died Wednesday at the Alberta Children's Hospital. The woman taking care of her has been charged with aggravated assault and failing to provide the necessities of life, but faces more serious charges once an autopsy is finished, said police.

However, day homes are regulated under different legislation than daycares.