Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC)
Background
On , the Federal and Provincial Governments announced a funding agreement that will reduce the cost of child care in Ontario to an average of $10 per day. The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement will:
- Require participating licensed child care centres and licensed home child care agencies to reduce parent/caregiver fees to a maximum of $22 per day, working toward lowering fees to an average of $10 per day. The next planned fee reduction date has not been confirmed by the Province.
- Improve compensation for lower-wage Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) working with children up to age 12 in licensed child care.
- Create 86,000 licensed child care spaces in Ontario for children under the age of six by the end of 2026 to meet the growing demand for affordable child care.
The Provincial Government has negotiated an extension of the Federal-Provincial CWELCC agreement until . Halton Region continues to monitor the status of the negotiations.
Learn more about the program
Key accomplishments
- 86% of Halton’s licensed child care programs (child care centres and home child care agencies) are enrolled in CWELCC. There are 274 sites representing a total of 18,940 spaces that are part of CWELCC in Halton.
- Effective January 1, 2025, fees have been capped at no more than $22 per day for children under age 6.
- Supported Halton families with affordable child care at a time when living costs are high.
Halton Region's role
Halton Region is the Service System Manager for early years and child care in legislation. In this capacity, Halton Region plans, administers and funds early years and licensed child care programs to maintain affordable and high-quality care across the region. As the Service System Manager for Halton, the Region is required to implement the provincial guidelines. which includes administering the CWELCC program in Halton.
Directed growth plan
Halton’s Directed Growth Plan: An Appendix to the Early Learning and Child Care Service Plan (2024 – 2026)
As a condition of CWELCC participation, the Region is required to develop a Directed Growth Plan for Halton. This plan is legislated by the Province and is used to guide how and where new CWELCC spaces the Province allocates to the Region through to 2026.
Halton’s Directed Growth Plan: An Appendix to the Early Learning and Child Care Service Plan (“the Plan”) is a comprehensive plan that focuses on system priorities as identified through consultation with local educators, service providers, parents and caregivers, children, community partners and Regional staff. The Region used provincial guidelines, the Provincial Access and Inclusion Framework (external PDF), and the 2022-2025 Early Learning and Child Care Plan to inform the directed growth plan.
The purpose of the Plan is to provide information to operators of licensed child care centres and licensed home child care agencies regarding the CWELCC system for the period of 2024-2026. The Plan includes priorities for enrolment and expansion of affordable child care spaces in CWELCC and identifies underserved priority neighbourhoods based on local priorities and the priority populations established by the Province including children living in low-income families, children from diverse communities, children with special needs, Francophone children and Indigenous children.
The Region recognizes that many areas of Halton have equity, diversity and inclusion needs. As such, a consultative, data driven, and equity focused approach was used to determine the Region’s priority neighbourhoods.
CWELCC Directed Growth Map
The map below profiles all 30 Halton neighbourhoods with their level of priority. Child care operators are encouraged to refer to the map when developing their applications for CWELCC enrolment or expansion.
Local child care providers will be updated as new CWELCC-funded child care spaces become available.
CWELCC applications
Halton’s CWELCC application process is closed. New applications are not being accepted at this time.
The Region accepted applications for CWELCC enrolment and expansion for a limited time between December 19, 2024, and January 31, 2025. Applications submitted prior to the submission deadline of January 31, 2025 were reviewed and all applicants were informed of decisions.
The Region will keep applications that were not approved on file in the event the Provincial Government allocates more spaces to Halton prior to the end of 2026.
The number of $10 a day child care spaces allocated to Halton Region from the Provincial Government remains insufficient to meet growing community need. No new CWELCC spaces have been committed in Halton beyond 2026 at this time. Halton Region has and continues to advocate to the Federal and Provincial governments for more CWELCC funding so more Halton families can receive affordable child care.
Cost-based funding
Child care operators enrolled in CWELCC are funded based on eligible costs incurred in the calendar year in respect of eligible centres/agencies, up to a maximum amount of funding determined by the Ministry of Education’s Cost-Based funding formula.
For more information on the cost-based funding approach, visit Supporting Child Care in Ontario (external link) and the Ministry of Education’s Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines (external link).
For an estimate of cost-based funding, please visit the CWELCC Cost-Based Child Care Funding Estimator (external link).
Funding for child care providers not participating in CWELCC
Due to provincial funding changes and limited funding, Halton Region is not currently entering into new funding agreements with child care operators.
Child care programs not participating in CWELCC that serve children 0-5, are now ineligible for General Operating Grant, Wage Enhancement Grants, Home Child Care Enhancement Grants, or other direct funding. This was a change made by the Ministry of Education to support the ongoing success of CWELCC. Additionally, child care programs not participating in CWELCC cannot accept new fee subsidy placements and receive fee subsidy funding.
Operators that are enrolled in CWELCC or are not enrolled and exclusively serve children aged 6-12, are eligible to receive workforce compensation funding for eligible staff who serve 6-12 age groups.
Licensed child care programs that do not participate in the CWELCC system must continue to follow the rules and requirements for operating a licensed child care program (external link).
Guidance and resources
The following information is intended for child care centre owners, operators and staff on CWELCC.
- Ministry of Education – Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines for Consolidated Municipal Service Managers and District Social Services Administration Boards (external link): The guidelines provide information about CWELCC funding, including requirements and processes for licensed child care operators participating in CWELCC.
- Ministère de l’Éducation – Lignes directrices de l’Ontario sur le financement des services de garde d’enfants et de la petite enfance À l’intention des gestionnaires des services municipaux regroupés et conseils d’administration de district des services sociaux (external link).
To find out more information on CWELCC, refer to the Provincial and Regional supporting documents below.
- Ministry of Education – Canada-Ontario early years and child care agreement (external link): Learn more about how the Canada-Ontario early years and child care agreement will help provide more accessible child care options and lower fees.
- Sample agreements – Child care providers can find Halton Region's sample agreements for the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care System below:
- Sample Early Years and Child Care Funding Agreement (PDF file)
- Halton Region Vendor Code of Conduct (PDF file), an appendix item for the Sample Early Years and Child Care Funding Agreement
Halton’s CWELCC application process is closed. New applications are not being accepted at this time.