Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC)

Overview

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement between the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada supports high-quality, affordable, accessible, and inclusive licensed child care for families in Ontario.

Funding under CWELCC is used to build and leverage the success of Ontario’s existing early learning and child care system by increasing quality, accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity in early learning and child care, towards achieving the objectives of:

  • Reaching an average parent fee of $10 a day by 2025-2026 for licensed child care spaces.
  • Creating 86,000 new high quality, affordable licensed child care spaces (relative to 2019 levels), predominantly through non-profit licensed child care.
  • Addressing barriers to provide inclusive child care.
  • Valuing the early childhood workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities.

Parent fees were first reduced by 25% in April 2022, and by 50% in December 2022. As of January 2025, a $22 base free cap was introduced for children under the age of six enrolled in a CWELCC programme. CWELCC now uses a cost-based funding approach, providing financial support to providers based on actual operating costs.

Enrolment in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System

CWELCC provides the funding to licensed child care providers to reduce the child care fees paid by families. 

CWELCC also offers support for workforce development, professional learning opportunities, and expansion of child care spaces to improve accessibility and affordability.

As the Service System Manager, Wellington County Children’s Early Years Division was provided a maximum allocation for the number of licensed child care spaces that may be enrolled in the CWELCC system and is responsible for ensuring that new licensed programmes and/or new spaces for existing programmes created under the CWELCC system are consistent with the Directed Growth Plan. The County has completed its space allocation under the CWELCC system. 

The Directed Growth Plan is an addendum to Wellington’s Child Care and Early Years Service Plan (2023–2027), developed in alignment with Ontario’s Access and Inclusion Framework to enhance equitable access to licensed child care. It outlines current child care coverage and population data across Wellington-Guelph and supports the Ministry of Education’s targets for expanding affordable licensed child care spaces. 

The total number of child care spaces and access rates in Wellington-Guelph by age group and municipality are presented on the Data and Planning page.

Requesting Enrolment in CWELCC:

The County is not reviewing any further applications for enrollment of child care spaces into the CWELCC system.

Directed Growth Applications:

The County will maintain all applications received in the event further CWELCC allocation becomes available.

Applications and Declarations of Compliance should be submitted to the Children's Early Years Division.

Not-for-Profit Child Care Providers

  1. Review the Requirements for New Not-for-Profit Child Care Corporations. This document provides information for new Not-for-Profit child care corporations on building a not-for-profit board of directors, key tasks for new board of directors, the conflict of interest policy, and funding requirements.
  2. Submit a Directed Growth Application and the completed Declaration of Not-for-Profit Compliance. Completed Directed Growth Applications are reviewed by a panel and are prioritized according to the Directed Growth Plan.

For-Profit Providers

  1. Submit a Directed Growth Application. Completed Directed Growth Applications are reviewed by a panel and are prioritized according to the Directed Growth Plan.

CWELCC Funding Available for the Development of New Child Care Spaces

To support the expansion of licensed child care spaces, two funding streams are available for child care providers with an approved Directed Growth Application: Start-Up Grants and the Infrastructure Fund. Both streams aim to enhance accessibility but vary in focus and eligibility criteria.

Start-Up Grants

Start-Up Grants are available to support the creation of new, affordable child care spaces for children under age six in targeted locations and for populations most in need, in alignment with Wellington County’s Directed Growth Plan. Start-Up Grants are available to both For-Profit and Not-for-Profit centres or home child care providers. Funding provides financial assistance to help child care operators cover expenses related to opening new spaces, including equipment, furnishings, and regulatory compliance requirements. The CWELCC Start-Up Grants Information and Guidelines document outlines the application process, eligibility, eligible expenses, and other requirements. The Start-Up Grant application is sent to child care providers after approval of the Directed Growth Application. 

Infrastructure Fund

The Infrastructure Fund supports community-based not-for-profit licensed child care in alignment with Ontario’s Access and Inclusion Framework.

The Infrastructure Fund complements the Start-Up Grant by supporting capital investments in child care facilities, helping to create, renovate, and expand licensed spaces, focusing on accessibility and increasing inclusion for underserved communities. Details about Wellington County’s Infrastructure Fund application process will be available soon.

More information on the Start-Up Grant and Infrastructure Fund is available in Chapter 5 of the Ministry of Education’s Child Care Funding Guidelines. 

Wellington's CWELCC Resources

The Guidelines for Preparing and Effective Business Plan and Operating Budget Worksheet are intended as supports in planning for the opening of your child care business.

Other Resources

Who to Contact:

Children’s Early Years
Email