Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC)

**Wellington County has allocated all CWELCC spaces provided by the Ministry and is not currently accepting applications for CWELCC enrollment.**

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

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. In 2026, no new CWELCC funding will be available to support the creation or expansion of new 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: Data in the Early Years – Licensed Child Care Availability.

The County has maintained all applications received and will revisit them if spaces become available to reallocate (i.e. if an existing CWELCC programme closes). In 2026, the Children’s Early Years Division will prioritize programmes that:

• Are in geographic regions with low access rates (based on the Directed Growth Plan)
• Support the needs of priority populations.
• Are child care centres with existing non-CWELCC spaces or centres that can be licensed for additional spaces with only minor operational adjustments.
• Not-for-profit child care centres 

Frequently Asked Questions about CWELCC

Q: Why isn’t every child care programme part of CWELCC?

A: Enrolling in CWELCC is optional for all programmes. When CWELCC was implemented in 2022, child care programmes had the option to enroll in CWELCC through open enrollment. In 2024 the province shifted to a Directed Growth approach and gave each Service System Manager (including Wellington-Guelph) a finite number of child care spaces to allocate.

Q: How are child care programmes selected for CWELCC?

A: The Children’s Early Years Division has allocated all our spaces provided by the province. The process of selecting where spaces would go was outlined in our Directed Growth Plan. 

If spaces become available to reallocate in 2026 (i.e. if an existing CWELCC programme closes), the Children’s Early Years Division will prioritize programmes that:

• Are in geographic regions with low access rates (based on the Directed Growth Plan)
• Support the needs of priority populations.
• Are child care centres with existing non-CWELCC spaces or centres that can be licensed for additional spaces with only minor operational adjustments.
• Not-for-profit child care centres

Q: If a programme is not accepted into CWELCC, does that mean that programme is low quality?

A: No. Approval is not only based on quality. Many programmes are not approved due to limited space and strict timelines.

Q: Can licensed child care programmes still open if they are not part of CWELCC?

A: Yes. Licensed child care programmes can still open and operate, even if they are not enrolled in CWELCC.

Q: Who decides how many CWELCC spaces are available?

A: The Ministry of Education (Government of Ontario) sets the number of CWELCC spaces for each region. Local service system managers, including Wellington County, cannot exceed these allocations.

Q: Is licensing the same as CWELCC enrollment?

A: No. 

• Licensed child care refers to programmes that are approved and regulated by the Province of Ontario and must meet provincial standards for health, safety, staffing, and quality. 
• CWELCC is a funding programme that helps reduce parent fees. Only licensed child care programmes can participate in CWELCC, but not all licensed programmes are enrolled, because CWELCC funding and spaces are limited.

Q: What is the Wellington County Child Care Fee Subsidy?

A: Child Care Fee Subsidy helps reduce licensed child care and approved camp and recreation programme fees for children up to age 13. To be eligible for Fee Subsidy you must have a need for care and be eligible based on your family income. 

Q: Why is there a shortage of CWELCC spaces?

A: There is a significant discrepancy between the high demand for child care, and the capacity to expand the child care system to meet this demand. There is not enough supply of child care to meet the needs of the community, because of limitations including workforce shortages, limited CWELCC expansion, limited capital funding, and population growth. 

CWELCC has improved the affordability of child care, but has increased the demand for child care.

Q: What is Wellington County doing to address the shortage?

A: The Children’s Early Years Division is maximizing CWELCC spaces in Wellington-Guelph by allocating all spaces provided by the province, and planning for them to open by the end of 2026. Additionally, the Children’s Early Years Division engages in communication strategies to emphasize the need for stable and increased funding to sustain the child care system. See Social Services Advocacy Priorities.