Wellington-Guelph Child Care Application & Waitlist
As of April 2024, the majority of licensed child care programmes within Wellington County and the City of Guelph have started using a centralized child care waitlist.
The Wellington-Guelph Child Care Application and Waitlist is where you can find and apply for licensed child care and authorized recreation programmes in the County of Wellington and the City of Guelph. Programmes continue to maintain control over their own waitlist(s) and waitlist policies.
The Wellington-Guelph Child Care Application and Waitlist will allow families to:
Easily find and apply to licensed child care centres, home child care providers, before and after school programmes and authorized recreation programmes, of your choice.
Focus on convenience by using the interactive map to find child care options close to work or home.
Manage contact information, applications, and preferences for programmes and centres.
If you make a change to your contact information, this change will automatically be reflected across all programmes you have applied to.
Seek information about financial assistance for child care and special needs supports (Enhanced Support System) for children.
The Wellington-Guelph Child Care Application and Waitlist will:
Allows operators to easily market their programmes, customize their priorities, and fill vacancies faster.
Reduces the administrative burden for operators to manage and monitor their waitlist.
Have access to accurate and up-to-date applicant information.
Operators maintain their own waitlist policies and procedures.
Applicants are made aware that adding their child’s name to the waitlist website does not guarantee they will be offered a space for every programme they apply to.
Operators can include their programme’s specific waitlist policies and procedures in their customized welcome letter to families.
Operators continue to offer available spaces according to their policies and procedures.
Find answers to common questions on our FAQs page. For further inquiries, please contact us at ceyd@wellington.ca.
What types of child care are available?
Throughout Wellington and Guelph there are variety of licensed child care and early learning programmes available, each providing safe and unique environments that are designed to meet your child's needs as they grow. Learn more about the types of care below:
Child care programmes are licensed by the Ministry of Education to ensure they meet specific provincial standards for the health, safety and developmental needs of children. They may provide care for infant, toddler, preschool and school-aged children.
Child care provided in the home of a child care provider that has an agreement with a licensed agency. Providers are supported by Registered Early Childhood Educators who meet Ministry of Education requirements to oversee your child's care.
Authorized recreational programmes are not licensed but are defined under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 and may provide another option for before or after school, summer care, and non-instructional school days.
Having trouble deciding between licensed and unlicensed child care? Visit Child Care Counts for information on high quality licensed learning environments.
