Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care

Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care (CWELCC) Key Objectives

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system supports quality, accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity in early learning licensed child care serving eligible children.

Key objectives include lowering child care fees for eligible children, improving wages and increasing access to quality child care programs.

CWELCC is a five-year plan that is based on equity and inclusion. All families, including those with a fee subsidy, will have access to CWELCC programs by 2025.

For information on child care in Lanark County, please visit Licensed Child Care in Lanark County.

Key objectives of CWELCC include:

1. Fee Reduction

In 2022, families with eligible children received a 25% fee reduction retroactive to April 1, 2022.

Beginning January 2023, eligible children in participating licensed child cares will be further reduced by another 25%, totaling 52.75% reduction. By September 2024, CWELCC will reach an average parent fee of $10 a day.

As a parent or guardian of a child under the age of six, you do not need to apply to get a fee reduction.

2. Increased Access to Quality Child Care

Create 86,000 new high-quality, affordable licensed child care spaces in Ontario, predominantly through not-for-profit licensed child care. Barriers will be addressed to deliver inclusive child care.

3. Support the Child Care Workforce

Provide the early childhood workforce with training and development opportunities. Workforce compensation funding to support eligible Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) staff. Increased compensation will help support the recruitment and retention of RECEs working in the child care sector as part of a provincial strategy to achieve system growth and ensure increased access to high-quality licensed child care.