System Planning Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care System
In 2022, Ontario signed the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CWELCC) with the Government of Canada. Significant new federal investments through this agreement will support: fee reductions, increasing the number of licensed childcare spaces, addressing barriers to providing inclusive child care, and supporting the early childhood workforce.
Funding under the CWELCC Agreement will be 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:
- Providing a 25% fee reduction (for eligible children) retroactive to April 1, 2022 building to a 50% reduction in average parent costs for licensed early learning and child care and reaching an average parent fee of $10 a day by 2025-26 for licensed child care spaces;
- Creating 86,000 new high-quality, affordable licensed child care spaces (relative to 2019 levels), predominantly though not-for-profit licensed child care;
- Addressing barriers to provide inclusive child care; and
- Valuing the early childhood workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities.
“Eligible Children” means any Child under six years old; and up until June 30 in a calendar year, any Child who (a) turns six years old between January 1 and June 30 in that calendar year, and (b) is enrolled in a licensed infant, toddler, preschool or kindergarten group, a licensed family age group, or home child care, as defined in the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Innisfil Montessori Academy has been approved and is operating within the CWELCC as of December 5th, 2022