The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system supports quality, accessibility, affordability and inclusivity in licensed child care.
A virtual information session on 2023 CWELCC Expansion & Start-up will be held on September 26, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
This session will review the application process, the requirements, and other details. This session is intended to be helpful for those seeking clarifications about the process and is not a requirement for applying.
Questions about the general application process can be emailed to childcaregrowth@toronto.ca in advance of the session.
Specific questions about your operation can be directed to your District Consultant. To find your District Consultant please visit: A – Z list of Licensed Child Care Centres and scroll to the bottom of your child care location’s page. If you are not currently operating please send questions to childcaregrowth@toronto.ca
Note: A French-language summary and Q&A will follow the English-language session and will start at 10:30 a.m. Optional: French-speaking operators are also invited to attend the 9:30 a.m. session, prior to the French session.
The 2023 Application for Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care (CWELCC) Expansion and Start-Up Grants is now open. The application deadline is October 6, 2023.
There will be additional opportunities to apply in 2024.
All licensed child care agencies, including Home Child Care, who will be operating child care in Toronto are welcome to apply.
There is limited funding from the Ministry of Education to expand CWELCC spaces in 2023. If the total number of spaces requested through this application process exceeds the number of spaces available, a process of prioritization will be implemented. Priority will be given to applications that increase access to care in areas with historically lower availability of child care spaces and key socio-economic indicators: namely, support child care for vulnerable or underserved populations, particularly low-income families; children with extra support needs; Indigenous families, Francophone families, Black families; other diverse families; and newcomer families. For more information on the Toronto Children’s Services’ approach to improve access and inclusion for priority areas and target populations, please see the June 14, 2023 City of Toronto Council approved report.
The Ministry of Education has directed the City to maintain its current proportion of not-for-profit child care spaces. Thus, a minimum of 80% of the new spaces approved must be not-for-profit spaces. This will be monitored and actioned by Children’s Service throughout the expansion process.
New child care spaces must:
Also:
*See exception related to Start-Up Grants below
The Start-Up Grant is available to for-profit and not-for-profit Licensed Child Care Agencies and Home Child Care Agencies enrolled in CWELCC.
Applicants for Start-up Grants must commit to the following:
For additional information on the Start-Up Grant, including eligible expenses, please see pages 43 to 57 of the Ministry of Education Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Guidelines (June 2023).
CWELCC is a five-year plan that is being implemented in stages, to make child care more accessible and affordable. Fees will reduce every year, reaching an average fee of $10/day by 2025-2026.
CWELCC will:
As the service system manager for Toronto, the City’s role in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system is to: