The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system supports quality, accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity in licensed child care. It was initiated and funded by the Government of Canada and CWELCC is a five-year plan to reduce the cost of child care to an average of $10 per day by 2026.
The City is working with the Province of Ontario to implement this program for families with eligible-aged children.
You can find a CWELCC-participating child care program:
Children under the age of six (or who turn six before June 30, 2023) in a licensed child care program participating in CWELCC, are eligible for fee reductions that will help with the cost of child care.
If your child is enrolled in a participating Kindergarten, Family-Age Group or Home Child Care CWELCC program and turns six they are eligible for a fee reduction until June 30 or the end of the month that they turn six.
If your child is enrolled in a participating School-Age CWELCC program and turns six, they are eligible until the end of the month they turn six.
In 2022, CWELCC participating programs had to refund 25% of child care frozen fees, to a minimum of $12, retroactive to April 1, 2022 and reduce fees going forward.
In 2023, CWELCC participating programs must reduce their child care frozen fees by 52.75% to a minimum of $12 per day. The actual cost of child care will depend on what the child care fee was when the CWELCC program was announced on March 28, 2022.
Example:
If the frozen daily fee was $100 on March 27, 2022 (this is the date child care fees were frozen, unless the program communicated an increase to families before that time):
If the frozen monthly fee was $1,000 on March 27, 2022 (this is the date child care fees were frozen, unless the program communicated an increase to families before that time):
If you have questions or concerns about the fee you are being charged, please speak to the program and ask for details about the frozen fee and the reduction. If you continue to have concerns, please reach out to the Toronto Children’s Services District Consultant assigned to the child care program. Their contact information can be found on the bottom of each child care listed in the A – Z List of Licensed Child Care Centres.
The Child Care Fee Subsidy continues to be available for eligible families. A families’ assessed subsidy fee may be reduced up-to 50% depending on the number of eligible children in your family and if the child care program is participating in CWELCC.
If you are currently receiving Child Care Fee Subsidy and have questions about the CWELCC program, please contact the child care program.
The City continues to review applications from the licensed child care programs who applied to participate in CWELCC in 2022
In 2023, the Ministry of Education changed the enrollment process for licensed child care programs. Enrollment will be targeted to meet the priorities of the Access and Inclusion Framework that the Ministry of Education is currently developing.