Early Learning and Child Care Expansion Toolkit

As a child care operator, you will make a difference in the lives of children, families, and our community by providing quality care for children, supporting their development and well-being, while contributing to the economy and society.

It is integral to Ontario's prosperity!

Access to early years services and licensed quality child care services:

• Encourages labour force participation, giving more people the opportunity to return to work earlier if they choose to do so,
• Reduces poverty for low-income families; and,
• Leads to better educational, employment and earnings outcomes as these children become adults, meaning a strong labour force and economy.

It is a smart investment!

Public investment in early years and child care has a multiplying effect in economic benefits. In Ontario, the multiplying effect of investing in child care is approximately $2.27, meaning that every dollar invested in child care results in an economic output of $2.27.

• Affordable child care can help boost women’s workforce participation, with significant economic benefits.
• Mothers with young children are currently contributing an estimated $53 billion per year to the Canadian economy.
• High-quality licensed child care provides Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that build a strong foundation for development and well-being.
• 90% of adult brain development occurs between 0-5.
• High-quality licensed child care helps children develop vital skills during their first five years which marks a critical developmental period in a child’s life.

Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) provide children with the foundation they need to grow into future leaders. ECEs use their extensive knowledge of learning and child development to create high-quality learning opportunities through play and exploration.

Educators are trained to:

• Understand brain development and how to support healthy growth.
• Identify children's developmental stages and capabilities in social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic, and physical domains.
• Build partnerships with families to support children’s well-being.
• Plan activities that promote learning and build on children's current abilities and interests.

Participation in high-quality learning environments, can help support children and their communities and to improve social, health, and academic outcomes.

Benefits for children:

• Improved physical and mental well-being.
• Decrease in chronic health problems.
• Increase self-confidence.
• Improved outcomes in literacy, math, and science.
• Higher rates of completing high school.
• Increase in conflict resolutions skills.

Benefits for communities:

• Increases the number of women in the workforce.
• Decreases the need for social assistance.
• Increases household income.
• Decreases participation in criminal activity.

Source: Child Care and Early Years Services in Ontario pdf (omssa.com)

In 2021, the Government of Canada identified child care as a national priority to enhance early learning and childhood development, support workforce participation and contribute to economic recovery.

The Federal Government committed to investing in a national child care system called the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System to:

• Create more affordable, quality licensed child care spaces.
• Support the early childhood workforce through enhanced compensation, training, and professional learning opportunities; and
• Improve accessibility by addressing barriers to providing inclusive and flexible child care.

The CWELCC System is a five-year plan that will reduce fees every year, reaching an average fee of $10/day by 2026.

As the Service System Manager (SSM), Bruce County’s role in the CWELCC System is to:

• Implement provincial guidelines,
• Establish local policies, procedures, and funding approaches,
• Develop and implement an application and approval process for the CWELCC System,
• Contract for CWELCC funding through Service Agreements,
• Provide fiscal oversight & funding; and,
• Report to the Ministry of Education and Bruce County Council on the CWELCC System.

Under the CWELCC System, Ontario has committed to create new licensed child care spaces in underserved communities. In alignment with Ontario’s Access and Inclusion Framework, Bruce County’s Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Plan will prioritize child care expansion to:

1. increase access equity by supporting child care expansion in municipalities with an access rate lower than the provincial average of 37%.
2. support child care access for low-income children, vulnerable children, children from diverse communities, children with special needs, Francophone, and Indigenous children.
3. maintain or improve the proportion of not-for profit licensed child care spaces at 70% or higher.

Bruce County has been allocated a notional target of 645 net new child care spaces by the end of 2026.

In addition to reviewing the social-economic factors identifies by the province, community prioritization for child care expansion was achieved by reviewing county-wide growth forecasts, waitlist data and current access rates (see figure 1).

Figure 1: Child Care Access Rates for Children Aged 0-4*

*Child care access rate is calculated by dividing the number of available infant, toddler, and preschool child care spaces as of January 2023 by the 2021 0-4 population.

The Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) is the law governing child care in Ontario. The CCEYA applies to:

• Unlicensed child care;
• Home child care providers contracted by a licensed agency;
• Licensed home child care agencies;
• Licensed child care centres;
• Authorized recreational and skill building programs; and,
• Child and family programs (i.e. EarlyON child and family centres).

The CCEYA establishes rules for child care and early years programs and services in Ontario to support the health and safety of children, provide oversight of providers, and help parents make informed choices about child care options.

Licensees are required to review and fully understand the legislative requirements to operate a licensed child care program, prior to applying for expansion. After reviewing, test your knowledge with the CCEYA Self Test.

The Child Care Centre Licensing Manual provides information about the legislative and regulatory requirements for licensed child care centres as set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and Ontario Regulation 137/15 (hereafter O. Reg. 137/15 or the Regulation). The Manual has been written to:

• support centres in meeting licensing requirements by describing the intent of the regulations and how compliance can be demonstrated.
• help centres achieve and maintain compliance as well as improve program quality by suggesting best practices and providing additional information.
• connect centres with other resources, where applicable, to deepen knowledge and inform best practices.

The Manual has been designed for use in conjunction with the CCEYA and its regulations. References made to sections, subsections or clauses refer to O. Reg. 137/15, unless otherwise specified.

Child care centres in Canada may operate in one of two auspices: for-profit and non-profit. Auspice refers to the financial and administrative operating structure of the child care centre. The auspice also indicates who owns and operates the child care centre.

Non-profit child care centres are either incorporated as a non-profit organization or as part of a larger entity, such as a multi-service provider that is incorporated. All funds are redirected back into the operation of the non-profit program. Non-profit child care centres are required to be governed by a volunteer board of directors.

For-profit child care centres are operated privately as a commercial business. This can be as a franchise of a larger business chain in some cases. For-profit centres are operated directly by the owner.

Ontario remains committed to supporting all licensees regardless of auspice. However, as per the CWELCC agreement, the proportion of non-profit licensed child care spaces for children age 0 to 5 must be maintained at 70% or increased by the end of 2026.

For more information on business structure and to book a free consultation with a development coordinator visit our Planning and Development webpage.

As outlined in Bruce County’s Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Plan there are key priority areas in need of child care across Bruce County. Interested operators must consider the priority locations when applying to open or expand a licensed child care centre.

Work with Bruce County's Business to Bruce team on location opportunities and additional business supports at our Planning and Development webpage.

Cap on Fees

In accordance with O. Reg. 137/15, a cap on all base fees and non-base fees in child care for eligible children must be maintained by a licensee at a child care centre it operates or at a home child care premise that it oversees.

Licensees are required to set their base fees at or below Bruce County’s regional maximum, as set out by age group. Please refer to O. Reg 236/22 of the CCEYA for Bruce County’s maximum base rate fee for centre-based care and home child care by age group.

Note that the cap on fees does not apply to fees charged to parents for children who are not eligible (i.e., school age children over 6 years), as these children are not eligible for funding under CWELCC.

Base Fees & Non-Base Fees may be charged by licensees. Please see Section 1. (1) Definitions of O. Reg. 137/15 for description of these two types of fees.

Fee Reduction

Licensees will be required to directly reduce base fees by the incremental fee reduction amount as outlined in the applicable funding guidelines.

The licensee is required to maintain its new base fee until they are either required to reduce them again, or they are no longer participating in CWELCC. Anything that a parent is required to pay (i.e., mandatory fees) must be included in the base fee.

Non-base fees are not eligible for CWELCC funding and are not subject to the parameters set out above; however, they must meet the definition of non-base fee set out in O. Reg. 137/15.

Revenue Replacement and Cost Escalation

CWELCC participating licensees will receive revenue replacement funding to support the implementation of the fee reductions. Please refer to the funding guidelines for sample funding scenarios and more information on revenue replacement.

In addition to revenue replacement funding, CWELCC participating licensees will receive cost escalation funding to support cost increases that operators face that are beyond the licensees control that may impact their capacity to participate in CWELCC. Licensees can only use the cost escalation funding to address operating cost increases beyond the control or discretion of the licensee, such as salaries and wages, benefits, operations, and accommodations.

The value of early years educators cannot be overstated. The training, knowledge, and competencies of early childhood educators are distinct and unique from other professions.

The ECE (Early Childhood Educator) Act defines the practice of early childhood education as “the planning and delivery of inclusive play-based learning and care programs for children to promote the well-being and holistic development of children.

Only members of the College of Early Childhood Educators can practice the profession of early childhood education and use the protected titles “Early Childhood Educator” and “Registered Early Childhood Educator” along with the professional designations ECE, RECE and their French equivalents.

The purpose of a protected title is to assure the public that any person who uses it has met the education and other requirements for entry into the profession. The protected title also assures the public that any person who uses it is accountable to practise the profession of early childhood education in accordance with the ethical and professional standards set by the College.

The table below summarized the CCEYA requirements for ratios of employees to children, maximum group sizes and the proportion of employees that must be qualified.

For more information visit:

College of Early Childhood Educators

Be an Early Childhood Educator in Bruce County

The CWELCC system will support child care operators in the recruitment and retention of the child care workforce through improved compensation for low wage earners by funding annual wage increases for eligible Registered Early Childhood Educations (RECE’s).

Wage Floor

All eligible staff hired during year in question must earn at least the wage floor identified for that year, plus benefits, as defined in the table below.

Hourly Wage Floor 2022 to 2026

Extensive consultations with the sector emphasized the need for improved wages to support recruitment and retention of Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs). Building on the Wage Enhancement Grant and the current workforce compensation under CWELCC, the Ontario Child Care Workforce Strategy will continue to improve wages for RECEs employed by licensees participating in CWELCC. 

In 2024, the wage floor will increase from $20 per hour to $23.86 per hour for eligible RECE program staff and from $22 per hour to $24.86 per hour for Supervisors and RECE Home Child Care Visitors. The wage floor will then increase by $1 per hour each year up to 2026.

Updated Wage Floor (Per hour)

Annual Wage Increases

CWELCC participating licensees are required to increase the hourly wage of eligible staff by $1/hour, plus benefits, on January 1 of each year from 2023 to 2026. Staff above the wage floor will have their hourly wage increased $1/hour, up to the $25/hour wage cap.

To receive the annual wage increase, staff must:

• be receiving Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG) funding,
• have an hourly wage, including WEG, below the wage cap of $25 per hour (i.e., base wage plus WEG funding plus annual increase cannot exceed $25 per hour). Benefits should not be included when determining the base wage.

Workforce compensation funding must be considered in addition to and not reduce other planned compensation increases for eligible staff. For example, the wage floor and annual wage increases cannot be used to reduce or offset planned merit increases for eligible staff.

In 2024, eligibility ceiling for the annual $1 increase will increase for eligible RECE program staff to $26 per hour and $29 per hour for Supervisors and RECE Home Child Care Visitors. The eligibility ceiling will then increase by $1 per hour each year up to 2026. The eligibility ceiling is not a wage cap. Employers can choose to pay RECE wages above the eligibility ceiling.

Updated Wage Ceiling for Annual Wage Increase (Per Hour)

Benefits Funding

Workforce compensation funding includes up to 17.5% in benefits to support licensees in meeting their statutory benefit requirements. Statutory benefits are benefits licensees are required to provide their staff as determined by the law (e.g., vacation days, statutory holidays, Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance).

Ineligible Positions

The wage floor and annual increase do not apply to non-RECE program staff, director approved staff and non-program staff such as:

• Cook, custodial and other non-program staff positions.
• SNR-funded resource teachers/consultants and supplemental staff
• Staff hired through a third party (i.e., temp agency)

The only exception to the non-program staff noted above is if the child care staff member is a RECE and the position spends at least 25% of their time to support ratio requirements as outlined in the CCEYA, in which case the staff would be eligible for the wage floor and annual wage increase for the hours that they are supporting the ratio requirements.

Participation Requirements

Licensed child care operators participating in CWELCC must have a CWELCC service agreement with Bruce County and are required to keep a copy of their service agreement, in electronic or hard copy format, on the child care premises, and available for ministry inspection.

Licensees must complete the annual data collection exercise, currently referred to as the Licensed Child Care Operations Survey, which may be amended from time to time, as required by the ministry. If information has not been submitted, Bruce County will withhold funding to licensees until the ministry has confirmed the information has been submitted.

Accountability

All child care licensees in receipt of CWELCC funding must submit financial information, as well as audited financial statements to Bruce County to verify that the funding provided was used for the purpose intended.

Bruce County will undertake compliance audits on a random sample of licensees in receipt of CWELCC funding on an annual basis to confirm that funding has been used for its intended purpose and meets the terms and conditions set out in the CWELCC service agreement. Bruce County may recover funding and the licensee may be deemed ineligible to receive future funding if found to be not in compliance.

As the SSM, Bruce County is required to develop local plans and strategic directions in a way that suits the unique needs of our community while addressing matters of provincial interest under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA).

Service system planning provides us with an opportunity to explore and gather in depth knowledge about our community’s needs, analyze the impacts of programs and services in our community, identify progress and service gaps, and develop key directions in our journey together. Child care and early years providers in Bruce County play an integral part in the County’s priority to ensure the local delivery or early years and child care services are accessible, responsive, affordable, inclusive and of high quality. See Bruce County’s Child Care and Early Years Services System Plan at Bruce County Children's Services.

To receive financial supports and services, licensed child care operators must enter into a purchase of service agreement with Bruce County by completing the Child Care Purchase of Service Application Process.

The purchase of service agreement is a legally binding contract between the County and the operator. The purchase of service agreement is pursuant to the CCEYA and provides authority to Bruce County to administer delivery of financial assistance provided by the Ministry of Education with respect to licensed child care services and authorized recreational and skill building programs within its geographical area.

Within the Bruce County child care community, operators will have access to comprehensive resources to support the delivery of high quality, inclusive child care services. These resources encompass quality assistance, professional growth opportunities, specialized support for children with special needs, as well as supports from EarlyON Child and Family Centres.

To apply for a Purchase of Service Agreement, interested applications must submit:

• Proof of Insurance
• Copy of Parent Handbook
• Fee Schedule as per O. Reg. 236/22
• Annual Budget
• Grey Bruce Public Health Inspection
• Fire Inspection
• Owner/Board Contact Information
• Ministry of Education Approved License Capacity
• Governance Structure
• Signing Officer Contact Information

Once the application to enter into a purchase of service agreement has been approved by Bruce County Children’s Services, the operator will receive:

1. An agreement for review and signature,
2. Information regarding fee subsidy billing,
3. Information regarding available funding, including CWELCC,
4. Access to the Bruce County child care waitlist system, and
5. A request from Bruce County for information regarding electronic funds transfer, as Bruce County pays via direct deposit.

Currently, operators may be eligible for receipt of funding from Bruce County for fee subsidy, wage enhancement grant, general operating grant, enhanced programming support, special purpose, and CWELCC funding supports upon approval and agreement execution.

See Application Process and Grants for a full step by step guide.

The Bruce County Operators Handbook provides information for operators about the roles and responsibilities of Bruce County Children’s Services as well as the requirements and expectations of the operators holding a purchase of service agreement with Bruce County.

The handbook provides insight and clarity regarding service agreements, the fee subsidy program, funding opportunities and eligibility, reporting requirements and resources available to those in a service agreement with Bruce County.

The handbook is reviewed regularly by Bruce County Childrens Services to ensure operators have the most up to date information available.

Please visit the Bruce County Children’s Services website for more information on programs and supports offered by Bruce County.

Interested applicant reviews and understands the:

• Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and Ontario Regulation 137/15 to understand licensing requirements.
• Child Care Licensing Manual to understand the legislative and regulatory requirements for licensed child care centres.
• Bruce County Child Care and Early Years System, including the:
  • Bruce County Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan,
  • Bruce County’s Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Plan (above),
  • Purchase of Service Agreement requirements and supports (above).
• Reporting and reconciling requirements as outlined in the Bruce County Operators Handbook.

During the application period, interested operators may apply for consideration to open or expand a licensed child care program.

• Bruce County Children’s Services reviews application for Service System Plan priority alignment and eligibility to make an informed decision regarding submitted application.
• Bruce County Children’s Services communicates the decision to applicant in writing.
• Meeting will be scheduled with a Bruce County Children’s Services and the approved applicant(s), to review next steps.

• Successful applicant reviews the Start a Child Care Program website to learn how to obtain a child care license in Ontario, including how to apply, information on fees and required approvals.
• Licensee builds, renovates, or retrofits new space; licensee submits status update(s) to Bruce County Children’s Services regarding status of project at key milestones as outlined in project plan.
• Applicant submits the signed Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care New License Application Service System Manager Confirmation Form found on CCLS.
• Applicant notifies Bruce County Children's Services once licensing is approved by Ministry of Education.
• New licensee and Bruce County enter into a Purchase of Services Agreement.
• Licensee adheres to Bruce County’s required reporting and reconciliation requirements, as prescribed by the purchase of service agreement, the operators handbook, or as communicated by Bruce County Children’s Services staff.

Start-up Grants support the creation of new licensed full day spaces for children under age six in targeted regions for underserved communities and populations. High need populations include:

• Vulnerable children,
• Children from diverse populations,
• Children with special needs, and
• Indigenous and Francophone communities.

Applications for Start-up Grants are assessed against the Bruce County Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Plan by enabling space creation in neighbourhoods that have had historically lower rates of space availability that may not be accommodated through natural growth.

Start-up Grants can be used to offset the initial costs required to expand or create spaces such as equipment and leasehold improvements. The grants support community-based space expansion projects and prioritize the creation of new licenced full-day spaces for children aged 0-4. Start-up Grants may be used for retrofits, renovations, or expansion projects, but cannot be used to purchase land or buildings. Space expansion projects for child care programs that run during school hours for kindergarten and school-aged children are ineligible for Start-up Grants.

Eligible expenses for licensed child care centres include:

• Play materials, equipment, and furnishings (both indoors and outdoors) as outlined in Section 19 of O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA).
• Non-consumable supplies/equipment to support the ongoing regular operation of the child care program (e.g. appliances, IT, supplies to support learning environments while adhering to health and safety requirements).
• Renovations, additions, or repairs to licensed full day child care facilities or potential child care facilities as approved by Bruce County.
• Changes to outdoor play space that are required as a result of the expansion of child care spaces in the centre so that the licensee continues to comply with section 24 of O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA). Funding to cover the costs incurred to make outdoor play space changes are subject to the overall project cap of $90 per square foot to a maximum of $350,000 per 50 child care spaces created.
• Leasehold improvements.

Eligible expenses for home child care licensees:

• Play materials, equipment, and furnishings (both indoors and outdoors) as outlined in Section 27 of O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA).

The application for Start-up Grant funding is included in the Bruce County Early Learning and Child Care Expansion Application and will only be available to successful expansion applicants.

The application period is now closed. If you are interested in participating in the CWELCC program between 2024 and 2026 please open the Bruce County Early Learning and Child Care Multi-Year Expansion Application.

Please review the application form in full, and complete all sections, coloured in green. Failure to submit a completed application will result in delays in processing your request. Reference the section completion status at the top of each section before moving onto the next section.

Please submit one application per new or revised license. In other words, if you plan to open or expand more than one license, complete this application for each project.

Future application windows may open in 2024 subject to space availability.

Once your application has been reviewed in full by the County of Bruce, a decision will be made and communicated to you in writing, along with next steps, if applicable.

Important Note: Bruce County does not guarantee approval of applications into the CWELCC system. All applications are subject to Bruce County’s review and funding availability.

If you have any questions about the application form, please email childcare@brucecounty.on.ca with your questions and contact information and we will follow up as soon as possible.