Ontario entered into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement, a $13.2 billion agreement, with the Government of Canada. This includes lowering fees to an average of $10 per day for children five and under in licensed child care by September 2025.
The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement will:
Licensed child care providers can choose to participate in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care System to help reduce fees. If your licensed child care provider does not participate, your fees will not be reduced. Camps and authorized recreation programs are not eligible to participate in this program.
What this means for child care providers
As a licensed child care provider, you must apply to participate to help lower average fees for parents.
Child care providers who participate will receive funding to reduce fees and must operate under specific guidelines. Contact your local service system manager for more information and to apply.
Child care providers who do not participate in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care System must continue to follow the rules and requirements for operating a licensed child care program. They will not receive CWELCC funding to reduce child care fees.
If you are thinking of opening a new licensed child care program for children, or purchasing an existing program, you will need to contact:
Once your program has been licensed, you may be interested in applying for a Purchase of Service Agreement (POS) with the City of Peterborough to provide fee subsidy to eligible families enrolled at your centre. If you are a home child care provider interested in becoming part of the licensed home child care system, please contact one of the licensed home child care agencies that serve the City and County of Peterborough.
Apply for a Purchase of Service
A service agreement for Child Care Subsidy may be available to agencies that meet the following criteria:
Once an application is submitted for a POS, the following documentation is required:
All approved operators will receive a POS legal agreement which provides information for about the, requirements and expectations of the services and funding opportunities and related details.
The decision to enter into a POS agreement is at the discretion of the Children's Services Program Manager and is dependent on available funding and local need. Prior to entering into an agreement, the Program Manager will schedule a site visit to meet the operator and view the site.
Currently there is a temporary suspension on all new Purchase of Service Agreements with licensed child care programs due to funding pressures.
The City of Peterborough purchases Child Care services on behalf of subsidy eligible families from licensed Child Care Agencies in the City and County of Peterborough. Child Care agencies with an established Agreement are eligible to request an increase in their School-Age (6-12 years) fees once a calendar year.
To increase school-age fees, Child Care Agencies must submit a Purchase of Service Renewal package including:
Once all documentation is submitted, the Children's Services Early Years Funding Coordinator will review the package and provide a written response within 30 days.
To be eligible for funding organizations need to have a license and a purchase of service agreement with the municipality.
The purpose of Wage Enhancement is to:
Wage Cap for 2023:
Full Wage Enhancement:
Partial Wage Enhancement:
All licensed child care agencies can apply for Wage Enhancement. New agencies wanting to apply for funding can apply online. The application closes February 28th. Agencies applying will be required to submit the following completed documents:
All required documentation must be submitted and approved before the City will make the first payment to the operator.
Inquiries regarding the misuse of Wage Enhancement funding for a child care site should be documented and submitted.
All inquiries will receive a response in writing within 15 business days. Public inquiries related to wage enhancement are processed through the City of Peterborough in accordance with Provincial guidelines.
Is intended to support the costs of operating licensed child care programs to reduce wait times and fees for services, stabilize service levels and increase access to high-quality affordable child care services by supporting costs such as:
To be eligible for funding organizations need to have a license and a purchase of service agreement with the municipality.
Is intended to strengthen the early years sector by building capacity and assisting with play-based materials, repairs and maintenance, and other sector priorities to support the provision of high-quality child care programs for children ages 0 to 12. Agencies with an agreement will receive a notice when this funding becomes available.
The capital allocation is provided to maintain and improve child care infrastructure across communities. This allocation will support minor capital retrofits to allow operators to re-purpose existing community-based centres to serve children 0 – 5 years .