Lower fees for families who use licensed child care
Get updates on eligibility and refunds
To receive lower child care fees, children must be enrolled in a licensed centre or home child care program that chooses to participate in the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care plan.
Who’s eligible
- Children under the age of 6 regardless of which age group they are enrolled in.
- Children who are 6 years old are eligible until June 30 of that calendar year.
Reducing your fees
If you have a child of eligible age and your provider chooses to participate and is approved, you will see the following reductions:
- 25% for any fees that you paid after April 1, 2022. We expect providers who are participating will be ready to give refunds this fall.
- January 1, 2023, your fees will drop by another 25%. This means the fees you pay next year will be 50% lower than they are now.
- You will see more reductions in 2024. However, the exact amount is not yet available.
- September 2025, you will get your final reduction as all child care fees move towards an average of $10 a day.
Providers must apply to participate
All licensed child care providers can choose to participate in the new child care plan.
On June 22, we shared the application package with child care providers, and they can now start applying.
The decision to participate in the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care plan is up to the child care provider.
Providers have until November 1 to decide if they wish to participate. We will be updating our website to show which providers have decided to participate in the plan and those who have chosen not to.
Next steps for you
Families will continue to pay their current fees in full until the Region of Peel approves the child care provider’s application. If your child care provider is approved for the new child care plan, you will receive up to a 25% refund for any fees that you paid after April 1, 2022.
If your child care provider tells you that they decided not to participate in the plan or were not approved and you wish to withdraw from their program, you will have 30 days to tell them without any penalty.
How to get your refund
- You don’t need to do anything to get your refund. However, there are some things that need to happen first.
- Your child care provider must apply to participate in the new child care plan and be approved. If that happens, they will let you know when you will receive your refund.
- Your child care provider must tell you if they decide not to participate, or are not approved. You will not get a refund if that happens.
- We expect that this process will take a few months and that families will get refunds this fall.
- Regardless of when your provider is approved, you will still get your full refund for any fees that you paid after April 1, 2022.
If you would like to know if your child care provider plans to apply, you can ask them.
If you have concerns about your child care provider sharing their plans to participate you can tell us here.
To find a child care provider in Peel, go to InfoPeel. If you need support to pay your child care costs, see if you qualify for help.
Learn more about the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement.
