Creating more child care spaces
Peel Region is committed to ensuring families who need child care can find accessible, affordable, inclusive, and high-quality licensed programs that meet their individual needs.
The promise of $10-a-day child care has increased the demand for care in Peel. Our Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) expansion plan will increase child care spaces by 41% for children younger than 6 years of age by 2026.
We need child care providers to create more licensed spaces that offer quality programming to families across Peel.
Non-profit expansion in Peel
The Ontario government has directed Peel Region to create 11,980 new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2026. This system expansion must at a minimum maintain our current ratio of non-profit spaces (60%) to commercial (for-profit) spaces (40%) for children younger than 6 years of age.
We have reached our commercial (for-profit) space allocation, and now our focus is on expanding our non-profit sector to meet our overall expansion goal set by the Ministry of Education.
We need to create at least 7,170 non-profit, licensed child care spaces.
Based on our current system needs, we are focusing our expansion efforts on centre-based programs in the community that serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
14 priority communities have been identified for child care expansion across Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga. Some communities have already met their expansion goals, so we are pausing work in those areas. We are prioritizing communities that still need child care expansion. Learn more about Peel Region’s approach to increasing child care spaces.
Contact us for more information or support.
Apply to the CWELCC program
If you would like to support families in Peel by offering licensed, non-profit child care, learn how to apply to Peel Region’s CWELCC program.
In 2022, the Canadian government launched the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program in Ontario, administered by the Ontario government and delivered by service system managers, including Peel Region. The CWELCC program goal is to give families access to more affordable and high-quality child care for children younger than 6 years of age.
CWELCC aims to:
Lower fees
- Under CWELCC, licensed child care fees will reach an average of $10-a-day by 2026.
- Starting January 1, 2025, the maximum daily rate for families with eligible children in CWELCC programs is $22.
- The benefit of lower fees under CWELCC is available to both families who pay a full fee and those who receive child care subsidy.
Increase access
Support expansion of new licensed child care spaces in geographic areas and diverse communities where they are needed most.
Support inclusion
- Ensure child care programs and space expansion plans support the needs of underrepresented and diverse populations.
- Assess the barriers that prevent families from accessing licensed child care.
Enhance high-quality child care
- Improve compensation for low wage Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs).
- Implement a workforce strategy to support, recruit, and retain staff.
Peel Region’s early years and child care team is here to support you as you help children and families thrive every day. We offer funding support to help you succeed within the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program.
New CWELCC funding approach
Effective January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Education has implemented cost-based funding to support child care providers with the operating costs to deliver licensed child care under the CWELCC program.
Under the new approach, funding is based on the costs of providing high-quality child care services, which includes factors such as staff salaries, training, fixed costs, and other operating costs.
Cost-based funding is guided by 4 principles:
- Transparent
- Representative
- Simple
- Accountable
More information:
Start-up Grant
If you’re creating new, full-day licensed spaces in a community-based child care centre, you may be eligible for the Start-up Grant. This grant can help with equipment, furniture, and minor renovation costs.
The amount of money you receive will depend on your expansion project. Learn more about the Start-up Grant for licensed centre-based child care.
Expansion support
If you’re opening a new licensed non-profit child care program or expanding your existing non-profit child care program, refer to the "opening a licensed child care program" section to find out what you need to do and who can help you.
In Peel Region and Ontario, you must have a licence for any child care program that provides care to more than 5 children who are 13 years and younger. The Ontario government sets out the requirements for licensed child care providers under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
Getting a child care licence
It takes about 4 to 6 months to go through the process to get a child care licence, depending on how long it takes to:
- Complete renovations.
- Get police record checks.
- Purchase equipment.
- Hire supervisors and staff.
- Develop policies and procedures.
- Receive all required approvals, including fire and health inspections.
Steps to opening a new program
If you’re opening a new licensed non-profit child care program or expanding your existing non-profit child care program, here’s what you’ll need to do and who can help you.
Find an expansion site location
- Review the priority communities for licensed child care expansion in Peel.
- You can use our mapping tool to find out if your proposed site is in an available priority community.
Complete the CWELCC expansion and Start-up Grant applications
- Once you have confirmed the expansion site address, you can complete the application.
- Our CWELCC intake team can help you with any questions about your application.
Once approved, complete your CWELCC expansion project
- If you’re approved for the Start-up Grant, you can use the money to cover the costs of your professional team, such as project managers, architects, and engineers, as well as your minor renovations, equipment, and furniture.
- Our Start-up Grant team can support you with questions about the grant.
Complete the Child Care Licensing System licensing process
The Ministry of Education will assign you a program advisor to help you get a licence.
Onboard your new expansion site with Peel Region’s Service Manager
We will assign you an early years specialist who will provide you with ongoing support.
Key partners
As a current or potential child care provider, you’ll need to work with several different organizations to complete all the required steps to open a licensed child care program. These key partners include:
Peel Region, which manages the early years and child care system in Peel. Peel’s early years and child care services team:
- Reviews and approves CWELCC applications.
- Enrolls child care providers into the CWELCC program.
- Determines the level of funding for each licensee.
- Oversees Peel’s licensed child care system.
Peel Public Health carries out health inspections.
Your professional team, which leads the project planning, execution, and oversight of your child care expansion project. This team may include:
- Project managers
- Project consultants
- Engineers
- Architects
- Other hired contractors
Municipal partners in Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga:
- Review and approve zoning requests.
- Approve building permits and site plans.
- Complete occupancy and fire inspections.
The Ministry of Education:
- Reviews licence applications submitted through the Child Care Licensing System.
- Issues floor plan approval letters.
- Assigns program advisors.
- Schedules site inspections to ensure that you comply with requirements.
- Issues licences for child care centres and home child care agencies.
The Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 includes the requirements that licensed child care providers must follow.
To help you understand and follow these requirements, access the Ontario Child Care Licensing Manual.
To understand Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, refer to How Does Learning Happen?
For more information to help you plan, design, construct, renovate, and maintain your licensed child care centre, see the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Planning and Design Guidelines for Licensed Child Care Centres.
The Ontario government has authorized Peel Region to oversee early years and licensed child care services in Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga. This means that we are responsible for the planning, funding, administration, and operation of programs and services. We do not directly deliver licensed child care or other early years programs.
As the service system manager, we work with service providers to ensure families have access to inclusive, affordable, accountable, high-quality, accessible early years and child care services.
Licensed child care
Peel’s licensed child care system includes programs delivered by both non-profit and commercial (for-profit) licensed child care providers. Providers deliver child care in centres, their homes, and before and after school programs in schools, which provide a seamless day of care for school-aged children. Child care also covers programming for school non-instructional days, such as PA days, March Break, and summer camps.
All licensed child care programs in Ontario are regulated by the Ministry of Education.
EarlyON Child and Family Centres
We oversee free programs that help families with children from birth to 6 years of age to grow and learn while connecting families with early childhood professionals who can answer questions about child development.
Child care subsidy
We reduce the amount of money that eligible families pay for child care for children 12 years and younger so that families with lower incomes have access to licensed child care.
Special needs resourcing
Through Peel Inclusion Resource Services (PIRS) we ensure access, inclusion, participation, and belonging of all children in licensed child care by connecting providers and families with special needs resourcing support.
Service system plan
Peel Region’s Early Years and Child Care Service System Plan 2019-2024 is mandatory under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. The plan aligns with the 20-year vision for Peel, which is Community for Life — a place where everyone enjoys a sense of belonging and has access to the services and opportunities they need to thrive throughout each stage of their lives. It also reflects our commitment to creating a healthy, safe, and connected community.
We’re in the process of developing the next service system plan for 2025-2030, following a comprehensive community engagement exercise.
Peel is a rapidly growing municipality, with the highest proportion of children (42%) in the Greater Toronto Area according to the latest census. As the child population grows, so will the need for early years and child care services. This means that we must effectively manage the child care system so that all families have access to quality care.
69% of people in Peel identify with a racialized group — the highest in the GTA. Currently, 18% of Ontario's immigrant population live in Peel.
Access to inclusive early years and child care services leads to a sense of belonging and well-being. For newcomer families, finding child care is often their first step to getting a job, improving English, or upgrading qualifications.
Peel has a large and young workforce, made up of roughly half of its total population. The labour force are the people that live in Peel, ages 15 to 64 years, and are either working or looking for work. The rest of the population not in the labour force includes students, retired people, stay-at-home parents, and those not looking for a job.
Child care is essential to our working community. We have strong labour force participation and a young, family-aged workforce who need access to child care. This means that Peel is an ideal place for child care expansion because the demand is high.
Successful expansion under the CWELCC program in Peel means that additional qualified staff will be needed to meet the growing demand for child care. To address this, we have established a comprehensive workforce strategy with tangible actions to attract, recruit, and retain qualified professionals in the sector.
Peel’s Early Childhood Workforce Strategy focuses on:
- Peel’s Professional Advancement of Careers in Early Childhood Education program; a 2-year online, self-guided diploma program for eligible early years and child care staff.
- Creating immigration pathways that attract highly qualified RECE immigrants and offers incentives for them to remain in Ontario’s early years and child care system.
- Providing funding and flexible training options to those already working in the sector looking to advance into ECE roles.
- Creating retention incentives for those currently working in the sector.
Peel Region is committed to a thriving and dedicated early years workforce. Learn about our workforce strategy.
Related information:
- Onboarding resources for licensed centre-based and licensed home child care providers
- College of Early Childhood Educators
- Start a child care program
- Operating a licensed child care program
- Planning and design guidelines for licensed child care centres
- Child care centre licensing manual
- Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 is the current law governing child care in Ontario
- Ontario Regulation 137/15 made under the CCEYA to view licensing standards for child care centres and home child care agencies.
Ministry resources about the new cost-based funding approach: