Support for early childhood educator graduates

Your hourly base wage is the amount we pay directly to your employer. The hourly base wage plus wage top-ups make up your hourly pay.

If you are a child care centre supervisor, an educator that supports child ratio requirements, or a home visitor, you may receive wage grants. Your employer receives these grants from Peel Region through the following funding initiatives:

• General Operating Funding (GOF) for centres.
• LHCC Base Funding for LHCC agencies.
• Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG).
• Workforce Compensation Funding (WCF). This applies to you if you are a member in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE).

General Operating Funding (GOF)

If you received any GOF in 2024, your employer must continue paying it in 2026.

You will continue to receive this amount as part of your wage top-up for as long as you remain in an eligible position with your employer.

If you qualify, this top-up will appear on your pay stub as GOF.

Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG)

You may qualify for the up to $2 an hour WEG if you meet both conditions:

• You are a child care centre supervisor, program staff (staff that supports adult to child ratio requirements), or a home visitor.
• Your hourly wage, including your base wage and GOF, is less than $33.81 an hour.

This top-up will appear on your pay stub as WEG.

Workforce Compensation Funding (WCF)

If you are a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) working as a child care centre supervisor, program staff (staff that supports adult to child ratio requirements) or a home child care visitor, you may qualify for:

Up to $4 an hour RECE wage increase, if your wage (base wage + GOF + WEG) is below:

• $28 an hour (program staff)
• $31 an hour (child care centre supervisors and home visitors)

RECE wage floor, meaning you must earn (including all top-ups) at least:

• $25.86 an hour (program staff)
• $26.86 an hour (child care centre supervisors and home visitors)

This top-up will appear on your pay stub as CWELCC.

Wage stability

In 2025, the Ministry of Education made a new rule to change how wage top-ups are calculated, which means some staff who qualified for WEG or WCF in 2024 may not qualify in the same way going forward. Wage stability makes sure that no one earns less because of this change, so educators can continue to receive at least their December 2024 hourly wage, including enhancements.

Top-ups for statutory holidays, vacation, sick days, and closure days

Pay for statutory holidays, vacation, sick days, and closure days are considered benefits. If you are paid for these days, then the GOF, WEG, and WCF top-ups must also be paid (as applicable).

Ineligible positions

You do not qualify for the top-ups if you are:

• A student or volunteer.
• A third party or agency worker.
• Working in a position that never supports child ratio requirements.

In addition to their agency payment, Licensed Home Child Care (LHCC) providers who are contracted by a licensed home child care agency that is part of CWELCC qualify for the following payment top-ups:

LHCC Base Funding

If you received any LHCC Base Funding payment enhancement in 2024, your agency must continue paying them in 2026.

These amounts stay part of your payment enhancement for as long as you are contracted with the same agency as you were contracted with in 2024.

If you qualify, this payment enhancement will appear on your pay stub as “LHCC Base Funding”.

Home Child Care Enhancement Grant (HCCEG)

LHCC providers may qualify for full or partial HCCEG depending on the number of hours they operate each day, and the daily payment they get.

Full day providers

LHCC providers that provide child care for more than 6 hours a day and earn less than $338.10 a day can receive a payment enhancement of up to $20 a day.

Partial day providers

LHCC providers that provide child care for less than 6 hours a day and earn less than $202.86 a day can receive a payment enhancement of up to $10 a day.

If you have questions about top-ups

Start by reviewing our CWELCC guidelines and school-age funding guidelines to learn more about our programs. If you still have questions, talk to your centre supervisor or employer.

Peel Region is committed to growing and supporting a strong early years and child care workforce. As the need for early childhood educators continues to grow, job opportunities for individuals seeking a rewarding career are also increasing. To support your development, the following support programs are available.

Planning time and professional learning

Program staff can use for planning time to align pedagogy with practice, reflect on professional learning activities, consider children’s goals, and prepare learning environments for children.

To be eligible for planning time funding, program staff must work a minimum of 20 hours a week supporting ratio requirements as outlined in the CCEYA. Eligible staff must receive 4 hours of paid planning time each month.

Program staff and supervisors can receive funding to support professional learning. This helps strengthen skills, deepen knowledge in child care, and align everyday practice with the How does learning happen, Ontario’s pedagogy for the early years and child care sector.

Program staff who work a minimum 20 hours a week supporting ratio requirements, as outlined in the CCEYA, are eligible to access up to $500 a year for:

• Professional learning costs.
• Paid professional learning time.
• Staff coverage (release time).
• Extra hours worked.
• Travel time and mileage.

Your employer is responsible for communicating these opportunities to you. Ask them about planning time and professional learning.

Early childhood education diploma programs

To become a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) you need to complete an early childhood education diploma program from an Ontario college.

We offer tuition grant programs to support non-RECE’s in the early years and child care sector. These programs may be in person, online, or a mix of both. Work-integrated learning opportunities are also available so students can study while continuing to work in the sector.

Professional Advancement of Careers in Early Childhood Educators (PACE) program

PACE offers non-RECEs currently working in the sector fully funded tuition towards earning an ECE diploma.

This program is an online, self-paced program that enable participants to earn a 2-year college diploma in Early Childhood Education while continuing to work with their current child care provider in Peel.

This program includes 280 hours of field placement, which you can complete at your centre. Whether these hours are paid is up to your employer.

Upgrade your knowledge, experience, and credentials

The Qualifications Upgrade Program (QUP) offers financial help to individuals already working in child care or early years programs to complete their ECE diploma and advance their careers in early childhood education.

This financial grant helps students cover the cost of:

• Tuition.
• Travel.
• Living expenses.
• Membership fees.

The QUP also offers financial assistance to early years and child care professionals to help them complete leadership certifications such as the Leadership Micro-Credential program from Sheridan College.

The Child Development Resource Connection Peel (CDRCP) offers high-quality, diverse, and responsive professional learning for Peel’s early childhood professionals. They offer engaging, relevant, and informative in-person, virtual, and pre-recorded learning sessions to educate professionals about the best care and practices for the children and families in Peel region.

Job opportunities and support

If you wish to build a career as an early childhood professional, you can find job postings on the CDRCP Peel Community Job Bank. Also visit peel.eoworks.ca.