Supporting early childhood professionals
Early childhood educators working in Peel play an important role in supporting children’s learning, development, health, and well-being, during the most important years of their lives. We value your role and offer many supports to help you to thrive in your career.
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.
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.
Your employer or LHCC agency must be part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan. They are responsible for telling you the CWELCC grants they apply to your wage and benefits. You can also ask your employer or LHCC agency to explain any notes on your pay statements.
If you are a child care centre supervisor, or an educator who supports child ratio requirements, you could earn wage grants. Your employer receives these grants from Peel Region through the following funding initiatives:
- General Operating Funding (GOF) for centres.
- 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
If you received any General Operating Funding (GOF) in 2024, your employer must continue paying it in 2026.
You will continue to earn this amount as part of your wage top-up for as long as you remain in a qualifying position with your employer.
If you qualify, this top-up will appear on your pay stub as GOF.
Wage Enhancement Grant
You may qualify for the up to $2 an hour Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG) if you meet both conditions:
- You are a child care centre supervisor or program staff who supports adult to child ratio requirements.
- 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 or program staff who supports adult to child ratio requirements, you may qualify for:
Up to $4 an hour RECE wage increase, if your base wage + GOF + WEG is below:
- $28 an hour for program staff.
- $31 an hour for child care centre supervisors.
RECE wage floor, meaning you must earn, including all top-ups, at least:
- $25.86 an hour for program staff.
- $26.86 an hour for child care centre supervisors.
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. This 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 grants.
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 if you qualify for them.
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.
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.
Licensed Home Child Care (LHCC) providers who are contracted by a licensed home child care agency that is part of CWELCC qualify for their agency payment, plus the following top-ups:
LHCC Base Funding
If you received any LHCC Base Funding grants in 2024, your agency must continue paying them in 2026.
These amounts stay part of your grant payment for as long as you are contracted with the same agency as you were contracted with in 2024.
If you qualify, it will appear on your pay stub as “LHCC Base Funding”.
Home Child Care Enhancement Grant
LHCC providers may qualify for full or partial Home Child Care Enhancement Grant (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 earn a grant of up to $20 a day.
Partial day providers
LHCC providers who provide child care for less than 6 hours a day and earn less than $202.86 a day can earn a grant of up to $10 a day.
Your employer or LHCC agency must be part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan. They are responsible for telling you the CWELCC grants they apply to your wage and benefits. You can also ask your employer or LHCC agency to explain any notes on your pay statements.
Peel Region acknowledges the dedication of early childhood professionals. They help our children and families learn, play, and grow in safe and welcoming spaces and play a vital role in building a community for life.
Every October, Peel Region recognizes the efforts of our early childhood professionals and is proud to celebrate the Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day.
Watch our appreciation videos:
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 ECEs looking for a rewarding career are also increasing. The following programs support your career growth and professional development.
Program staff can use planning time to align pedagogy with practice, reflect on professional learning activities, consider children’s goals, and prepare learning environments for children.
To qualify for planning time funding, program staff must work a minimum of 20 hours a week supporting ratio requirements as outlined in the CCEYA. Qualifying staff must receive 4 hours of paid planning time each month.
Program staff and supervisors can get 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, qualify 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 sharing these opportunities with you. Ask them about planning time and professional learning.
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-RECEs in the early years and child care sector. These programs may be in person, online, or a mix of both. Opportunities are also available so students can study while continuing to work in the sector.
Licensed home child care providers can support children and families in your community while enjoying the flexibility of setting your own hours. Home child care agencies are licenced by the Ministry of Education to work with home business entrepreneurs to create child care programs.
If you live in Peel and are ready to start your own home child care business, review the list of licensed home child care agencies that operate homes in Peel that we work with:
- Better Than Home
- Bright Future Childcare Services
- Building Opportunities Inc.
- Caring For Kids - Home Day Care
- Children's Learning Garden Home Licensing Agency
- ChildSPEC Licensed Home Daycare Services
- Daisy Blue
- Family Day Care Services
- Fun Time Day Care LHCC
- Kids Kare Home Day Care Agency Ltd.
- Kreative Kids PHDC
- Learning Happens Child Care Inc.
- RUMO Child Care Services
- Today's Family Private Home Day Care
- Wee Watch - Terrace Woods (Vaughan/Caledon)
- Wee Watch (Mississauga South) Enriched Home Day Care (Paulins)
- Wee Watch Enriched Child Care - Brampton
- YMCA of Greater Toronto
Reasons to join these agencies as a home child care provider:
- Set your own hours to offer flexible child care hours in a home setting.
- Access competitive compensation and provincial grant funding through agencies.
- Connect with families needing child care that works with your schedule and services.
- Receive guidance from home child care visitors to meet regulations under the Child Care and Early Years Act.
- Get administrative support to help manage your business.
Qualifications Upgrade Program
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 help for early years and child care professionals to complete leadership certifications such as the Leadership Micro-Credential program from Sheridan College.
Professional Advancement of Careers in Early Childhood Educators program
Professional Advancement of Careers in Early Childhood Educators (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 allows those taking part 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.
Professional learning and development for ECEs
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.
Find job postings on the CDRCP Peel Community Job Bank. Also visit Employment Ontario Peel.