Region seeks to expand affordable child-care program

York Region wants to add more than 2,000 child-care spaces under a program that caps child-care fees for kids aged under six years at $22 a day.

Regional Chair Eric Jolliffe will write to the Minister of Education to advocate for additional federal/provincial funding to support the creation of 2,175 more spaces under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, which will allow it to meet the province’s target of 39,000 spaces by the end of the year.

Regional Council is calling on the provincial and federal governments to explore an income-tested approach that aligns with the existing child-care fee subsidy program, with a focus of better supporting families with lower household incomes rather than priority graphical areas, while maintaining affordability.

The Ministry of Education launched the CWELCC program in March 2022 following an agreement between the federal and provincial governments to reduce child-care fees for children under six years of age, expand access to licensed child care, and strengthen the child-care and early years workforce.

The original agreement was to expire in March 2026. In November 2025, provincial and federal governments agreed to a one-year extension of the program to March 31, 2027, maintaining child-care fees at a cap of $22 per day through December 31, 2026, with no further fee reductions planned during the extension period.

According to a report by York Region’s Commissioner of Community and Health Services Lisa Gonsalves, the CWELCC program has improved child-care affordability, increased access to spaces, and supported workforce recruitment and retention.

Ninety per cent of the Region’s child-care operators participate in CWELCC. Through the allocation of CWELCC spaces to priority area neighbourhoods, the Region has increased access to child care for children and families in underserved communities. Registered early childhood educator wages have increased from $18 to $25.86 an hour over the past four years, and child care and early years staff have benefitted from additional training and professional development opportunities, Gonsalves says in the report.