Opening Licensed Child Care Program

The first step is to learn about Child Care Licensing and to follow the steps outlined by The Ministry of Education.  
The Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) is the legislation governing child care in Ontario. It includes regulations related to policies and procedures, building and accommodation, equipment and furnishings, playgrounds, records, staffing and group sizes, nutrition, programming and health and medical issues.
Resources: 

• Provide Child Care and Early Years Programs
• Start a Child Care Program
• Operating a Licensed Child Care program
• Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA)
• Canada-Ontario Early Years and Child Care Agreement

Licensed Child Care Centre Application

Eligible licensees who are expanding or have registered with the Child Care Licensing System (CCLS), can contact Hastings County Children’s Services to determine eligibility for a Purchase Service Agreement with Hastings County to access funding and supports. 

If you are interested in applying for a Purchase Service Agreement, Hastings County Children's Services is implementing an application process that will be released in the Fall of 2023. For more infomration or to notify Hastings County of your intent to open a new child care centre or exapnd current licensing, please contact  csfunding@hastingscounty.com to start the application process to determine eligibility to enter a Purchase Service Agreement with Hastings County.
 

Child Care Providers Opting into the CWELCC System

Hastings is currently implementing a Service Agreement Application process that will be available Fall 2023. Please check back for more information, and for available guidelines and applications. Licensee's can fill out the below forms to notify Hastings County of opting into the CWELCC System in the meantime. 

2023 CWELCC Requested For New License or License Revision Applications 

Forms to submit to csfunding@hastingscounty.com

CWELCC New Licence Application Service System Manager Confirmation Form

CWELCC Licence Revision- Service System Manager Confirmation Form

Potential Funding and Support Resources for Early Years and Child Care Providers: 

• Fee Subsidy
  • Hastings County can support making child care more affordable for families with low and moderate income, by offering a Child Care Fee Subsidy that reduces the amount of money that families have to pay licensed child care providers to care for their child(ren).  Parents who are eligible under the provisions of the income test may be eligible for fee subsidies for children 12 years of age or under. Fee subsidy funds can be used to support full and part-time child care in licensed child care centres, licensed home child care agencies, camps, and extended day programs (before and after school programs and non-instructional days). 
• General Operating Grant 
  • The purpose of GOG is to support the costs of operating licensed child care programs to reduce wait times and fees for services; stabilize service levels; and where funds allow, improve access to high quality affordable early learning and child care services for children and their families.  GOG consists of funding for wages and eligible operational expenditures; the funding to support wages is to be used to enhance staff salaries, and the system priorities funding is to be used to support individual child care program goals. 
• Wage Enhancement 
  • The Ontario government recognized the need for wage enhancement/HCCEG to assist with retaining RECEs, and support access to stable, high-quality child care programs for children in Ontario. The 2022 Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG) will continue to support an increase of up to $2 per hour, plus 17.5% benefits for eligible centre-based staff and home visitors. In addition, the 2022 Home Child Care Enhancement Grant (HCCWEG) continues to support an increase of up to $20 per day for home child care providers contracted with a licensed home child care agency.
• Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care (CWELCC)
  • Funding under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CWELCC) will be used to build and leverage the success of Ontario’s existing Early Learning and Child Care System by increasing quality, accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity in Early Learning and Child Care, towards achieving the objectives of: 
    • Providing a 25% fee reduction retroactive to April 1, 2022, building to a 50% reduction in average parent costs (based on 2020 levels) for licensed Early Learning and Child Care by January 2023 and reaching an average parent fee of $10 a day by 2025-26 for licensed child care spaces 
    • Creating 86,000 new high-quality, affordable licensed child care spaces (relative to 2019 levels), predominantly though not-for-profit licensed child care 
    • Addressing barriers to provide inclusive child care 
    • Valuing the early childhood workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities
  • The CWELCC System supports the provision of child care programs licensed under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, (CCEYA) located in the County of Hastings. 
    Eligible licensed programs include: 
    • Programs for any child under six (6) years, and up until June 30 in a calendar year; 
      • any child who turns six (6) years old between January 1 and June 30 in that calendar year; and is enrolled in a licensed infant, toddler, preschool or kindergarten group, a licensed family age group or home child care, as defined in the CCEYA.
  • All Licensees with programs serving children under the age of 6 (or turning 6 before June 30) in Ontario are eligible to apply to participate in the CWELCC System. Participation in the CWELCC System is optional; however, Licensees are encouraged to participate and CMSMs are encouraged to enroll Licensees so that families can benefit from fee reductions.
• Start-up Funding 
  • Ontario’s Action Plan for implementing the CWELCC system includes providing capital start-up grants to support the creation of new spaces in targeted regions, and for underserviced communities and populations
  • Start-up grants can be used to offset the initial costs required to expand or create spaces in these region, such as equipment and leasehold improvements. The grants are available to support community-based capital projects and exclude capital projects for child care programs that run during school hours for kindergarten and school-aged children. Start-up funding may be used for retrofits, renovations, or expansion projects, but cannot be used to purchase land or buildings. Hastings County approval of capital start up grant funding will take into consideration: 
    - Local Child Care Plans 
    - Accommodation pressures/service gaps and demand
    - Cost Effectiveness 
    - Location
    - Available Operating Funding
    - Capacity of program to access fund through other means
    - Program budget and financial history 
    - Child Care licensing history 
    - Current licensed and operational capacity 
    - Age groups
    - Long-term Viability
    - Investment in quality programs 
• Transformation
  • Transformation funding supports program viability and facilitates child care transformation. Transformation is intended to cover one-time costs for licensees, including licensed child care centres and licensed home child care agencies that are involved in business transformation activities and/or require business transformation supports. Business transformation activities are defined as, but not limited to: the amalgamation of two or more centres in a school or community setting; the relocation of a child care centre to a school or within the community; or, the retrofitting of an existing child care centre to serve younger age groups.
• One-Time Funding
  • Play-Based Material and Equipment:
    • Play-based material and equipment funding is intended to help licensees create enriching environments both indoors and outdoors with open ended materials that promote children’s learning and development through exploration, play and inquiry consistent with the views, four foundations and pedagogical approaches of How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years.
  • Repairs and Maintenance Expense:
    • The purpose of repairs and maintenance funding is to support licensed child care centres and home child care agencies that are not in compliance with licensing requirements or may be at risk of not being in compliance with licensing requirements under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. Funding is intended to cover one-time repair and maintenance cost
  • Transformation Funding

    • Transformation funding supports program viability and facilitates child care transformation within the local community. Intended to cover one time costs for licenses, including licensed child care centres and home child care agencies involved in business transformation activities and/or require transformation supports.