Funding for Child Care Operators

90% of the licensed child care programs in The Regional Municipality of York (York Region) are currently enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. This means that families with children enrolled at a participating licensed child care centre or home child care program will have reduced child care fees.

Learn more at York.ca/canadawidechildcare

Staff salary grants allow child care operators to increase staff salaries in an effort to bridge the wage gap between Registered Early Childhood Educators working in the publicly-funded education system and those in the licensed child care sector. Child care operators are responsible for distributing the funding to their staff.

There are two types of subsidies for staff salaries:

• Wage Enhancement Funding
• General Operating Grant

Wage Enhancement and Home Child Care Enhancement Grant

Wage enhancement funding helps close the wage gap between Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) working for the school board in full-day kindergarten programs and RECEs/other child care program staff working in licensed child care settings. Wage enhancement funding is an annual initiative and operators are required to apply annually.

Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions

Wage Enhancement and Home Child Care Enhancement Grant Eligibility and Conditions

Staff Compensation Application 2025

Funding for other aspects of CWELCC, including workforce compensation, administration and cost escalation, will be determined by information collected in the 2025 Staff Compensation Application. Licensed child care centres and home agencies can submit one application per site to apply for funding.

The deadline to submit an application for 2025 funding is Monday, November 1, 2024.

Staff Compensation Application 2025

Resources

The following resources are available below to provide additional information about wage enhancement funding.

2024 CWELCC Staff Compensation Application User Guide
2024 CWELCC Staff Compensation Application Q&As
Wage Enhancement Funding Frequently Asked Questions - Staff
Wage Enhancement Funding Frequently Asked Questions - Centre/Operator
Wage Enhancement Funding – Sample Memo to Child Care Staff
General Operating Grant / Wage Enhancement Funding Staff Sign-Off Form

Newly licensed or existing operators that have questions regarding Wage Enhancement funding can contact their assigned Contract and Funding Coordinators or Child Care Services at @email

General Operating Grant

General Operating Grant Funding is intended to support the costs of operating licensed child care programs in order to:

• Increase payments made to private‐home day care providers
• Make child care more affordable for parents
• Stabilize or reduce fees for services for all families
• Improve access to high quality, affordable early learning and child care services for children and families

Current Funding Opportunities

There is currently no additional funding available for new operators to receive the General Operating Grant. As funding becomes available our Contract Management team will contact you.

Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions

General Operating Grant Funding Eligibility and Funding Conditions

Resources

The following resources are available below to provide additional information about the general operating grant.

General Operating Grant Funding Tip sheet
General Operating Grant – Sample Memo to Child Care Staff
General Operating Grant / Wage Enhancement Funding Staff Sign-Off Form

Licensed Home Child Care Base Funding

Base funding is intended to support the provision of stable, predictable funding to assist agencies with forecasting, planning and actively recruiting more providers. The purpose of the funding is to increase compensation for providers and/or reduce or stabilize fees for parents.

Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions 
Licensed Home Child Care Base Funding – Provider Sign-Off Form

Public Inquiries

The Regional Municipality of York is required, under provincial guidelines, to provide a process in order to manage public inquiries related to the Wage Enhancement Funding initiative. The Inquiry Form below is to be completed for more significant inquiries related to the following areas:

1. Distribution of Wage Enhancement or General Operating Grant funding to child care staff
2. Reporting the misuse of Wage Enhancement or General Operating Grant funding
3. Distribution of Licensed Home Child Care Base Funding

Individuals wishing to report an issue in one of these areas must complete the Inquiry Form and submit it to @email

All inquiries will be responded to, in writing, within 15 business days.

Special Purpose Funding is financial support for child care operators to:

• Enhance the toys and equipment in classrooms
• Meet Public Health, Ministry of Education and playground inspection non-compliance items
• Provide training and development opportunities to staff

Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions

Special Purpose Funding Eligibility and Funding Conditions

Funding Opportunities

Play-Based Materials and Equipment Funding

Not currently available

Play-Based Materials and Equipment Funding allows operators to purchase materials and equipment that promote children’s exploration and learning through play, consistent with the principles of the Early Learning Framework.

Capacity Building and Professional Learning Funding

Not currently available - See York Region’s Training and Supports for Early Learning and Child Care Professionals page for more opportunities.

Capacity Building and Professional Learning Funding offset costs for capacity building and professional learning opportunities for child care staff in their programs.

Repairs and Maintenance Funding

Not currently available

Repairs and Maintenance Funding allows child care operators to address issues that have been identified as a deficiency by Ministry of Education, York Region Public Health or a third party playground inspector.

Parents who receive child care fee subsidy can only send their children to approved child care centre-based and home-based programs. In order to be included in the EarlyYears Program Finder as a licensed child care program offering child care fee subsidy, child care operators need to enter into a Child Care Services Agreement with York Region.

The number of children receiving fee subsidy that are placed in a child care program can change yearly because the parent, not the Region, chooses the child care program.

Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions

Record of Attendance Handbook

Resources for Inclusion Support in Early Learning Settings (R.I.S.E.) includes a series of wraparound supports available to early learning and child care programs to support the inclusion of all children with varying abilities. R.I.S.E. includes training and other supports, such as coaching, to build the confidence of early learning and child care professionals as they support inclusive classrooms.

R.I.S.E. encompasses all services and supports available from York Region Children’s Services, including:

• Capacity Building Support Identification Tool (CBSIT)
• Development of a classroom plan
• Classroom consultations
• Positive Early Childhood Education Program (PECE) coaching
• Classroom resources
• Capacity building workshops
• Community resources and referrals to community providers of services and supports, such as Children’s Mental Health agencies
• Other funded classroom supports such as, PECE online module codes, funded training and funding for classroom assistants

R.I.S.E. services and supports can be accessed by making referrals to Inclusion Support Services. Referrals for children from birth to 3.8 years of age in preschool programs, are made through our Early Intervention Services Intake line at 1-888-703-KIDS (5437). If the child is eligible for service, the classroom becomes eligible for R.I.S.E. wraparound services and supports. For school-age programs, services will be provided through the School-Aged Pathway of service. Referrals can be made by completing the School-Age Consultation Referral Form

R.I.S.E. resources for child care operators and staff:

• R.I.S.E. Vision and Principles
• Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q) for early learning and child care professionals

For more information about the R.I.S.E. program, please review this insert. For questions about the R.I.S.E. program, please email @email

R.I.S.E. Inclusion series modules

York Region Inclusion Support Services has developed four learning modules as part of the Resources for Inclusion Support in Early Learning Settings (R.I.S.E.) series. These modules will provide you with important information related to inclusion, what it takes to create inclusive environments and what legislation expects of us when creating community programs that are equitable and accessible to all. You will also learn about the R.I.S.E. program and how to access supports as needed to build more inclusive practices within your classroom. There will be an accompanying resources page for each module. Each module takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete. Upon completion of the four modules and a short survey, participants will receive a certificate of participation.

The following topics are covered in the modules:

1. What is Inclusion? (25 minutes)
   An introduction to inclusion, what it means and how it can be applied in early learning settings. Learn about the benefits of inclusion for all children, families and early learning and child care professionals.
2. Inclusive Classrooms (20 minutes)
   How do you build an inclusive environment? Learn how to identify ways to support the needs of all children in the classroom setting and create learning opportunities that allow each child to meaningfully participate in all activities.
3. Legislation and the Duty to Accommodate (25 minutes)
   Understand how legislation, including the Duty to Accommodate and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, impacts the work of early learning and child care professionals.
4. The R.I.S.E. Program (20 minutes)
   An overview of the Resources for Inclusion Support in Early Learning Settings (R.I.S.E.) program and how to access available supports as needed to apply inclusive practices in your classroom.

How to access the modules

• Visit the following link to complete the training: https://yorkonlinelearning.informetica.com/
• On the York Region Account Login Page, select “Enter Access Code" and when prompted, input the word “inclusion"
• Register by filling in the required fields
• After the account is set up, modules can be accessed at any time

Resources for Inclusion Support in Early Learning Settings (R.I.S.E.) includes a series of wraparound supports available to early learning and child care programs to support the inclusion of all children with varying abilities. These wraparound supports range from classroom consultations, coaching, referrals to community resources and capacity building workshops.

York Region Inclusion Support Services Early Interventionists will provide child care programs with the Capacity Building Support Identification Tool (CBSIT) to assess their current needs and determine the supports that are required. A classroom plan is developed identifying goals that address their needs. At any time after the classroom plan has been in place for at least thirty days, while ongoing wraparound supports are provided, and if corroborated by the CBSIT score, it may be identified that additional funding is required to support the educational needs of the program or to hire a classroom assistant. These requests will be endorsed by the Early Interventionist.

Classroom assistants will be available to eligible classrooms for a 12-week period, with a possible one-time extension of an additional 12 weeks. The approved hours for a classroom assistant will vary depending on the needs of the classroom as indicated in the classroom plan. Exceptions to these short-term funding periods will be made for classrooms supporting complex, medically fragile children. To reapply for funding support, programs will need to demonstrate their progress on the classroom plan and how they will continue to utilize the funds to transition away from the continued need and build the knowledge and skills to support everyone in the classroom.

Please connect with your Inclusion Support Services Early Interventionist to access services and supports in the R.I.S.E. program and determine if your classroom is eligible for additional funded supports.

These funding opportunities are available to operators on a limited or one-time basis. Additional funding will be added as opportunities become available. Please check back often.

Rate Incentive Funding

The Rate Incentive Program was introduced by York Region to meet the priority of expanding access to affordable licensed child care spaces and support affordability for all parents and caregivers. This funding is historical and not available for new operators.

Rate Incentive Program Eligibility and Funding Conditions

As of the start of the school year in September 2021, all referrals to Inclusion Support Services for school-age children ages four to 13 years will come directly from school-age programs. Support will take place in the after-school care setting. Families and community providers are encouraged to work with the after-school program.

Inclusion Support Services will focus on the needs of the classroom by removing barriers that prevent the active and meaningful participation of all children. In partnership with the early learning and child care program, an Inclusion Support Services Early Interventionist will help develop a classroom plan and provide a plan of services and supports for early learning and child care professionals that help build more inclusive practices in the after-school program.

York Region will provide training, support, and resources through:

• Classroom consultations
• Online capacity building educational opportunities
• Positive Early Childhood Education Program (PECE) coaching
• Connections to other resources in the community, including children’s mental health

This is a collaborative consultation to help build the capacity of educators to support the inclusion of all children in their classrooms.

Please refer to this Questions and Answers document for School-Age Programs for information for school-age providers.

Please refer to this insert for information on Inclusion Support Services support for school-age children.

How do I make a referral?

Licensed school-age programs can make a classroom or child-specific consultation request by submitting the Inclusion Support Services School-Age Consultation Request Form. If the request is for a child-specific consultation, programs will need to obtain consent from the parent/caregiver before submitting the request.

Inclusion Support Services School-Age Consultation Request Form