By: Michelle Lee

In 2022, the federal and provincial governments signed the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement — a major step toward lowering child care fees and increasing access across the country. As part of this agreement, Ontario committed that 70% of new child care spaces would be created in the not-for-profit (including public) sector.

More than two years later, it remains unclear whether this target is being met. 

Ontario’s Early Years and Child Care Annual Report (2024) provides some useful information. It shows that the number of licensed child care spaces is growing, and it includes an overall breakdown of the number of for-profit, public and not-for-profit licensed child care centres in the 0-5 age group by year. However, what’s missing is a breakdown of which of these licensed child care centres are part of CWELCC. 

That’s why B2C2 has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Ministry of Education. We’re asking for data that breaks down the growth of child care spaces by provider type and geography, and tracks enrollment in the CWELCC program.

What We’re Asking For

To better understand how the sector is evolving, our FOI request includes:

• The number and type of licensed child care centres across Ontario, broken down by municipality and provider type (public, not-for-profit, or for-profit).
• A list of which centres and home child care agencies are enrolled in CWELCC, and which are not.
• Information on all new licensed spaces added since April 1, 2022, categorized by provider type.

Why This Matters

Access to this data is essential to evaluate whether Ontario is delivering on its commitment to a not-for-profit-led expansion and maintaining the 70/30 ratio for new child care spaces. It will also help highlight where further support is needed, particularly for not-for-profit providers who often face extra challenges expanding due to limited capital funding, staffing shortages, and financial uncertainty.

This request is part of our ongoing work to promote transparency, equity, and quality in Ontario’s child care system. Understanding how new spaces are being distributed will help inform better policy and ensure that all families benefit from CWELCC, regardless of where they live or what type of provider they access.