Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement

• Enrolled 214 of 223 of Hamilton’s licensed child care programs into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system
• Lowered child care fees in participating providers by 52.75% from March 2022 rates
• Lowered contributions for families receiving financial support for child care by 50%
• Issued rebates of 25% for the costs of child care to eligible families, backdated to April 1, 2022
• Provided funding to child care providers to ensure Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) receiving less than the wage floor met the minimum standard under the agreement

• Under workforce compensation guidelines of the agreement, Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and supervisors will receive a $1 per hour wage increase each year from 2023 to 2026, up to a maximum of $25/hour
• Developing and implementing a local Access, Inclusion and Expansion framework
  • Child care expansion will focus on children with special needs, families with low income, those who are most vulnerable, children from diverse communities, Francophones, and Indigenous children
  • Expansion will take place in data-determine priority neighbourhood and as always, focus on providing Hamilton families with high-quality, affordable and inclusive child care

As a part of access and inclusion planning, the City will continue to engage with the Early Years Community and enhance data collection to ensure child care expansion meets the needs of Hamilton families and licensed child care operators. This planning will align with the following guiding principles:

According to the Ministry CWELCC guidelines, the expectation is that both the Annual Increase (AI) and Wage Floor (WF) funding be identified separately on paystubs. If the payroll system will not allow for additional lines, individualized letters must be provided and signed by the eligible staff. The letter must outline the portion of the staff wage paid by the employer (base pay); Provincial Wage Enhancement (WEG); CWELCC Annual Increase (AI); CWELCC Wage Floor (WF); and General Operating for Wages (GOG) if applicable. This letter should be reissued each time their base rate or other wage supplements change.

As per the CWELCC guidelines, the 2023 wage floor is $19 per hour for eligible RECE Program Staff and $21 per hour for eligible RECE Child Care Supervisors and RECE Home Child Care Visitors. To receive Wage Floor compensation, eligible staff must have an hourly wage inclusive of WEG and AI below the wage floor as at Jan1, 2023. At the current time we have not been informed of any impacts of the minimum wage increase to the wage floor eligibility.

If a Licensee determines they do not have sufficient funds based on eligible staffing hours, email Child Care Contract Analysts [email protected] for consideration of additional funding. There will be a midyear reconciliation which will provide the opportunity to project the amount of funding your centre will require for the remainder of the year.

To ensure compliance with the Workforce Compensation guidelines, Licensees will be required to complete a reconciliation template to confirm the distribution of the CWELCC Workforce Compensation Funding. This includes reporting: eligible hours, dollars paid, eligible age group category and percentage of time eligible.

As you are aware, the Ministry is working on a new Child Care Funding formula effective January 2024. As outlined in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care 2024 Child Care Funding Formula Discussion paper, the staffing grant will continue to include existing wage compensation grants, including the CWELCC Workforce Compensation funding. We will share with the community once we have information about the 2024 funding guidelines from the Ministry.

We will be creating and sending out a document for staff.

All data requirements noted above must be reported by all licensees and separately for staff serving the following age groups: eligible children (i.e., children under 6 years old), children aged 6 to 12 who are not eligible. If a staff member is serving both categories, they should be included in the category where they mostly work.

No, do not include GOG payments when determining if a staff qualifies for the CWELCC Workforce Compensation Funding.

No, eligible employees are to receive Annual Increase (AI) and Wage Floor (WF) for all hours worked. The only exception is if a RECE non-program staff spends at least 25% of their time to support ratio requirements as outlined in the CCEYA, in which case the staff would be eligible for the wage floor and annual wage increase for the hours they are supporting the ratio requirements.

Yes. Licensees are required to provide the compensation to all eligible employees for all hours worked retroactive to January 1, 2023.

The Annual Increase (AI) and Wage Floor (WF) applies to staff who qualify. To qualify, staff must:

• Be a RECE in good standing with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE) as outlined in the Early
• Childhood Educators Act, 2007.
• Be employed by an eligible service provider (as temporary, part-time or full-time and receive a T4) in a position categorized as:
  • RECE program staff
  • RECE supervisor (per license)
  • RECE Home Visitor

Note: Non-program staff who are a RECE in good standing with the CECE and spend at least 25% of their time meeting CCEYA ratio requirements, qualify for the number of hours worked in ratio.

• Receive the Wage Enhancement Grant (WEG).

Staff hired temporarily through a third party (such as an employment agency) do not qualify.

Yes. Eligibility for the up to $1 per hour AI increase is capped at $25 per hour (including the base wage and WEG). This cap is the same for all RECEs regardless of position and experience.

As noted in the CWELCC guidelines a RECE supervisor is a RECE who is in a supervisor position as indicated on the license (O. Reg. 137/15 s. 53). Only RECE supervisors and home visitors qualify for the $21/hour wage floor. Assistant supervisors who have a RECE designation and spend at least 25% of their time supporting CCEYA ratio requirements may qualify for the RECE Annual increase and/or the RECE program staff wage floor ($19/hour) for hours worked in program only.

This employee is eligible if they spend at least 25% of their time supporting ratios requirements as outlined in the CCEYA, in which case the staff would be eligible for the Annual Increase (AI) and Wage Floor (WF) for the hours they are supporting the ratio requirements.

Yes. To ensure equity of wages across staff serving different age groups, and to avoid these increases being passed onto parents through higher fees, RECE staff in licensed child care programs serving children aged 6 to 12, are eligible for Workforce compensation.

No. In-year employer wage increases don’t impact staff eligibility for the 2023 Workforce Compensation. Licensees are to use the base wage as of January 1, 2023 when determining staff eligibility. Workforce compensation funding must be considered in addition to and not reduce other planned compensation increases for eligible staff.

No. The 17.5% benefits for Workforce Compensation are to offset the cost of Employer benefit contributions such as CPP, EI, 4 % vacation, nine statutory holidays, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and Employer Health Tax.

As noted in the Ministry’s 2023 Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Guidelines, Workforce Compensation Funding includes an allocation of benefits to a cap of up to 17.5% in benefits to help cover the incremental benefits that result from the implementation of the Workforce Compensation Funding.

The 17.5% benefits are applied to the incremental Workforce Compensation Funding amount. If staff gets $18/hour base wage, plus $2/hour WEG, plus $1/hour WCF wage increase, the WCF 17.5% benefits are calculated on the $1/hour wage increase which equals $0.175/hour.