Financial Support for Child Care

NEW! The Ministry of Education released new guidelines for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system on August 17, 2022.

Changes that impact families

• Licensed child care operators now have until November 1, 2022 to opt-in to the CWELCC system
• Licensed child care operators that have opted-out, must notify families in writing no later than November 1, 2022
• Child care rates will be reduced by 25% within 20 days of opting-in instead of 31 days
• Rebates (in the form of credits, cheques or e-transfer) will be provided to families within 20 days instead of 60 days
• We are taking a phased in approach and rebates will be issued to families as operators begin to formally opt into the CWELCC program

Details that remain the same for families

• Child care fee subsidy will continue. Families will receive a 25% rebate of the daily child care fees they have paid up until April 1, 2022
• Families will receive a rebate of 25% of the fees they paid back-dated to April 1, 2022
• On January 1, 2023, fees will be reduced by a further 25% for a total of a 50% reduction of the market rate

If your licensed child care provider decides to participate and is approved, they will let you know when you can receive your refund. If your provider decides not to participate in the agreement, they must let you know.

Once we receive more information from the provincial government, the City of Hamilton will be creating an application process to make it easy for your child care provider to apply to a part of the agreement. While this process may take a few months, you will still receive a refund retroactive to April 1, 2022.

We encourage parents/caregivers to reach out to their child care providers for any questions related to whether your child care provider intends to apply to participate in the agreement.

Find a child care provider in Hamilton, view the current child care registry.

Need help covering the cost of licensed child care? Learn more about opportunities for a child care subsidy.

We are working with licensed child care operators through an expression of interest process to opt-in or opt-out of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system in Hamilton. All child care operators have until November 1, 2022 to formally opt-in or opt-out.

The City of Hamilton is committed to providing parents with current information regarding child care operators that have expressed their intentions to opt-in or opt-out of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system.

*Please note: this list may change as we continue to work through the process.

This list will continue to be updated until November 2, 2022, following the deadline to opt-in/opt-in to the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system on November 1, 2022.

• Kinderseeds Inc.
• Meadowlands Preschool Inc.
• Mountain Nursery School
• My Little Sandcastle

• Ancaster Montessori School Inc.
• Dundas Valley Co-op Preschool
• Hillfield Strathallan College
• Imagineer's Early Learning Centre
• Kindertown Child Care Centre
• Literacy And Mathematics Academy
• Pied Piper Co-operative Preschool
• Quality Foundations Childcare
• Tiny Hoppers Early Learning Centre Stoney Creek Rymal
• Tiny Hoppers Early Learning Centres Stoney Creek Paramount
• West Mountain Montessori School
• Westdale Children's School