City's Implementation of Early Learning Child Care Plan Confirms Significant Cost-Savings for Hamilton Families

Hamilton, ON – Today, the City of Hamilton, in its role as the Consolidated Service Manager for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan, confirmed Hamilton families have saved approximately $3,600 per child in 2022.

Parent fees were further reduced as of December 31, 2022, by an additional 37%, resulting in an estimated annual savings of approximately $9,100 per child for families in Hamilton. 

"These savings are game-changing for Hamilton families, particularly for women," Mayor Horwath said. "Child care is a critical component to Hamilton's economic recovery and directly impacts participation in the labour market. This is a significant step forward in helping Hamilton families with the growing cost of living while savings are ultimately reinvested back into our economy. It is a big win."

These savings come as the City continues to partner with the Ontario Ministry of Education to implement the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system at the local level. This vital and ongoing work includes engaging with community partners to ensure more families in Hamilton will have access to licensed child care.

The City's early efforts saw 96% of licensed child care operators in Hamilton opt into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care funding program.

The fee subsidy budget supports an average of 4,200 local children every month. In 2022, approximately 20% of these 4,200 Hamilton children had a daily parental contribution. 

"I would like to thank the previous Council and City staff for their hard work in implementing the plan locally, with 96% of Hamilton child care operators opting in. This Council and I are committed to further growing this program so that even more Hamilton families may benefit," Mayor Horwath added.

Quick Facts

• On March 28, 2022, the provincial and federal governments announced an agreement to implement the CWELCC funding program in Ontario. Since then, the City has been developing the implementation and application processes and engaging with 223 licensed child care operators and home child care agencies in Hamilton.
• 96 per cent of licensed child care operators in Hamilton have signed up to participate in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) funding program.
• The program is designed to support Ontario's children, families, employers and the child care sector to provide high-quality, affordable, accessible and inclusive licensed child care programs. 
• In November 2022, the City’s Children and Community Services division worked closely with all participating licensed child care operators and home child care agencies to process rebates of 25 per cent of child care fees backdated to April 1, 2022 to all families with a child under 6 years of age.
• Ontario’s Ministry of Education has committed to providing operating funding to create 86,000 child care spaces by the end of 2026. Up to 42,000 of these spaces will be created by the end of 2023.
• Ontario’s Ministry of Education is using a directed-growth approach to create affordable child care spaces in communities that need them the most. Child care expansion will focus on children with special needs, families with low income, those who are most vulnerable, children from diverse communities, Francophones, Indigenous, Black and other racialized and newcomer communities.