Operating a Child Care Business

The Ministry of Education licenses and monitors early learning and child care in Ontario. Learn how to get a child care license in Ontario, including how to apply, information on fees and required approvals.

Wage enhancement grant

The City of Brantford administers Wage Enhancement funding on behalf of the Ministry of Education.

This funding supports wages for child care professionals working in licensed child care settings.

The Wage Enhancement/Home Child Care Enhancement Grants (HCCEG)funding is available for:

• Program staff working in licensed child care programs
• Home visitors and providers working with a licensed home child care agency

How to apply

Operators should review the Guidelines: Wage Enhancement/Home Child Care Enhancement Grants (HCCEG). In order to be eligible for funding, operators must complete the wage enhancement funding application available from Child Care Admin or call us.

Ontario has entered into a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement that will increase RECE wages to the annual wage floor of $18.00 / hr for RECE and $20.00/ hr for RECE Supervisors and RECE Home Visitors retroactively to April 1, 2022 and by an additional $1.00 / hr each year until 2026 or until the RECE reaches $25.00 /hr.

Fostering Brant’s Growth is a tool designed for self-assessment, reflection and goal building, reflecting the foundations of the How Does Learning Happen Pedagogy.

Community Living Brant EarlyON leads the tool and staff are available to support the assessment and goal setting process, providing guidance, strategies, coaching and workshops.

Fostering Brant’s Growth is available from Community Living Brant at no cost to all licensed child care and EarlyONs. While all licensed child cares are required to have a quality improvement program, participation in Fostering Brant’s Growth is voluntary.

The Inclusion and Access Pathway has been developed through a consultation with licensed providers, EarlyONs and families and a review of best practices related to welcoming and inclusive practices in early learning. The Pathway provides a current status review, recommendations and strategies. Additionally, it includes a Self-Assessment tool, to be used by licensees and EarlyON providers to assess and build on their inclusivity practices. In 2024, the Pathway was incorporated as part of Fostering Brant’s Growth.

The Pathway is available at no cost to all licensed child care and EarlyONs and is available on the City of Brantford website. While strongly recommended, participation is voluntary. From time to time, funding opportunities for inclusionary practices may be limited to those licensees demonstrating self-reflection and a plan to improve inclusion.

Workshops, Leadership and Team Series, Networks (Supervisors and ECE’s), trainings, Symposiums and Communities of Practices are made available by Community Living Brant EarlyON and Lansdowne Children’s Services. Offerings are based on:

(a) survey / request of licensees, and

(b) identified need

Outreach to licensees is provided in response to requests from local child cares. Topics include literacy, physical activity, etc.

Professional development workshops and training offered through this contract are available free of charge to all licensed child care and EarlyON providers with a service agreement with the City of Brantford. Participation is voluntary.

The Professional Learning Hub is maintained by Community Living Brant EarlyON as a repository for information and guidance documents related to the recruitment, retention and ongoing learning and development of the early learning community. It contains up-to-date information about professional development, workshops and training available as well as a job portal for the advertising and collection of job opportunity and resumes. It is also home to Brant Learn.

The website is open to the public at no charge.

Brant Learn is an on-line learning site containing modules related to child development, How Does Learning Happen and other relevant topics.

Brant Learn is open to all early learning educators working in a licensed child care or EarlyON in the City of Brantford and County of Brant.

The Learning Hub at 30 Bell Lane is a resource library accessed through a paid membership. Membership provides for access to the toy lending library as well as specialized equipment such as laminators, die press and Sizzix equipment, photo / colour copier, bookbinding machines, computer / internet access / Boardmarker and Picture communication program. Some additional fees may apply to certain equipment.

The Learning Library is open to all with a paid membership.

Child and Family Services of Grand Erie is leading learning opportunities to support the mental health of children, families and early learning educators through three initiatives:

(a) An Early Years Podcast will tackle parent / caregiver issues, bringing together parents and local experts. The Podcast will be online and available to all, free of charge.

(b) Circle of Security group training and programming. Circle of Security is an attachment-based training available to licensed child care and EarlyON educators. Parent programs are also available.

(c) Dr Jean Clinton’s Infant and Early Years Mental Health workshop and videos will be presented in 2025. The workshop will be available to all licensed child care and EarlyON staff. The Videos will be available to all through the Professional Learning Hub website.

(a) Community Living Brant Professional Learning Hub provides coaching and information related to the administration of a child care centre, such as budgeting, scheduling, etc.Supports are available to child cares with an active service agreement with the City of Brantford.

(b) The Brant Resource Centre provides business supports to local businesses at no cost. Supports are available to all.

All CWELCC funded licensed child cares are provided funding through a Capacity Building grant to support professional learning and development opportunities that build the capacity of licensees, supervisors, program staff / caregivers, home visitors, home child care providers and non-profit volunteer board members to support the provision of high quality programs for children ages 0-12.

Grant funding is available to all CWELCC licensed child cares in the City of Brantford and County of Brant. Note that this funding steam may be affected by the announced new funding formula, expected for 2025.