Ontario to Cap Child Care Fees at $22 Per Day Starting January 2025

The Ontario government announced that starting in January 2025, child care fees for children under six in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) programs will be capped at $22 per day. This measure is expected to save families nearly $300 million in 2025.

Since signing an agreement with the federal government in 2022, Ontario has reduced child care fees by an average of 50% from 2020 levels. The province has also introduced a Child Care Workforce Strategy and launched a plan to create thousands of new licensed child care spaces.

The Ontario government is calling on the federal government to increase funding to ensure the sustainability of the CWELCC program. The new $22 per day fee cap will reduce fees for 44% of spaces in the CWELCC system, with the largest reductions for families facing the highest fees.

A new cost-based funding approach for CWELCC program operators will also be introduced in January 2025. This approach aims to provide a consistent and easy-to-administer system across the province, funding operators based on the true costs of operating child care.