Operating a Child Care Centre
Early Learning and Child Care for Operators
The Children’s Services Division is the service system manager for early learning and child care in Durham Region. We continue to work with the Durham Region Health Department and the Ministry of Education to ensure the safe operation of licensed child care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we continue to provide operators with helpful information and resources on, such as the Reopening Toolkit.
Select the “Receive email updates” button at the bottom of this page to be notified of updates.
New Licensee Canada Wide Child Care and Early Learning system expansion
As announced in December, the Ministry of Education is committing funds to support the expansion of child care across the province as part of the federal/provincial Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement.
The Ministry of Education has shifted child care expansion from open enrolment to a directed growth plan to create new child care spaces. A directed growth approach will ensure funding is available to support new spaces in communities most in need of access to high-quality, affordable child care.
As the service system manager, the Region of Durham has developed a five-year directed growth plan that aligns with provincial directives and space targets while meeting the needs of communities across the region. This plan will be updated annually to best reflect the changing needs of our communities.
The Ministry of Education has provided municipalities with space targets for CWELCC-funded growth. Durham Region received the mandate to expand the CWELCC system by 2,029 spaces in schools and community-based locations between 2022-2026.
For 2022 and 2023, the approval of new CWELCC-funded expansion spaces is now complete as space targets have been met for both years. Approvals were provided to operators by the Children's Services Division in alignment with our growth plans and space targets and in accordance with the Ministry of Education CWELCC guidelines for directed growth. As CWELCC funding is capped at our directed growth targets, no additional funding is available for expansion of spaces in 2023.
In Durham Region, the focus for 2023 ensures a directed growth expansion of key age groups by leveraging existing child care centres to expand in place. This plan builds on our existing five-year service plan and will be integrated into our service plan currently under development.
There are a limited number of CWELCC-funded expansion spaces that can be approved in 2024 based on the space targets allocated to the Region of Durham. Details on the approval of future CWELCC expansion spaces will be announced following the release of the 2024 funding guidelines.
Please watch our website for updates. Thank you for your interest in opening a child care centre in the Region of Durham.
Children's Services Early Learning Updates
The Children’s Services Division is committed to keeping licensed child care operators apprised of changes impacting licensed child care services in Durham Region. See below for the most recent Early Learning updates. Current licenses can access previous editions in the Operator Portal.
- Early learning update - Sept 11, 2023
- Early learning update - July 28, 2023
- Early learning update - May 18, 2023
- Early learning update - April 13, 2023
- Early learning update - February 17, 2023
- Early learning update - December 16, 2022
- Early learning update - December 5, 2022
Operating licensed child care
| Opening a child care centre | ||||||||||||
| The Ministry of Education looks after licensing new child care centres. You can find information about licensing a new child care centre on the Ministry of Education website.
The Region of Durham Children's Services Division (CSD) is the service system manager for child care in Durham Region. We look after system planning to make sure families have access to affordable, quality child care spaces across Durham Region. This includes oversight of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System and Fee Subsidy (subsidized) child care spaces. Licensed child care operators are eligible to apply for enrolment into the CWELCC system. Approval for CWELCC funding is granted based on alignment with the Region of Durham, Children's Services expansion plan for directed growth and the availability of funding supporting annual space targets for expansion as outlined by the Ministry of Education. To be able to offer fee subsidy spaces, licensed child care operators must enter into a purchase of service agreement with CSD by completing the Purchase of Service - Fee Subsidy application process. All staff working in licensed child care in Durham Region may access professional learning opportunities through Resources for Child Care Professionals. Licensed child care centres are able to seek access to Special Needs Resourcing agency support to help create inclusive child care environments for children with special needs and concerns in child care. All child care operators may apply for Wage Enhancement funding for their staff after they have been in operation for at least two months. For more information, please email ChildCareOperators@Durham.ca. |
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| Wage Enhancement | ||||||||||||
| On December 15, 2016, the Ministry of Education gave direction to The Regional Municipality of Durham to roll out the Wage Enhancement Program in Durham Region.
To get more information, go to the Ministry of Education website. The Ministry of Education's wage enhancement goals and focus are to:
These were essential considerations used to develop the process and expectations set out by the Region of Durham.
We will support operators with the application process. Operators must apply every year to get this funding. If an operator does not complete the application the operator's organization will not receive an allocation. All operators must submit a Wage Enhancement Attestation form in December to continue to receive monthly payments to pay employees. New operators wanting to apply for funding can contact the Wage Enhancement Team by email WageEnhancement@durham.ca and request an application. If you need help, you can contact the Wage Enhancement Team by email WageEnhancement@durham.ca. Please note: individuals may not apply. Individuals asking about their share of wage enhancement must fill in the Wage Enhancement Inquiry form. |
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| Purchase of Service- Fee Subsidy application process | ||||||||||||
| The Children's Services Division approves or denies new Fee Subsidy Purchase of Service Agreement applications in Durham based on quality and strong community need. This allows the Children's Services Division to make sure that growth of the child care system is well planned, ensuring equitable access to fee subsidy spaces and supporting a stable child care sector. The most important thing is that children and families in Durham have good quality, safe, child care and early learning programs.
Currently, the Region of Durham Children's Services Division has a moratorium on new Purchase of Service agreements during the transition to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system and to support a stable COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Exceptions to this moratorium occur only when a strong community need for spaces in a neighbourhood has been identified. As the child care sector recovers from the impacts of the pandemic, and as the first phase of the CWELCC system implementation nears completion, the moratorium will be reviewed and lifted as appropriate. Operators can contact the Children's Services Division, Early Learning Team to indicate interest in obtaining a Fee Subsidy Purchase of Service. Should community need arise, those operators who indicated an interest will be contacted according to the date of contact. Please email the Early Learning Team at ChildCareOperators@Durham.ca for more information on expression of interest. Once community need is established, the Fee Subsidy Purchase of Service application process requires a child care operator to have a clear license with the Ministry of Education for at least six months. If these factors are met, an application will be forwarded to the operator. Once the application is received, a budget check and Quality Assurance inspection of the site will occur and a full review will take place to determine if a Purchase of Service Agreement will be granted. The full process can take up to one year to complete. A letter will be sent to the operator with the result.
The Durham Region Fee Subsidy Payment Policy is available for more information. |
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| General Operating Program (GOP) | ||||||||||||
Licensed child care centres and home child care agencies, that are approved for a Purchase of Service Fee Subsidy Service Agreement in Durham, qualify for the General Operating Program. |
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| Durham Region's Operating Criteria (DROC) | ||||||||||||
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| Special Purpose Funding opportunities | ||||||||||||
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| Forms and fee subsidy payment policy | ||||||||||||
Durham Region Health Department inspection information
The Health Department inspects all licensed child care centres in Durham Region to prevent the spread of illness. We provide information, control outbreaks and respond to complaints.
| Application package for child care centres (new or altered spaces) | ||
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| Child care educational resources | ||
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Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Online Learning Module
The learning module has information about:
Wee Care Manual Wee Care Manual Survey Results
If your centre doesn't have a manual, please contact your area public health inspector. The manual has information about:
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| Infection control practices | ||
Use these guides for preventing the spread of germs in your centre and to help your staff follow correct infection control practices:
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| Outbreak management and reporting in child care settings | ||
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Experiencing an outbreak or suspected outbreak in a child care setting
Report an outbreak in a child care setting If this online reporting form is not available, please contact the Durham Health Connection Line. For after-hours public health emergencies, please call 905-576-9991 and ask to speak to the public health inspector on call. Use the following resources to prevent outbreaks and to detect when they occur: |
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| Keeping hands clean | ||
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You can stop the spread of germs and reduce your risk of getting sick by keeping your hands clean. Handwashing steps Hand sanitizing steps |
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| Cleaning and disinfection | ||
Use the resources below to make sure you are cleaning and disinfecting correctly:
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| Animals and child care centres | ||
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Animals can offer a valuable learning experience, but can also expose children and staff to infections and injuries, and are a source of allergens. Children can develop infections from animals. Younger children, under age five, are at a higher risk. |
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| Wee Care newsletter | ||
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Other resources |
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) application
If your licensed child care centre requires additional personal protective equipment (PPE), please submit a completed PPE application form.
Rapid Antigen Test Kits
The Ministry of Education continues to provide rapid antigen test kits for distribution to community-based child care operators. To receive a replenishment of kits, please contact your quality assurance advisor or Janine Keith at Janine.Keith@durham.ca.
Financial Supports during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Children's Services Division encourages licensed child care operators and providers to visit Invest Durham for updated financial support information. This website includes a variety of government and non-government funding programs, as well as links to funding, calculators, financial resources, and business supports.
Contact Us
Environmental Health Line
101 Consumers Dr.
Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
T.: 905-723-3818
Toll Free:: 1-888-777-9613
F.: 905-666-1887
Email Health Department