Exploring Barriers Equity-Deserving Families Face in Accessing the CWELCC Child care System

Abstract

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system aims to reduce child care costs to an average of $10, though the average cost of child care in Ontario is currently $19 per day. The aim of this report is to understand the barriers that equity deserving families face in accessing CWELCC-subsidized child care in Ontario. We also wanted to identify strategies that can be implemented to advance equitable access. Today’s Family is an organization participating in CWELCC that provides licensed child care services across Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk, Oxford and Peel, supporting over 7,500 children annually. Despite the reduction in child care costs as a result of CWELCC, it is still relatively expensive, especially for low-income families. Today’s Family provides additional subsidies for households that cannot afford the current $22 per day fee, though barriers still exist in accessing equitable care. To answer our research question, we completed a literature review to examine barriers to entering licensed child care in Canada and promising practices that can support equitable access. Common themes across the literature were identified and integrated with information from Today’s Family’s administrative datasets, which include data on waitlists and active enrolments.