The following is a letter sent to YWCA Cambridge child care families on August 19, 2022. In it, YWCA CEO Kim Decker provides parents with an update on what we know about the status of the Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care system in Ontario.
YWCA Child Care Families:
I hope you are all well and have found time to enjoy the summer with your family. I wanted to take this opportunity to give you an update on where we are with the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System (CWELCC) application process.
As you are aware, the deadline for child care operators to opt into the plan and to complete the application package is September 1, 2022.
It was our intention to submit our CWELCC application by that date; however there have been some changes that we were notified of on August 17, 2022 by the Ministry of Education as follows:
The deadline for submission has been extended to November 1, 2022.
That some of the application guidelines have been changed.
The Ministry of Education will hold a meeting on August 22 and the Region of Waterloo Children’s Services will hold a meeting on August 25 to provide further details about the changes that have been made. We have been advised to pause our applications until after those meetings.
After those meetings, we will revise our application as required.
Once the application has been submitted to the Region of Waterloo, they must process enrolment and confirm eligibility within 10 calendar days of receipt of the application.
Once funding is flowed to YWCA Cambridge, we are required to provide rebates or credits (that will be your choice) to families within 20 calendar days of receiving funding.
I can imagine that the delay in receiving your rebate has been very frustrating. Please know that this delay does not change the rebates and reduction in fees you will be receiving. We will do our best to submit our application in a timely manner after next week’s meetings.
Please accept my sincere thanks for your patience and understanding. We know how important this historic plan is to families and the entire child care system. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to Kristina Lyman, Director of Child Care Services at k.lyman@ywcacambridge.ca.
Regards,
Kim Decker, CEO
YWCA Cambridge