A summary of the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreements and action plans

Executive summary

This document, which provides a summary of selected elements of  the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care initiative (CWELCC)  introduced in 2021, is a supplementary paper to Early childhood education and care in Canada 2021. 

This document is intended to be a reference for the federal/provincial/territorial Agreements and first round of Action Plans that represent Canada’s first phase of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care initiative (CWELCC) introduced in 2021. It summarizes selected content of the 2021 – 2022 Agreements, Action Plans and (if relevant) Amendments to the Agreements. It does not aim to describe jurisdictions’ early learning and child care (ELCC) policy or provision prior to the CWELCC changes that have began to be implemented. Nor does it reflect changes made under the Agreements and Action Plans or indicate changes in Action Plans other than those formalized in a published Amendment. As a supplementary document to Early childhood education and care in Canada 2021, it is a snapshot of the proposed actions on which the federal government and provinces/ territories have reached agreement. Early childhood education and care in Canada 2021 will provide data and information both on provincial/territorial ELCC policy and provision before CWELCC and on the first phase of changes in these following the CWELCC agreements.

Note that this paper was published in an initial form in November 2022.

Table of contents

Note: A linked table of content is in the full publication.

Purpose and method of this paper

The Canadian child care context in 2022

Affordability: Parent fees at the end of 2022

Expansion to enable accessibility

Auspice: Ownership of child care services

The child care workforce

Signing dates, federal funding by year, links to Agreements and Action Plans

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