Directed Growth Call-Out

Directed Growth Call-Out is currently open. 
Expressions of Interest are being accepted until the end of day April 17, 2026.

Purpose of Directed Growth of the CWELCC program

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) is a federal-provincial initiative introduced in 2022 to make child care more affordable and accessible for families across Canada. CWELCC expansion across all of Ontario aims to create 86,000 net new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2026 as part of this initiative. 

The Ministry of Education has recently advised us that in addition to the growth already achieved since 2022, additional child care spaces are now available for CWELCC enrollment within London and Middlesex County under our Directed Growth Plan targets.

Expressions of Interest

The City of London is currently seeking Expressions of Interest for new CWELCC enrolled spaces.
Expressions of Interest are being accepted until the end of day April 17, 2026.

The current Expression of Interest is limited to the following London-Middlesex licensees and London-Middlesex Licence applicants

1. Existing CWELCC-Enrolled Not for Profit Licensees seeking to add additional spaces to an existing centre in London-Middlesex.

    2a) Existing non CWELCC-Enrolled Licensees seeking to enroll an existing centre operating in London-Middlesex. 

OR 

   2b) License applicant seeking to licence a new CWELCC enrolled centre in London-Middlesex.

   3.  Existing home agencies seeking to create new licensed homes in London-Middlesex
 

• Contact childrensservicesadmin@london.ca  for sites that are operating or will be operating in London.
• Contact childcare@middlesex.ca for sites that will operate in Middlesex County.

The City of London is designated as the Service System Manager (SSM) of Licensed Child Care and Early Years for the City of London and County of Middlesex. 

As part of the Directed Growth Plan and in partnership with the County of Middlesex, the SSM:

• Uses established data and criteria to assess alignment with local service system priorities for increasing access to the CWELCC program; and
• Provides advice to the Ministry of Education during the child care licensing process on the likely CWELCC eligibility of new licensed child care spaces.

Note: The City of London and the County of Middlesex do not approve child care licences. Licensing is managed by the Ministry of Education.

Note: Advice provided to the Ministry of Education on likely CWELCC eligibility does not guarantee funding.

Eligibility for Directed Growth Call-Out

To be eligible for consideration within the Directed Growth Call-Out process, applicants must be a licensee in Ontario or be a licence applicant and meet the following eligibility criteria: 

• a not-for-profit interested in expanding your organization's CWELCC-enrolled Infant - Kindergarten child care spaces, or
• a for-profit who plans to convert to not-for-profit status and intends to expand your CWELCC-enrolled Infant - Kindergarten child care spaces, or
• a for-profit non enrolled CWELCC program that plans to convert to not-for-profit.

Note: Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements will be returned without review.  

Assessment and Prioritization Criteria

Applications will be prioritized by the City of London (SSM) and the County of Middlesex using the following criteria:

• Location and community need (based on local planning and demographic data)
• Proposed age group (Infant to Kindergarten spaces)
• Licensing history and compliance record
• Financial viability and organizational capacity
• Feasibility and ability to open new spaces by December 31, 2026
• Current operating capacity and demonstrated demand for care
• Not-for-profit status

Applicants may be requested to provide clear supporting documentation for all criteria.

Review and Approval Process

The City of London (SSM) and the County of Middlesex will evaluate submissions using the criteria identified above and will communicate decisions on applications. Successful applicants for CWELCC funding will be required to demonstrate they are meeting provincial licensing requirements before entering into a CWELCC agreement to ensure that all local and provincial CWELCC eligibility criteria have been clearly met.

Appealing a decision - Local Dispute Resolution Process

If you would like to dispute the decision, or have any additional questions, contact the SSM at ChildrensServicesAdmin@london.ca within one week of receiving denial.

The request to dispute the advice will prompt a review of the submission and its alignment with the Service System Plan, the for-profit to not-for-profit ratio allowed as determined by the Ministry, and the total Directed Growth spaces as determined by the Ministry. A written response will be provided upon completion of the review.

Need Help or Have Questions?

For more information, contact us at: childrensservicesadmin@london.ca.