Operating a Child Care Business

The Ministry of Education licenses and monitors early learning and child care in Ontario. Learn how to get a child care license in Ontario, including how to apply, information on fees and required approvals.

In the City of Brantford and the County of Brant, CWELCC-funded child care spaces ($10/day child care) are approved through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) application process. CWELCC space opportunities are offered through the City of Brantford Bids and Tenders. Interested applicants can set up an account on the Bids and Tenders website to receive notifications about CWELCC space opportunities.

All children attending licensed child care and EarlyON programs will be served by educators who have access to professional development and capacity building.

While each licensed child care and EarlyON maintains their own capacity building plan, the City of Brantford supports ongoing learning and capacity building of early learning professionals through the following:

Fostering Brant’s Growth

Fostering Brant’s Growth is a quality assurance framework developed for self-assessment, reflection, and goal building in early learning settings. It is based on the foundational principles of the How Does Learning Happen? pedagogy.

The process is managed by the Professional Learning Hub, led by Community Living Brant. Staff from the Professional Learning Hub are available to provide support for the assessment and goal-setting process through guidance, strategies, coaching, and workshops.

Fostering Brant’s Growth is offered at no cost to all licensed child care and EarlyONs with a service agreement with the City of Brantford. While  a quality improvement program is a requirement for all licensed child care providers, participation in Fostering Brant’s Growth is voluntary.

Professional Development

Professional development workshops and training are available at no cost to all licensed child care and EarlyON providers with a service agreement with the City of Brantford. This includes access to three distinct resources: the Professional Learning Hub, Brant Learn and the Learning Hub Library.

The Professional Learning Hub is an online  repository of information and guidance documents. Its purpose is to support the recruitment, retention and ongoing learning and development of the early learning community. The hub provides information on available professional development, workshops, and training. It also includes  a job portal for advertising employment opportunities and posting resumes. Access to the website is free and open to the public.

Brant Learn is an online platform offering modules on topics such as child development, the How Does Learning Happen? pedagogy, and other relevant subjects. The platform accessible to all early learning educators working in a licensed child care or EarlyON in the City of Brantford and County of Brant.

Located at 30 Bell Lane, the Learning Hub Library is a physical resource library that can be accessed with a paid membership. Membership includes  access to a toy lending library and specialized equipment, such as laminators, die presses and book binding machines. The library is open to all who purchase a membership.

Mental Health Education and Resources

Child and Family Services of Grand Erie is leading learning opportunities to support the mental health of children, families and early learning educators through two initiatives:

(a) The Messiness of Parenting features local parents sharing their experiences, finding comfort in common challenges, and discovering practical tips and innovative ideas for navigating parenthood. Find the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

(b) Circle of Security group training and programming. Circle of Security is an attachment-based training available to licensed child care and EarlyON educators. Parent programs are also available.

Professional Learning Days

The Ministry of Education provides professional learning funding to allow all licensed child care and EarlyON educators to participate in one paid professional development day per year. The goal of the professional learning day is to improve recruitment and retention and build the capacity of the early years and child care sector to support the provision of high-quality programs that align with How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years. Implementation may vary from year to year.

Community Living Brant Professional Learning Hub provides coaching and information related to the administration of a child care centre, such as budgeting, scheduling, etc. Supports are available to child cares with an active service agreement with the City of Brantford.

The Brantford-Brant Resource Centre provides business supports to local businesses at no cost. Supports are available to all.

For more information about local capacity building policies and practices, please contact Children’s Services and Early Years program department at childcareadmin@brantford.ca.

The ministry funds the Early Childhood Education Qualifications Upgrade Program (ECE QUP) which supports individuals working within the early years sector who have been accepted to an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology program to pursue their Early Childhood Education (ECE) diploma and become eligible to apply for membership with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE). Support is provided through education grants, travel grants and training allowances.

For more information on the ECE QUP, please visit the program’s website at:ecegrants.on.ca/qualifications-upgrade