Oxford County advocating for more child-care spaces

When it comes to Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), Oxford County is needs assistance from upper levels of government.

Article content When it comes to Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), Oxford County is doing all it can but still needs assistance from upper levels of government. Cara vanKlaveren, Oxford’s supervisor of Family and Children Services, provided an update to county council at a July 8 meeting. Recommended Videos “While we’re on track to achieve the 2026 CWELCC space targets, our ability to increase access to child care remains limited by the number of spaces allocated by the Ministry of Education,” vanKlaveren said.

The CWELCC system is a federal-provincial agreement designed to make licensed child care more affordable and accessible for families with children under the age of six. Both the provincial and federal governments are discussing the next phase of the CWELCC agreement, with a recent announcement indicating that the federal government has agreed to sustain the program for another two years. “Staff are waiting on the outcome of these negotiations and remain optimistic that additional opportunities to expand the child care system, increase access and further support children, families and the broader community will be realized,” vanKlaveren wrote in a council report.

The report also noted that Oxford County remains a community with “one of the lowest access rates to child care” within the province. “Continued system growth is necessary to address the gap between available spaces and community need in order to meet the province’s access rate of 37 per cent,” the report said. “Limited access to child care has broader impacts beyond individual families, including impacts on workforce participation, recruitment and retention of employees and local economic growth.”

vanKlaveren said that about 3,100 children remain on Oxford County’s waitlist. “That pinch is from the province cutting back the spaces that were allocated to Oxford County, so families in Oxford County are suffering without being able to contribute as much as they possibly could,” said Councillor Brian Petrie. VanKlaveren’s report said that staff would continue to advocate for additional child-care spaces and associated funding opportunities.

“Oxford has been actively engaged in discussions with the province to highlight local access challenges, the need for additional spaces, and the importance of ongoing investment to support families and the community,” it said. “In addition, the Ontario Municipal Services Association (OMSSA) continues to advocate on behalf of municipal service managers across Ontario for a sustainable CWELCC system that recognizes local needs, supports expansion and strengthens the overall child care and early years system.” Warden Marcus Ryan said a delay in expansion of the program is a “political issue” between governments of all three levels, with each thinking the other should be doing more to solve the issue.

“I want council to know that while there is a gap, staff have done commendable work,” Ryan said. “First of all, in allocating all the spaces that we have available ... but also in arming me with all the information that I could have to go to the minister and our MPP and talk about it and try and make the case we need more spaces.” EarlyON centres remain busy within the area, vanKlaveren reported, as staff have recorded nearly 17,000 visits in the first half of the year.

The centres allow adults and children to experience children’s programming together. A report from vanKlaveren noted that a new Special Needs Resourcing (SNR) agency was introduced in March 2026 to support inclusive early learning environments. “The focus of this work is to strengthen the capacity of child care providers by providing consultation, resources and support to ensure that children with diverse needs can meaningfully participate in licensed child care settings,” the report said.