Update on Child Care Space Allocations in Hamilton

Crista Cooper
Apr 27
3 min read

The City of Hamilton is committed to making safe, affordable, and high-quality child care available to more families every year. As part of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan, Hamilton has been working hard to expand child care options and reduce average costs to about $12 per day by 2026.

2024 Child Care Space Access Rates by Ward

Recently, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced changes to the number of new child care spaces being allocated across the province, which will impact Hamilton.

What Changed?

The Province has recalibrated (adjusted) the number of new child care spaces available to each city based on updated information they collected in 2024.
As a result, Hamilton’s planned new child care spaces for 2025 and 2026 have been reduced by 289 spaces.
Hamilton is one of 27 service areas across Ontario that received a decrease.
Despite this, Hamilton’s child care expansion remains strong — and our city is still on track to reach the province’s goal of having affordable spaces for 37% of children aged 0–6 by the end of 2026.

Why Did This Happen?

Last fall, the Province asked all cities to report on the status of their new spaces.
Hamilton reported that while all 2024 spaces were firmly committed, planning for many of the 2025 spaces was still underway because the next round of applications hadn’t opened yet.
Based on these reports, the Province adjusted the number of spaces for each city to help meet their goal of 86,000 new spaces across Ontario by 2026.
Hamilton’s child care division made clear to the Province that all original spaces were needed — and we remain committed to growing access for families.

Positive News: New Infrastructure Funding!

In addition to the changes to space allocations, Hamilton has received some good news:

The Province announced $1.6 million in new infrastructure funding for Hamilton for 2025.
This funding will help non-profit child care providers expand services, especially for underserved communities.
The funding can be used for things like facility upgrades, planning and design work, and even purchasing land or buildings for child care centers.

This is a complement to existing start-up grants and will help create more licensed, full-day child care spaces for Hamilton families.

How Does This Impact Families?

Hamilton’s directed growth application for new child care spaces remains open. So far, four licensed providers have already been approved for 119 new affordable spaces.
Applications will continue to be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until all available 2025 and 2026 spaces are filled.
New spaces will be prioritized in areas of Hamilton that currently have fewer child care options, using the City's Access and Inclusion Framework.

Our goal remains clear: to make sure as many families as possible benefit from affordable, high-quality child care close to home.

What’s Next?

A full report on the new infrastructure funding will be presented to City Council’s Emergency and Community Services Committee on May 22, 2025.
The City will release a communication update to child care providers and early years partners.
Hamilton will continue advocating strongly to the Province for additional spaces and funding to meet the growing needs of our community.
Staff are working hard to ensure that no opportunities are missed and that Hamilton families have the support they need.