WELLINGTON COUNTY – The county’s Children’s Early Years Division has recommended the expansion of the Wellington Place Child Care and Learning Centre in Aboyne to use up time-limited funds, and create new child care spaces.
The “strategic investment” was discussed at a joint social services and land ambulance committee meeting on June 11.
Through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system (CWELCC), the Ministry of Education partnered with Service System Managers to create 86,000 new funded licensed child care spaces across the province by the end of 2026.
“Our area was provided a target of 1,209 new spaces in Wellington-Guelph for the period of 2024 to 2026,” states the committee report.
To date, the county has 325 new spaces while Guelph has 532. The expansion proposes increasing the Wellington Place centre from 64 to 79 spaces.
The additional 15 spaces will be catered to toddlers.
According to Children’s Early Years Division director Ashley Vanderlaan, Wellington Place presented a strong opportunity to use the available funds locally, to expand child care access in a high-need area and to meet the funding deadlines.
Currently, there are 275 children on the infant wait list, 214 on the toddler waitlist and 198 on the preschool waitlist.
Vanderlaan noted the Wellington Place facility met several key criteria, making it the most “practical and timely option” for using the time-limited funding.
A 3D rendering of the proposed expansion. County agenda image
Other factors making it a strong candidate include demonstrated need, population growth, strategic readiness, cost efficiency and support for families and the economy.
The division was allocated approximately $4.12 million in 2025 through two federal/provincial funding programs to support the creation of new spaces.
An infrastructure fund accounts for $2.05 million and a start-up grant accounts for $2.06 million.
“As of today, the (Children’s Early Years Division) has not yet allocated the full $4.12 million … to date $2.1 million has been allocated,” Vanderlaan stated in a June 19 email.
According to the committee report, $300,000 of the start-up grant has been committed in 2025.
“The start-up grant is specifically intended to help with initial operating costs such as equipment, furnishings and meeting regulatory requirements, and this allocation aligns with that purpose,” Vanderlaan explained.
To apply for the grant, licensed child care operators must submit their applications directly to the Children’s Early Years Division.
The approval process reviews:
- alignment with the county’s directed growth plan;
- applicant’s financial stability and operational readiness; and
- ability to secure additional funding if needed.
“This ensures that funding goes to projects that are viable, cost-effective and support long-term child care planning,” she said.
The report also highlights the need for funds to be allocated to projects by the end 2025, with no extensions allowed.
If not, funds will be returned to the province and “lost as a local investment opportunity,” states the report.
Asked if there is a chance the funds won’t get used in time, Vanderlaan replied the county’s Early Years Division “is working to keep the 2025 infrastructure fund and start-up grant funding local by approving eligible projects that create new licensed child care spaces.”
