Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan FAQs

The City of Ottawa, through the Children’s Services branch, is responsible for the planning and management of licensed child care services and early years programs for children from 0 to 12 years old in Ottawa. This includes: 

• Setting a strategic roadmap to ensure services are responsive to the needs of families. 
• Supporting child care and early years service providers in licensed centres, homes and schools 
• Administering the child care fee subsidy program
• Managing the Child Care Registry and Waitlist
• Implementing the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Program
• Administering and transferring provincial funding to child care providers 
• Ensuring compliance and accountability

The Service System Plan (SSP) establishes the foundation and road map for building a system of early learning and child care services in Ottawa that focuses on increased access, affordability, quality, inclusion (formerly referred to as “responsiveness”). The plan acts as the guide for priorities, actions, and system improvements benefiting children and families and responding to local needs across the city of Ottawa. 

The previous SSP was approved by City Council for 2019-2023 and is now being updated for 2024-2028, as required by the province. These updates are important to ensure we are responding to local needs and strengthening the local child care and early years system to ensure children get the best start in life.

Since the approval of the 2019-2023 plan, the Province has updated their guiding priorities to include a fifth element: Data and Reporting. This will help ensure that CMSMs’ work is guided by evidence-based decisions. The Province has also renamed Responsiveness to Inclusive to better reflect the goals.

All of the feedback received will be reviewed and analyzed to provide Children’s Services with a broader understanding of the child care and early years community’s perspectives, needs, and concerns. Community input ensures that decisions related to the SSP are well-informed and take into account a diverse range of experiences.

The SSP is a guiding document that helps inform all stakeholders on how the early years and child care system works in Ottawa. This includes SSP strategic priorities that are data driven and evidenced based and an equity and inclusion lens helps inform our operational strategies.

While the Province has provided a limited number of new CWELCC spaces available for Ottawa between now and 2026, Children’s Services has created a directed growth strategy that is in line with the Provincial Access and Inclusion Framework. While the Province is ultimately responsible for the allocation of CWELCC-funded spaces, the SSP helps determine what our local priorities are and how we can achieve them within the Provincial funding and guidance frameworks. Staff are working to create 2,903 additional spaces in Ottawa by 2026 and prioritizing supports to communities and populations most in need and that face various systemic barriers.

Once the SSP has been approved by Committee and Council, it will be shared with the Province and posted to the City of Ottawa Children’s Services Website – Ottawa.ca/ChildCare.

The City of Ottawa is interested in hearing from those with experience using licensed child care and/or early years programming in Ottawa, those who may currently be waiting for a space, and families who may seek care for their children in the future. Currently, the City is conducting a survey to collect feedback from residents. Those looking to learn more can also email ChildrensServices@ottawa.ca.

Please email ChildrensServices@ottawa.ca.