Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan (2025-2029) - CCEY Providers

On April 30, 2025, City Council approved the Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan for 2025 to 2029.

This Service System Plan is the road map for the next five years that guides the planning and delivery of local early learning and child care services, ensuring programs are responsive to the needs of children 0 to 12 years old and their families. It establishes a shared vision, a five-year strategy statement, eight guiding principles, eight strategic priorities, and 55 actions (with outcomes).

The Service System Plan aims to:

• simplify access for children and families,
• reduce barriers and systemic inequities, and
• create opportunities for meaningful reconciliation, all in support of strengthening the early learning and child care sector.

It also lays the groundwork for a strong future, as child care and early learning initiatives continue to evolve and align with the on-going implementation of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system.

The development of the Children’s Services Service System Plan is aligned with the City of Ottawa Strategic plan (2023-2026) and directly supports the strategic objective to "Simplify access to social services to support those in need, including housing, employment and child-care services."