The Municipality of Chatham-Kent enters into Purchase of Service Agreements with licensed child care providers, licensed in-home child care agencies and High Five accredited Recreation Programs in order to assist eligible families with their child care costs.
Child Care & Early Years Portal
Child Care Expansion Plan: Our Targeted Growth Strategy
The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System aims to make child care more accessible and affordable and to increase the number of spaces for families.
The Province of Ontario has committed to the creation of 86,000 new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2026.
As a result, the Ministry of Education gave Chatham-Kent a target of 192 licensed child care spaces for 2022 - 2023 and 260 licensed child care spaces that we must create by 2026.
Chatham-Kent's Growth Plan
To work toward our targeted growth plan in 2026 plans are underway for an additional 116 new spaces. The Ministry has identified that all 116 spaces will need to be occupied by Non-Profit agencies. By the end of 2026, we are targeted to have 2,653 total spaces for the 0-5 age group in our community.
At this time, no new licensed agencies are being sought to fulfill our expanded targeted growth plan.
The expansion of child care spaces is rooted in Ontario's Access and Inclusion Framework. This framework targets specific communities to support the families that need them most.
2022
| 162
| 162
|
2023
| 30
| 30
|
2024
| 130
| 118
|
2025
| 62
| 26
|
2026
| 68
| 116
|
Priority Neighbourhoods
The neighbourhood data below depicts the number of spaces and children in our community for the under 5 age group, using 2021 Census Data and 2025 Licensed spaces, along with spaces that are underway. This data does not include the children 5 years of age or older to align with the growth plan for 0-4. Neighbourhoods that score 37% or below for the child care coverage rate, or where there are more than 3 children to 1 space, are considered a priority. This is the standard measurement within the Ministry's targeted growth plan.
Neighbourhoods have been created to align with Chatham-Kent Future Ward for 2026 and reflect municipal planning areas.
North-West Chatham
| 615
| 463
| 75%
| 1.33
|
North-East Chatham
| 735
| 363
| 49%
| 2.02
|
South Chatham
| 795
| 183
| 23%
| 4.34
|
North-West Kent (Pain Court, Dresden)
| 410
| 128
| 31 | 3.20 |
North-East Kent (Thamesville, Bothwell)
| 420
| 68
| 16%
| 6.18
|
South-West Kent (Tilbury, Wheatley, Merlin)
| 880
| 166
| 19%
| 5.30
|
South-East Kent (Blenheim, Ridgetown)
| 565
| 258
| 46%
| 2.19
|
Wallaceburg
| 665
| 246
| 37%
| 2.70
|
Based on these criteria, there are four main priority cities/towns for child care growth in Chatham-Kent for children under five years of age:
- South Chatham
- South-West Kent
- North-West Kent
- North-East Kent
We also refer to the child care waitlist and look at areas with diverse needs when determining which neighbourhoods should be prioritized.
To reflect community feedback, we will explore opportunities to support additional access to part-time and off-peak child care – in particular, to accommodate shift workers in Chatham-Kent. This may include extended-hour care through home care providers.
New Child Care Centres
If you are interested in establishing a new child care centre or require licensing information please access the
Ministry of Education for child care providers for valuable information and review the Child Care Licensing in Ontario Orientation Package. Please be aware there will be no funds to support new centres that are not part of our targeted growth plan.
Also, please refer to the
2022 Planning and design guidelines for licensed child care centres.
If you have any questions regarding opening a child care centre in Chatham-Kent, please email
ckchildcare@chatham-kent.ca.
General Operating Grant Funding
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent also enters into service contracts with licensed child care providers and licensed in-home child care agencies for the purpose of distributing General Operating Grant funding allocations where funds permit for the 6-12 age group. Currently, we are not granting new service contracts for this purpose.
Funding received must be reconciled on an annual basis under the Ministry of Education Guidelines.
Existing Agreements
It is a requirement of the service contract to have an existing purchase of service agreement with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
It is necessary to hold a clear and valid license from the Ministry of Education and to maintain insurance under the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Risk Management requirements.
Visit the
Child Care and Early Years Portal for additional templates and resources.
