The District is the system manager for early learning and child care in Muskoka. We are responsible for Muskoka's child care system from birth to 12 years of age and offer programs, subsidies and information for parents, families and child care providers. We also provide programs and services that support children, youth and Early Years Professionals.
Key Initiatives
| Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) |
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Update January, 2024 In March 2022, The Province of Ontario entered into the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement with the Federal Government. The agreement will provide accessible child care options and lower fees. This includes reducing fees to an average of $10 per day for children under the age of six in licensed child care by September 2025. As of January 1, 2023 families in Muskoka have had child care fees reduced by at least 50% or pay a maximum fee of $12/day for families not in receipt of fee subsidy. These reductions have saved families in Muskoka about $1.8 million in child care fees in 2023 alone. Further fee reductions have not yet been communicated by the Ministry of Education. Other priorities under the CWELCC agreement include expanding access to licensed care and workforce development strategies to provide qualified staff to support the increase in spaces. The District of Muskoka is working with our partners in the early learning and child care sector to increase licensed spaces by 373 spaces by end of 2026. Details on the District of Muskoka’s Directed Growth Strategy can be found here: Directed Growth Strategy - District Municipality of Muskoka Related Press Release: https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/news/muskoka-taking-strides-to-increase-access-to-high-quality-affordable-child-care.aspx Opportunities for licensed child care operators:
Please contact Colleen Manary, Manager, Early Learning and Child Care for more information. colleen.manary@muskoka.on.ca Are you a private home childcare provider? In addition to being the service manager for the CWELCC program in Muskoka, the District also operates the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency, a network of home-based licensed child care providers. There are many private providers who would be a welcome addition to the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency. If you would like to make affordable child care available to your families and enjoy the benefits of joining the Muskoka Home Child Care Agency, visit our website and learn more. |
| Early Learning and Child Care 5-Year Plan |
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The District is developing a 5-Year Service Plan for the Early Learning and Child Care sector in Muskoka. This plan, required by the Ministry, will help us understand and address the needs of families, early learning professionals, and service providers over the next five years. Learn more about the project and how you can contribute feedback, by visiting the Early Learning and Child Care 5-Year Plan page. |
| Early Development Instrument (EDI) |
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The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a questionnaire developed by the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University that evaluates a variety of skills and behaviour in senior kindergarten-age children encompassing five major areas of child development. It measures a child’s ability to meet age appropriate developmental expectations in five general domains:
After teachers complete the EDI on each individual child in their class, the results are grouped together to give a snap shot of how children are doing across schools, neighbourhoods, cities, and provinces. How are Muskoka's children doing? The EDI is completed in Ontario every three years (with a five-year extension due to COVID-19) and the most recent results can be viewed on our Dashboard - EDI Dashboard. Additional details about the EDI results can be found in the following documents: |
