United Counties of Leeds and Grenville to Receive an Additional 240 New Child Care Spaces Through Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Initiative

Leeds & Grenville – The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is pleased to announce the addition of 240 new licensed child care spaces through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) initiative.

These new spaces are in addition to the previously announced 397, bringing the total number of new high-quality affordable child care spaces being created in our community by the end of 2026 to 637 under this federal-provincial initiative.

The spaces are part of the broader CWELCC initiative, in which the Province of Ontario has committed to improving access to child care by creating 86,000 new, high-quality, affordable child care spaces.

“I want to thank the Minister of Education, the Hon. Paul Calandra, and our government for supporting the working families I represent with these additional childcare spaces,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “I know this expansion of new local spaces will come as tremendous news for parents, who rely on high-quality, affordable day care for their children.”

To date, 222 of the 637 new child care spaces have already opened across Leeds and Grenville in communities including Kemptville, Brockville, and Prescott. An additional 74 spaces are currently under development in Portland and Gananoque, which are expected to open by the end of 2025.

Further child care expansion projects under this initiative, now in the planning phase, will also result in the creation of new affordable, high-quality licensed spaces in communities throughout Leeds and Grenville.

Warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Corinna Smith-Gatcke, said, “I am very pleased this announcement will address both current and future childcare needs across the Counties. This is a top concern for families in Leeds and Grenville, and we are committed to supporting them.”