Parents across GTA warned by some private daycares that they may pull out of $10-a-day program

Parents at some private, for-profit daycares across the GTA are being warned that their fees could soon be doubling as operators consider pulling out of the national $10-a-day child-care program.

Parents at some private, for-profit daycares across the GTA are being warned that their fees could soon be doubling as operators consider pulling out of the national $10-a-day child-care program.

Andrew Bartucci told CP24.com this week that he was shocked and devastated to receive a letter from his son’s Bloor West Village daycare informing him that they are considering opting out of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program, the national $10-a-day program that has reduced parent fees by more than 50 per cent since it was implemented in 2022.

“The lists are so long and we finally found a daycare and we thought that the daycare was part of this program, the CWELCC program, which in itself was difficult to find,” he said.

“We were quite content with everything and how things are going and we were told that if anything, the fees would be going down as the program was rolled out.”

But in a letter from his daycare Teddy Bear Academy, which was shared with CP24, parents were told that due to “CWELCC’s most recent changes,” participation in the program is now in jeopardy and the operators warned that starting as early as January 2025, fees could increase “significantly.”

CP24.com has reached out to Teddy Bear Academy for comment about the letter but has not heard back.

“This information is being shared with you in advance and as a precaution, in the event alternative childcare arrangements may need to be explored in the coming months,” the letter read.