Lanark County Media Release - August 28, 2023

Lanark County is the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (Service Manager) for both Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls. As service manager, the county is responsible for overseeing and funding various social systems, including licensed child care and Early Years programming. The county completes this work by contracting with child care agencies to carry out the programming.

There are two types of child care in Lanark County: centre- or school-based care and licensed home child care. Home child care providers are licensed and funded through an agency that maintains a contract with the county. To maintain a contract, the agency must meet criteria specified in the Child Care and Early Years Act and its service agreement with the county. Licensed home child-care providers are able to access Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) funding through an approved agency to assist in making child care more accessible and affordable for families. CWELCC is a five-year plan that is being implemented in stages; fees will reduce every year, reaching an average fee of $10/day by 2025-26.

The county recently terminated its contract with Natural Connections, which is a licensed home child care agency in Lanark County. The details of this contract termination are confidential and will not be shared. The termination only impacts the one organization, all other County CWELCC contracts are ongoing. While Natural Connections can still license home child-care providers, families receiving care from these providers will no longer have access to CWELCC funding. The county recognizes this may require families and providers to make alternative arrangements to continue to have access to CWELCC funding and staff will do its best to support local families and providers through the transition.

The county’s termination of its contract with Natural Connections may affect families both inside and outside of Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls. Natural Connections has licensed 11 home child-care providers in Lanark County and 37 providers located elsewhere in Eastern Ontario, primarily in the City of Ottawa.

Guidance for Families in Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls:

The county maintains a contract with Children’s Resources on Wheels (CROW), which licenses and funds home child care providers located in Lanark County. CROW offers CWELCC funding to its providers and their families. CROW has capacity to accept Lanark County home child-care providers in its portfolio. More information on CROW can be found at www.crowlanark.com.

If you should have any inquiries, please contact the county via email at ss@lanarkcounty.ca or via telephone at 613-267-4200 ext. 2140 or toll free at 1-888-952-6275.

Guidance for Families outside of Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls:

Families and home child-care providers located outside of Lanark County may reach out to their local Service Manager or licensed home child-care agency in their respective community. Families looking for licensed child care in Ottawa can visit www.ottawa.ca/childcare, apply to the City of Ottawa Child Care Registry and Waitlist, or email childrensservices@ottawa.ca.

The following is a list of licensed home child care agencies located in the City of Ottawa:

• Agence de garde "La Maisonnée" – www.grandirensemble.ca
• Andrew Fleck – www.afchildrensservices.ca
• Children's Village of Ottawa-Carleton Home Child Care - www.childrensvillage.on.ca
• Global Child Care Services – www.gccs.ca
• Mothercraft Ottawa Private Home Day Care – www.mothercraft.com
• ODAWA Sweetgrass Home Child Care – www.odawa.dreamhosters.com
• Parents' Home Child Care of Ottawa
• Wee Watch – www.weewatch.com

“Child care is a vital component to a thriving community and stable workforce, stated Lanark County Warden Peter McLaren (Lanark Highlands Reeve). “Lanark County acknowledges the great need for more licensed child care in the community and is diligently working at increasing its child care capacity.” The county funds 1,395 licensed child care CWELCC spaces within Lanark County at several child care centres and home child care providers. The County will continue to fund these spaces, and planned expansion spaces, for the duration of the CWELCC program.

In June 2023, the county approved its child care expansion plan based on provincially set expansion targets and is working towards achieving these goals. Details of the plan can be found on the county website at https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/county-government/plans-studies-and-reports.aspx.