CBC: Fighting for Affordable Child Care in Richmond
As a teacher at Richmond Co-operative Nursery School (RCNS), I have always been proud of the warm, supportive environment we provide for our little learners. We are a non-profit, part-time program that has been serving families in Richmond since 1975, offering high-quality early childhood education at an affordable rate. However, we are now facing an unexpected challenge that could impact our ability to continue offering this service to our community.
Recently, we learned that RCNS will lose its provincial funding because we are not enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program—the $10-a-day daycare initiative. When Ontario first joined CWELCC in 2022, we made the decision not to apply, believing that our existing $12-a-day program was already affordable and wanting to ensure that funding went to centers charging higher fees. What we didn’t know at the time was that, starting in 2025, non-CWELCC programs like ours would be cut off from provincial funding.
The RCNS Reached out to CBC who covered our story:
This came as a shock to us. Last year, we received over $33,000 in provincial support—funding that helps us maintain our facilities, keep fees low, and ensure our program remains accessible to families. We were not made aware that opting out of CWELCC would eventually mean losing this funding, and by the time we found out, it was too late to apply.
We are working closely with the City of Ottawa to explore possible solutions, but right now, we don’t have any guarantees. We know that CWELCC demand has exceeded available spaces, and we are hopeful that an exception or reconsideration might allow us to continue receiving support.
In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to plan for the future. We love what we do, and we don’t want to see families lose access to the nurturing, play-based education we provide. Many parents have already stepped up to offer their support, and we are grateful for this incredible community. If you would like to help, please stay informed, reach out to local representatives, and share our story.
RCNS has been a pillar in Richmond for nearly 50 years. We are committed to finding a way forward so we can continue to give children the best possible start in life.
If you would consider donating, you can do so by visiting our donation page.