CWELCC is a Canadian program. This page describes the Daybase module for licensed child care operators in Canada.
CWELCC compliance software: stay audit-ready for your Region.
Daybase is CWELCC compliance software that keeps your CWELCC audit evidence as you work. Operators in the program have to show that fees stayed under the cap, wages met the floor, closures stayed inside the limits, vacancies were reported and the money was spent on eligible costs. Daybase keeps that evidence as you work, so the audit is an export and not a scramble.
Compliance dashboard, example figures
Records kept next to attendance and billing
Fee reductions, attendance, enrolment and fee records are kept as you work, so audit evidence is exported in minutes, not days.
Extended to 2031, with the same accountability
Canada and Ontario announced a four-year extension on September 29, 2026. Funding follows a cost-based formula that is reconciled after each year.
Sources: Government of Canada news release, Ontario child care and early years funding guidelines, Halton Region CWELCC page. Ontario's share of a separate federal $5.4 billion package is still being negotiated. Check dates with your Region.
What a CWELCC audit checks: six things the Region can ask about
Parent fees
Base fees stay at or under the lower of $22 a day and your December 31, 2024 fee. Deposits count toward the cap, so a $550 deposit must be applied to at least 25 service days.
RECE wages
Grant, then annual increase of up to $4 an hour, then top-up to the floor of $25.86 for program staff and $26.86 for supervisors. Daybase works out each person's funded target.
Closure days
Families can be charged for at most 10 business days in a row and 20 in a calendar year. Storms and strikes outside your control are left out.
Vacancies
Counted room by room against operating capacity and reported every month. Three months above 5% is the point where a Region asks for an action plan.
Funding and reconciliation
Benchmark plus top-up, 4.25% and 3.5% in lieu of profit, a $6,000 flat amount, less expected fee revenue. Daybase estimates what you would keep or repay if the year closed today.
Records and audit
Audited statements are due 120 days after your fiscal year end, and receipts are kept for 7 years. Costs are logged by category with a receipt reference and exported with everything else.
Also in the module
- Children who turn 6 are flagged 60 days before the fee reduction ends
- Fee subsidy and inclusion counts by tier, the figures a Region asks for
- A deadline calendar built from your fiscal year, with dates your Region sets marked "confirm with your Region"
- One CSV audit pack with checks, fees, closures, wages, vacancy reports, deadlines, costs and the funding estimate
- A role for the person who keeps compliance records, with access limited to that module
Rules as data
The rules sit in one configuration file with a block per year and the source document named. When the Ministry or a Region changes a number, one value changes and every check follows. Tests use the guideline's own worked examples, so a wrong edit fails.
| Rule | 2026 value |
|---|---|
| Base fee cap | $22 a day |
| Closure days | 10 in a row, 20 a year |
| Wage floor | $25.86 and $26.86 |
| Expected fee revenue | times 0.95 |
| Audited statements | 120 days after year end |
How CWELCC compliance tracking works: set up once, then it checks as you work
1. Fill in the profile
Your licence, Region, fiscal year end, fee history and the allocation figures from your Region's letter.
2. Work as usual
Enrolments, rooms, staff and fees come from the platform. You add closures, wages and costs as they happen.
3. Export the CWELCC audit pack
One file with the evidence, as it stands today, for your Region, your auditor or your board.
Working with a Region or a group of operators?
We are looking for a Region and a few operators to run a pilot: operators keep their records in Daybase, and the Region's accountability team reviews the audit packs the same way for everyone. If that is you, say so.
CWELCC compliance and audit: what operators ask first
What is CWELCC compliance?
CWELCC compliance means meeting the program rules your Region holds you to: base fees at or under the cap, wages at or above the floor, closure days within the limits, vacancies reported, and funding spent on eligible costs. Daybase checks your records against these published rules and shows where they differ.
What is a CWELCC audit?
A CWELCC audit is a review by your Region or an auditor of whether your fees, wages, closures, vacancies and costs match the program rules. Audited statements are due 120 days after your fiscal year end. Daybase keeps the evidence as you work, so the audit is an export.
What goes in the CWELCC audit pack?
The audit pack is one export of the records the module keeps: rooms and operating capacity, staff wages, parent fees, closures, subsidy and inclusion, eligible costs and your Region deadlines, as they stand on the day you export.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. Daybase checks your records against published guidelines and shows where they differ. Your Region decides what counts. Confirm anything that matters with them.
Does it connect to OCCMS or EFIS?
Not today. You enter or confirm the figures you submit there. The module keeps the figures and the evidence so the submission takes minutes.
Which provinces and Regions does it cover?
Ontario first. The 2026 rules come from the Ministry guideline and Halton's operator guidelines. Other Ontario Regions follow the same Ministry rules and publish their own operator guidelines, and we add those as we compare them. Other provinces are on the roadmap.
How do you keep up when the rules change?
The rules are data with the source named, so a change is a small edit with a test. Dates that your Region sets, such as the monthly vacancy report, are marked so you confirm them.
Is the readiness percentage an official rating?
No. It is Daybase's own check of your records against the published rules. Neither the Ministry nor your Region issues it.
Can I use it only for CWELCC?
The module sits inside Daybase's child care platform, which also covers registration, attendance, daily reports, invoices, camps and a parent app. Fees, rooms, children and staff come from there.
Be among the first Canadian operators
Daybase is opening to a small group first. Leave your details and tell us your Region.
Daybase is open. Create your child care centre and invite your team.
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