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The 2021-2026 Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CACWELCC) includes funding to reduce parent fees for an additional 42,500 non-profit spaces (28,000 facility-based and 14,500 family day home) and 26,200 for-profit spaces, for a total of 68,700 net new funded spaces.

• In December 2025, the governments of Alberta and Canada signed a one-year, $1.17-billion extension of the agreement. The extension removed the family day home space creation cap and allowed funding for up to 5,000 additional for-profit spaces to improve access in areas where childcare remains limited.
• Alberta hit its existing for-profit space cap of 26,200 spaces in fall 2025 and has now allocated the 5,000 additional spaces negotiated in December.

New for-profit programs licensed after March 6, 2026, are not eligible for affordability funding. 

Affordability funding is only available to for-profit programs in the following cases:

• An existing program has already signed a 2025–26 Affordability Grant agreement.
• A program has a signed Space Creation Grant agreement and opens within the designated timeframe set out in their agreement.
• An existing program applies to increase their licensed capacity by no more than 20 spaces through a licence variance or program plan update. 
  • Only one request per licence holder may be submitted in 2026/2027.
  • If a program chooses to increase beyond 20 spaces, their Affordability Grant agreement will be terminated, resulting in a loss of affordability funding for all spaces.
  • For more information about applying for variances and updating program plans, visit Licensed facility-based programs. 

For-profit programs ineligible for affordability funding can still apply to become licensed. Once licensed, for-profit programs can then apply for the provincially funded Alberta Child Care Grant Funding Program, which includes wage top-up, professional development, release time and mandatory employer contribution funding for certified early childhood educators.

Those in the process of applying for a licence should contact Childcare Connect at [email protected] to confirm how they wish to proceed with their application.

Affordability funding remains available to non-profit programs in the following cases:

• New non-profit daycare, preschool or out of school care programs serving kindergarten-age children during school hours until the space creation cap has been reached.
• An existing program has already signed a 2025-26 Affordability Grant agreement.
• A program has a signed Space Creation Grant or Building Blocks Grant agreement and opens within the designated timeframe set out in their agreement.
• An existing program applies to increase their licensed capacity through a licence variance or program plan update. 
  • The limit of 20 additional funded spaces per year does not apply to non-profits. 
  • For more information about applying for variances and updating program plans, visit Licensed facility-based programs.

New family day home agency licensing applications are not being accepted at this time.

Current as of April 27, 2026

The following information about for-profit and non-profit space creation caps is intended to help childcare providers who are considering applying for a licence and affordability funding.

The table and chart below show the most current data available on funded licensed childcare spaces in Alberta. Allocated childcare spaces refers to spaces that have already been assigned, which include:

• licensed programs with a signed Affordability Grant agreement
• programs with signed Space Creation Grants that are not yet licensed

Note: This table reflects data available as of April 27, 2026, and does not fully capture spaces allocated through the March 12, 2026, policy changes.

Table 1. CACWELCC Agreement – Funded licensed childcare spaces in Alberta (as of April 27, 2026)