Enabling Accessibility Fund for the Early Learning and Child Care small projects

Value

Up to $25,000,000 in funding over 2 years ($12,500,000 in fiscal year 2021 to 2022, and $12,500,000 in fiscal year 2022 to 2023).

Description

Closed to Applicants – The Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) small projects component of the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) aims to improve accessibility and safety in regulated and/or licensed ELCC centres. This will help support children with disabilities, parents/guardians with disabilities and/or employees with disabilities. The goal is to ensure that all Canadian families have access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.

Eligible Applicants

To apply, your application must meet all of the following eligibility criteria.

Eligible applicants:To receive funding your organization must be a regulated and/or licensed child care organization. Funding is limited to:

not-for-profit child care organizations
child care organizations run by municipalities
Indigenous child care organizations
for-profit child care organizations (provided that the nature and intent of the activity is non-commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports program priorities and objectives); and
organizations that operate in public schools (primary and secondary) or on public school property. If this is the case, the ELCC will be required to demonstrate that the proposed project activity is exclusively for the use of the child care centre/program

Eligible Expenses

Your project must meet all of the following criteria:

you must submit a complete application package before 5:00 p.m. EST on January 28, 2022
your funding request cannot exceed $70,000
your project activities cannot exceed 24 months
your project activities cannot be:
- on provincial or federal property (excluding public schools)
- on public health care or public hospital property
- in a home-based child care organization
- in an unlicensed/unregulated child care centre or facility
your project must be one of the following:
- new construction, renovation or retrofit of existing spaces to improve physical accessibility; and/or
- accessible information and communication technologies
for projects other than ramps, accessible washrooms, accessible doors, elevators, accessible lifts and pool lifts (known as non-flat rate activities), you must provide 1 external cost estimate (quote). You must submit a rationale if you cannot provide an estimate and an explanation of how you calculated your project costs
you must provide a description of the community support you have to ensure your project is a success. Please refer to question 33 in the applicant guide for more details

If your project is for new construction, renovation or retrofit of an existing space:

you must submit a digital picture of the project space to improve (GIF, JPG, JPEG). Your picture must demonstrate the accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities