Ontario ECE Grants Program

What you will need

• ✓ Completed application via the client portal
• ✓ Unofficial transcripts submitted at the end of each semester
• ✓ For Leadership Grant applicants: at least two years of work as a frontline RECE giving direct care to children

About this award

The education grant covers your tuition fees for a recognized Early Childhood Education diploma program. Every approved education grant recipient is also assessed for a training allowance: up to $5,000 per semester if you left your job to study full-time, $300 per course each semester if you study full-time and keep working, or $300 per course (at least $500 per semester) if you study part-time. A travel grant can help with commuting if your college or placement is more than 20 kilometres from home. As these are grants, they are not loans, so you do not have to pay them back. This is for you if you work, or have worked, in child care or another early years setting and are working toward an Early Childhood Education (ECE) diploma to qualify for membership with the CECE (the College of Early Childhood Educators — the professional body that licenses early childhood teachers). For the Winter 2027 semester, past applicants can apply starting November 23, 2026. All other applicants, including those applying for the Leadership Grant program, can apply starting December 7, 2026. There is no fixed closing date: the program stops taking applications once the semester's funding has all been awarded, so apply as early as you can, ideally before classes start. Applications are processed first come, first served once all your documents are in, and funding depends on how many people apply each semester. Priority goes to Francophone, First Nation, Métis and Inuit applicants and to people approved through the program before. You hear back in writing within 4 weeks of sending all required documents. Grant payments are deposited directly into your bank account on the last banking day of the month, and you get a T4A tax slip for each year you receive money. To keep your funding, you must submit your unofficial transcript at the end of each semester to prove you successfully completed your funded courses. Other renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with Government of Ontario whether it's one-time or renewable.

Who qualifies

You must have at least 6 months of work, past or present, in a licensed child care centre, licensed or unlicensed home child care, or a formal early learning setting such as a school board, Head Start program or private school. You must also live and work in Ontario and be enrolled, full-time or part-time and as a domestic student, in an Early Childhood Education diploma at a recognized Ontario community college, which lets you apply for CECE (the College of Early Childhood Educators) membership. Francophone and First Nation, Métis and Inuit applicants, EarlyON staff and a few other groups need only 1 day of work at an eligible agency instead of 6 months. There is also a Leadership stream that pays part-time college tuition for leadership courses; it is for Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) with at least two years in frontline care, and RECEs already in supervisory or management jobs are not eligible.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Open to certificate students
• ✓ Resident of Ontario
• ✓ Studying Early Childhood Education

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Order your transcript1–2 weeks

   Your school's registrar can take a week or two.

3. 3

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• ApplicationAvoid submitting incomplete information. Instead, save your application as a draft before the submission date so you can review every component and gather all documents. Use the client portal to double-check your entries.
• SupportAvoid waiting until the deadline to troubleshoot technical issues. Instead, use the step-by-step tutorial provided by Government of Ontario if you are editing your application on a mobile device.
• StrategyAvoid ignoring the transcript requirement. Instead, set a calendar reminder to upload your unofficial transcript immediately after every semester ends to ensure your funding continues.
• RealismAvoid assuming the program is always open. Instead, check the website regularly because funding is allocated by semester and the program closes once all money is gone, as happened in Fall 2026.

Questions students ask

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