181 new licensed child care spaces open in 2025 for Northumberland families

Cobourg, ON – September 4, 2025 – 181 additional children in Northumberland will have access to licensed child care thanks to an expansion initiative to increase care in three high needs areas. Today, provincial, municipal and provider partners and families gathered at the new Canton YMCA Child Care Centre in Port Hope – the last of four new child care facilities to open this year – to mark this major milestone in Northumberland County’s plan to increase access to quality, affordable child care for families.

The expansion, delivered in partnership with the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, local municipalities, and child care providers, includes the completion of four new child care centres in Port Hope, Trent Hills, and Cobourg. With the addition of these spaces, along with 10 new spaces in Brighton in 2023, and 35 existing spaces converted to the new funding model, the County is well on its way to achieving the provincially-set 2026 target of 245 additional child care spaces funded under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program.

The four new centres include:

• Canton YMCA Child Care Centre: 49 new child care spaces, anticipated to open end-September, 2025, located at 5325 County Rd 10, Port Hope – operated by YMCA Northumberland.
• Ganaraska Child Care – Riverside site: 70 new child care spaces, opened January 2, 2025, located at the former Ruth Clarke Activity Centre at 81 Mill Street South, Port Hope – operated by Ganaraska Child Care.
• Warkworth YMCA Child Care Centre: 47 new child care spaces, opened January 13, 2025, located at 161 Old Hastings Road, Warkworth – operated by YMCA Northumberland.
• Cobourg East YMCA Child Care Centre: 15 new child care spaces, opened January 20, 2025, located at the Northumberland Centre for Individual Studies 780 D’Arcy Street, Cobourg – operated by YMCA Northumberland

For service providers, this milestone reflects their deep commitment to children and families. “YMCA Northumberland is proud to provide nurturing, high-quality early learning opportunities that give children the best possible start in life,” says President & CEO Eunice Kirkpatrick. “This expansion would not have been possible without the incredible collaboration with the County, local municipalities, and our construction partners. These new spaces will help children thrive, while giving parents the peace of mind and support they need.”

Ganaraska Child Care also welcomes the expansion. “For many working parents, finding quality child care is one of the biggest stresses they face,” says Board Chair Tammie Staples. “These new spaces will help relieve that pressure, allowing parents to focus on work and family knowing their children are safe, supported, and learning. As both a parent and a member of this community, I know how transformative this access can be – and I am grateful to all those who made it possible.”

Today’s event was celebrated at the Canton facility, where families and children joined officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Following the celebration, officials dispersed to tour all four facilities to see the new child care spaces in action.

This initiative builds on Northumberland County’s expansion efforts in 2023 and 2024, and reflects the strong, ongoing commitment of all partners to ensure more families across Northumberland have access to the child care services they need.

Track the County’s performance in delivering on child care expansion efforts by visiting our online performance dashboard at Northumberland.ca/Dashboard.

Interested in a career in the Early Years sector? Learn more about the benefits of working in Early Years, and view a list of local job opportunities at Northumberland.ca/ECE.