Provincial Wage Enhancement Application Instructions
Child Care Centre & Home Visitors (2015)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Overview
Purpose of Instructions
Contact
Deadline
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Determine Eligibility
Step 2: Enter Centre / Agency Information
Step 3: Child Care Centre / Agency Operating Information
Step 4: Mandatory Benefits
Step 5: Employee Information
Step 6: Review of Application Form
Step 7: Certification
Step 8: Page Layout & Printing
Step 9: Submission
Provincial Wage Enhancement Application Instructions (version 2015-04-10)
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INTRODUCTION
Overview
This grant initiative enhances wages in the licensed child care sector. The wage enhancement will benefit
low-income child care program staff in the sector, help retain Registered Early Childhood Educators
(RECEs), and support access to stable, high-quality child care programs for children in Ontario. The
enhancement will also help close the wage gap between registered early childhood educators (RECEs)
working in full-day kindergarten (FDK) programs and RECEs/child care professionals in licensed child care
settings.
The wage enhancement will support an increase of $1 per hour in 2015, plus 17.5percent benefits, with
an additional increase in 2016. In addition, the Home Child Care Enhancement Grant (HCCEG) will
support an increase of up to $10 per day in 2015 for licensed home child care providers.
Purpose of Instructions
The purpose of these instructions is to support operators in completing their wage enhancement
application. Where non-text content has been presented in this document, the user is provided with a
text alternative.
Contact
If you have any questions related to your application please contact:
Jenny Vreugdenhil
Information Management Assistant, Children’s Services
jvreugdenhil@peterborough.ca
(705) 748-8830 ext. 3222
Deadline
Wage Enhancement Applications must be submitted no later than June 30, 2015 in order to be
considered for wage enhancement funds. Applications submitted after June 30, 2015 will not be
accepted.
Provincial Wage Enhancement Application Instructions (version 2015-04-10)
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INSTRUCTIONS
You are only required to enter data in the green shaded cells. All other calculations will be performed
automatically.
The application form contains 100 rows to allow you to enter data for all eligible individuals/positions.
At step 5, you will be provided with instructions on how to only show the rows where data has been
entered for printing purposes.
Please note that screen tips with definitions and explanations have been included for certain fields to
help you complete this form. You can activate these screen tips by clicking on the cell. You can also
move these screen tips to a different location on the application form if its placement makes it difficult
for you to see other information on the application form.
Figure 1 – Screen tips with instructions are activated when clicking on certain fields
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Step 1: Determine Eligibility
In order to successfully complete your wage enhancement application you must determine which of the
positions in your licensed child care centre / agency are eligible for the enhancement.
Full Wage Enhancement Eligibility
Licensed child care centre positions are eligible for a full wage enhancement of $1 per hour plus 17.5%
for statutory benefits if:
1. The position can be counted toward adult to child ratios under the Day Nurseries Act (DNA) this
includes:




Registered Early Childhood Educators;
Program Staff;
Supervisors (as approved by the Director in accordance with DNA requirement); and
Other staff positions that are required to spend a minimum of 25% of the day in a position that
can be counted ratio (this can include cooks, etc.).
2. As of October 31, 2014 the position has an associated wage rate of $25.27 per hour or less.
Partial Wage Enhancement Eligibility
Licensed child care centre / agency positions are eligible for a partial wage enhancement of less than $1
per hour plus 17.5% for statutory benefits if:
1. The position is one of the 4 categories listed under the full wage enhancement eligibility above; and
2. As of October 31, 2014 the position has an associated wage rate that is between $25.28 per hour and
$26.26 per hour inclusive.
These positions include permanent, full-time, part-time, contract and supply positions.
Now that you have determined which of the positions in your licensed child care centre / agency qualify
for the wage enhancement you can begin completing the form.
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Step 2: Enter Centre / Agency Information
Open the wage enhancement application form in excel and complete the centre / agency information
shown below as well as a contact person who is able to answer questions in regards to the application
form being submitted.
CHILD CARE CENTRE / AGENCY INFORMATION
Child Care Centre / Agency Name:
Operator Name:
Licence Number
Auspice Type:
Centre / Agency Mailing Address:
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Child Care Centre ABC
DEF Nursery
12345
Not-For Profit
123 Alphabet Street
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1L2
Mary Smith
(416) 416-4164
Mary.Smith@DEFNursery.ca
Figure 2 – Sample data
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Step 3: Child Care Centre / Agency Operating Information
Using the drop-down menu, please indicate if the centre / agency opened before or after January 1,
2014.
Figure 3 – Sample data
If you answered "yes", please leave the next line blank which reads "If no, first full month it operated in
2014". Otherwise, an error message will appear as follows: "THIS ANSWER IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH
THE PREVIOUS ANSWER"
Figure 4 – Sample data
If the child care centre / agency opened after January 1, 2014, please select "No", and proceed to the
next line and enter the nearest full month it opened in 2014.
For example, if the centre opened on May 15th please select "June". If the centre opened after October
31, 2014, it is not eligible for the 2015 wage enhancement. If the centre is opening sometime during the
month of October, please enter "October" which is an exception that applies only to this month.
If you fail to select a month, an error message will appear on the application form, as follows: "ERROR THE MONTH MUST BE ENTERED IN THE NEXT LINE".
Figure 5 – Sample data
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Once you've entered the information above, your centre's / agency's annualization rate will be
calculated into the annualization factor (cell K26). This is necessary as the application form only collects
the total number of hours worked from January 1st to October 31st. The annualization rate provides a
"bump-up" to the hours worked to convert the reported hours into a January 1 to December 31
equivalent.
Figure 6 - Sample data showing Centre / Agency operating information
Next, proceed to entering the standard work week for centre staff in 2014, total operating capacity and
total licensed capacity. For private home day care agencies (PHDC) , the operating capacity and licensed
capacity fields should remain blank.
Figure 7 - Sample data
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Step 4: Mandatory Benefits
Next proceed to entering the mandatory benefits provided to the employees. The Ministry of Education
is funding up 17.5% for mandatory benefits. There are six benefit categories as noted below:
1. CPP (Canada Pension Plan), funded at 4.95% for employer contribution
2. EI (Employment Insurance), funded at 2.63% for employer contribution, which is 1.4 times the
employee contribution
3. WSIB (Workers Safety & Insurance Board), funded at 1.10%. WSIB is optional for certain employers.
4. EHT (Employer Health Tax), funded at 1.23%. Certain employers are exempt. Where they are not,
the following ranges exist based on total remuneration:
Total Remuneration
Rate
Up to $200,000.00
0.98 %
$200,000.01 to $230,000.00
$230,000.01 to $260,000.00
$260,000.01 to $290,000.00
$290,000.01 to $320,000.00
$320,000.01 to $350,000.00
$350,000.01 to $380,000.00
$380,000.01 to $400,000.00
Over $400,000.00
1.10 %
1.22 %
1.34 %
1.47 %
1.59 %
1.71 %
1.83 %
1.95 %
Figure 8 - Employer Health Tax funding rate, based on remuneration
5. Vacation Pay, funded at 4% of gross pay per the Employment Standards Act.
6. Public Holiday Pay, funded at 3.59%, representing the following 9 days: New Year's Day, Family Day,
Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanks Giving, Christmas and Boxing Day.
The illustrated sample below shows the mandatory benefits of a child care centre / agency that does not
pay WSIB, is atthe top end of the EHT scale and has a higher public holiday pay rate. As the total is equal
to 17.51%, this centre would be entitled to receive the maximum benefit rate of 17.50% ONLY.
MANDATORY BENEFITS (FUNDED TO A MAX OF 17.50%)
CPP (4.95%)
4.95%
EI (2.63%)
2.63%
WSIB (1.10%, where applicable)
0.00%
EHT (up to 1.95%)
1.95%
Vacation Pay (4.00%)
4.00%
Public Holiday Pay (3.59%)
3.98%
TOTAL
17.51%
17.50%
Figure 9 - Sample data
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Step 5: Employee Information
Enter the following information for the eligible positions in the licensed child care centre:
Position Description
This field should contain sufficient information to allow you to provide additional information to the
CMSM/DSSAB should it be requested
New Position for Program Expansion From Jan 1 - Oct 31 (check box if yes)
If a new position has been created due to the expansion of a program during the qualified period ONLY,
please check the box by clicking on it. If yes, please use the "ROOM EXPANSION HOURS WORKED
CALCULATOR" noted below and also located at cell C139 to correctly calculate the number of hours for
the position. If this step is not completed, the position will be funded for hours that are significantly
lower than what the operator would have expected for 2015.
Category
From the drop-down listing, please select from the eligible staff categories of RECE, Non-RECE, or
Supervisor. If an individual works in a "combined" position, select the category that represents the
largest portion of their time. For example, where an individual works part-time as an RECE 60% of the
time, and Supervisor 40% of the time, select RECE.
Hourly Wage
Hourly wage paid to the employees on an hourly basis as of October 31, 2014. If the employee is on an
annual salary, take the annual salary and divide it by the standard hours of work per year.
# of Hours Worked
This field should be limited to hours worked between January 1, 2014 and October 31, 2014. This
excludes vacation time, statutory holiday pay and sick time.
Please refer to the table below which illustrates the number of working days per month, as well as the
number of cumulative number of days in the qualifying period.
IN CALENDAR YEAR
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
TOTAL Days
Jan - Oct Days
TOTAL Hours
Jan - Oct Hours
# of
Working
Days
22
19
21
20.64
21
21
22
21
21
22
20
21
251.64
210.64
1,824.40
1,527.15
Public
Holidays
1
1
0
1.36
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
2
9.36
7.36
67.85
53.35
Weekend
Days
8
8
10
8
9
9
8
10
8
8
10
8
104
86.00
754.00
623.50
Total
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
365.00
304.00
2,646.25
2,204.00
CUMULATIVE # OF DAYS IN QUALIFYING PERIOD
Vacation
Earned
During the
Month
0.88
0.77
0.81
0.85
0.85
0.81
0.88
0.81
0.85
0.88
0.77
0.88
10.04
8.38
72.78
60.79
# of Working
Days (net of
vacation)
21.12
18.23
20.19
19.80
20.15
20.19
21.12
20.19
20.15
21.12
19.23
20.12
241.60
202.26
1,751.62
1,466.36
Working
Days
210.64
188.64
169.64
148.64
128
107
86
64
43
22
Stats
Vacation
7.36
8.38
6.36
7.50
5.36
6.73
5.36
5.92
4
5.08
3
4.23
3
3.42
2
2.54
2
1.73
1
0.88
# of Working
Days (net of
Vacation)
202.26
181.14
162.91
142.72
122.92
102.77
82.58
61.46
41.27
21.12
Figure 10 - Sample data
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The next table illustrates the maximum number of hours that should be reported on the application form
based on three possible hours of work per day - 7 hours, 7.25 hours and 8 hours. Where the centre
operates a different standard work week, please ensure that you use the # of working days (net of
vacation) noted above multiplied by the # of hours of work per day.
Month
7 hours/day
7.25 hours/day
8 hours/day
January
1,415.80
1,466.36
1,618.05
February
1,267.99
1,313.28
1,449.13
March
1,140.37
1,181.10
1,303.29
April
999.03
1,034.71
1,141.75
May
860.46
891.19
983.38
June
719.38
745.08
822.15
July
578.04
598.68
660.62
August
430.23
445.60
491.69
Sept.
288.88
299.20
330.15
October
147.81
153.09
168.92
Figure 11 - Maximum # of Hours (January 1 to October 31)
If your centre was open prior to January 1 2014, but expanded its program between January and October
31, 2014 (e.g. opened a new school-age room in September 2014) please use the ROOM EXPANSION
HOURS WORKED CALCULATOR also located at row 139 to enter the partial hours for the staff in the new
room(s). The following example assumes a program expansion that took place on April 15, 2014. This
individual worked 870 hours from April 14th to October 31st. You need to take the 1,431.49 calculated
hours and enter them in the middle of the table identifying the employee/position on the line that
corresponds to that particular employee/position. Repeat this process for all impacted positions.
Figure 12 - Sample data
Figure 13 - Sample data
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# of Weeks the Program Operates (If annually, enter 52)
Please enter the program structure in this column. If the position supports a program that operates all
year, please enter 52. If the position supports a part time program, for example a summer program,
please enter the number of weeks the program operates.
This data entry will ensure that the funding is calculated based on the correspondoning length of the
programs.
Program that operates in Nov/Dec ? ("Yes" or "No")
Please enter "yes" or "no" for all programs irrespective if they are part-time or full-time programs, as
follows:
1. If the position supports an annual program, select "Yes”
2. If the position support a program that does not operate between November and December (e.g.
Summer only program), select "No"
3. If the position supports a program that runs between November 1st and December 31st, select "Yes"
% of Time in Eligible Position
If the individual works in an eligible position all the time, please enter 100%. If an individual works as a
cook for 70% of the time and works as an Non-RECE for 30% of the time, please report 30%. Please note
that the individual must work at least 25% of the day in a position that can be counted toward adult to
child ratio.
The following table is an illustration of 6 positions at Child Care Centre ABC and of particular interest
position # 3 that works 50% of the time in an eligible position.
Figure 14 - Sample data
Once you’ve entered the information above the application template will generate the following
information:
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Eligibility status = partial or full, depending on hourly rate
Eligibility rate = up to $1.00
Annual Funded FTE = could be higher than 1.0 if the hours worked exceeds 1,467 hours from Jan 1st
to Oct 31st
Annualized salary component of the enhancement = up to $1.00 per hour for hours worked,
Annualized benefit component of the enhancement = up to $0.175 per hour for all hours worked, or
applicable percentage for your centre/agency to a maximum of 17.5%
Total compensation = maximum wage enhancement entitlement which is the sum of the salary and
benefit component
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The following table is an illustration of the wage enhancement funding for the 6 positions applicable to
Child Care Centre ABC.
Figure 15 - Sample data
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Step 6: Review of Application Form
Prior to leaving the middle section of the application form, please review the "Summary" starting at cell
K139. It contains a summary of the centre’s / agency's eligible positions and the total funding you are
applying for in regards to salaries and benefits pending approval.
Figure 16 - Sample data
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Step 7: Certification
Please complete the certification section stating that the information you have included in the
application is accurate by checking the box and completing your signing authority's information.
CERTIFICATION
As a signing authority for this organization, I certify that the information included in this application is accurate and represents the positions that can be counted toward adult to child ratios
under the Day Nurseries Act (DNA) as of October 31, 2014.
Name of Signing Authority:
Mary Smith
Title:
Child Care Centre Administrator
Date:
16-May-15
Figure 17 - Sample data
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Step 8: Page Layout & Printing
Prior to printing or submitting your application form, please go to cell A36 and left click on the symbol to
the right of the "Filter" button. This gives you the ability to only show the rows that contain information.
Figure 18 - Sample data
Please ensure that only the "Show" option contains a check mark. You can remove the other checkmark,
by left clicking on the box beside "hide".
Figure 19 - Sample data
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Step 9: Submission
Submit the completed application to [insert CMSM/DSSAB information].
The information that you have provided is subject to review by the CMSM/DSSAB prior to/or after
granting the wage enhancement funding to the centre / agency.
The CMSM/DSSAB will communicate the approved amount through returning the application form with
the bottom portion of the form completed.
Figure 20 - Sample data
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