The College is funded exclusively through member fees. We do not receive government funding of any kind.
Like many organizations, the College has been impacted by inflation of the costs of goods and services.
In recent years, the provincial government has introduced important measures to enhance the protection of the public, including a requirement for the development and implementation of a mandatory Sexual Abuse Prevention Program. The costs of these additional public protections have been – and continue to be – borne exclusively by the College.
The provincial government has also imposed substantial workforce reporting requirements on the College, which have put significant pressure on our resources, and we expect that to continue.
In addition to these external factors, the volume of work at the College has increased considerably, despite modest membership growth of 1-3% annually. For example:
- CPL Program compliance: over the past year, approximately 25% of renewing members required substantial follow-up by College staff to ensure compliance with the mandatory Continuous Professional Learning Program.
- Complaints received: complaints about professional misconduct by members were up 23% between 2022 and 2023, and then an additional 16% between 2023 and 2024.
It is not uncommon for regulatory colleges to adjust their fees every few years to address their budgetary needs, often driven by growth in membership, increased demands for college resources such as member support services or sector expertise, or rises in operational costs caused by economic changes. The College of Early Childhood Educators has the lowest annual fees among self-regulatory bodies in Ontario. A full comparison of Ontario’s regulatory colleges and their fees is publicly available here.