Willowbrae runs play-based early learning academies across multiple age groups — infant, toddler, and preschool — each carrying its own licensed staff-to-child ratio under the Child Care and Early Years Act. That multi-age-group licensing is the detail that makes a Willowbrae resale more involved than a single-age-band daycare: the buyer's new licence application has to account for every age group the academy currently serves, and the CWELCC funding agreement's treatment across those groups shapes both the timeline and the numbers.
Willowbrae Childcare Academy resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
The offer sets price and structure, conditioned on franchisor consent and a review of enrollment across each licensed age group and the academy's CWELCC funding status.
2–3 weeks†The franchisor reviews the proposed buyer and may exercise a right of first refusal before the sale can proceed.
several weeks, typically†A franchise disclosure document may still be required for this resale — Ontario courts read the resale exemption narrowly, so franchisor involvement in the sale can trigger it even where it's called a private deal.
assessed early†Getting to closing
The existing licence doesn't transfer with a change of operator, and because Willowbrae academies typically serve multiple age groups, the buyer's new application has to cover each one — the CWELCC funding agreement's treatment is worked out alongside it.
10–18 weeks, typically the longest step†The incoming operator and lead staff complete Willowbrae's play-based curriculum training, alongside confirming staff-to-child ratios and background checks are current for every age group served.
2–4 weeks†Funds change hands once the new licence and franchisor sign-off are in place, and enrollment records transfer to the new operator.
1 day, once conditions are met†CFA Look For A Franchise listing confirms an active Canadian franchise network, CFA member since 2012, in business since 2010; official site confirms a play-based childcare-centre franchise model with a dedicated franchise portal (willowbraechildcarefranchise.com)
Ontario campuses among its established Canadian childcare-centre franchise network (provincial breakdown not published)
This is the first real decision in a Willowbrae Childcare Academy resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The academy's assets — leasehold improvements, age-group-specific classroom equipment, enrollment and waitlist records, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent. | The shares of the operating company — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Franchise agreement | Consent required for the specific academy, often paired with a current-form agreement. | Consent required for the change of control itself. |
| CCEYA childcare licence | Not transferable — the buyer applies for their own licence covering every age group the academy currently serves, from infant through preschool. | A share sale can sometimes preserve the existing corporate licence, but Ministry approval of the ownership change is still required. |
| CWELCC funding agreement | How the academy's CWELCC funding agreement carries forward across its age groups needs Ministry confirmation on a change of ownership. | Funding continuity is a central negotiating point either way, since a gap affects both revenue and the fees families pay. |
| The lease & classroom compliance | Needs the landlord's written consent to assign, plus confirming each age group's classroom space still meets its own licensed square-footage-per-child requirement. | Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
The academy's assets — leasehold improvements, age-group-specific classroom equipment, enrollment and waitlist records, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent.
The shares of the operating company — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Consent required for the specific academy, often paired with a current-form agreement.
Consent required for the change of control itself.
Not transferable — the buyer applies for their own licence covering every age group the academy currently serves, from infant through preschool.
A share sale can sometimes preserve the existing corporate licence, but Ministry approval of the ownership change is still required.
How the academy's CWELCC funding agreement carries forward across its age groups needs Ministry confirmation on a change of ownership.
Funding continuity is a central negotiating point either way, since a gap affects both revenue and the fees families pay.
Needs the landlord's written consent to assign, plus confirming each age group's classroom space still meets its own licensed square-footage-per-child requirement.
Usually stays in place, unless the lease has its own change-of-control clause.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single Willowbrae academy changing hands between one buyer and one seller, with licensing across each age group and CWELCC funding continuity confirmed early.
Start my file →A multi-academy operator adding a location to an existing portfolio, or a resale where staffing gaps in one age group need to be resolved before terms are final.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
No — Ontario's Child Care and Early Years Act licence is not transferable on a change of ownership, and because Willowbrae academies typically serve several age groups, your new application needs to account for each one. Timing that approval against your closing date is usually the biggest scheduling factor.
Each age group — infant, toddler, preschool — carries its own staff-to-child ratio and classroom space requirement under the Child Care and Early Years Act, so the licensing review, staffing confirmation, and space check all have to be done group by group rather than once for the whole academy.
That depends on how the Ministry treats the specific transaction across each age group served, and it's worth confirming directly rather than assuming — a gap or change in CWELCC funding status affects both the academy's revenue and the fees families pay.
Yes — Willowbrae's play-based curriculum is proprietary to the brand and trained separately from the general RECE qualifications your staff already hold, and it's typically required of the incoming operator and lead teachers.
Possibly. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can be enough to trigger a full disclosure requirement even where the deal is framed as a private resale.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by Willowbrae Childcare Academy or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Willowbrae Childcare Academy resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.