Waterloo Region’s school boards switching to new extended care registration system

School boards in Waterloo Region are moving away from OneList. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explains why.

Waterloo Region’s public and Catholic school boards will no longer be using OneList as its registration system for extended care programs.

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) announced Tuesday they were working with a new vendor to develop a sign-up tool ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

“This transition is focused on creating a smoother, more user‑friendly experience for families, and we are currently working to ensure everything is ready to go later this spring,” they wrote.

As for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), they said “[we] will be working together [with the WRDSB] on our respective rollouts of the software and registration process.”

Past problems

OneList has been plagued by problems over the last two years.

In June 2024, the system shut down shortly after registration opened for before-and-after school care.

“It feels like you’re competing for the hottest concert ticket in town,” Nathan Bean described to CTV News in March 2026. “We call it The Hunger Games.”

He was one of the parents who said the sign-up page refused to refresh.

“You’re stuck wondering, ‘Did I get it? Did I not get it? What vacation do I need to book for the year now?’” said Bean.

The Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board shut down registration later that same day.

OneHSN told CTV News their software needed a significant structural update due to changes to the Canada-wide Early Learning Program but OneList could not handle the overwhelming demand placed on it.

Then, just weeks before school was set to start, there was another issue.

Some parents received emails confirming their child’s registration in extended care, only to learn the emails were sent by mistake.

“Due to capacity limits in the program throughout the year, an error occurred while processing your registration, and your child was mistakenly scheduled for individual days in early September. The program is currently full for the entire school year,” OneHSN explained in their message to affected families. “Any confirmation you may have received was incorrect.”

The company promised to work around the clock to fix the issue while parents scrambled to find last-minute childcare solutions.

The school boards said steps were taken to mitigate stress on OneList’s system ahead of the 2025 registration process, including staggering sign-up dates by school.

Despite those efforts, several families with the Waterloo Region District School Board reported errors. One mother said she signed her son and daughter up for extended care, but her son was placed in a program at a completely different school.

OneHSN had a different view of the situation. They said OneList registration went smoothly in 2025.

“Minor issues were addressed quickly, with no impact on families’ ability to register,” the company’s CEO said in a statement to CTV News.

Reaction to the registration revamp

CTV News spoke to three parents about the move away from OneList.

“Good riddance,” Steve Clendenning said. “My experience with OneList was that they weren’t providing any kind of services that they had agreed to do.”

He used the system to register his two kids but later found out those spots weren’t secured.

“My hope would be that it will be better because it seems like it really couldn’t be much worse.”

Cheryl Hossfeld’s two kids are part of the Catholic school board. Her son and daughter were the ones who were separated during the 2025 registration period. She didn’t want to find herself in the same situation with OneList again, so she made a special arrangement with her employer.

“They are willing to accommodate my kids’ schedule with dropping them off at the bus, then me coming in to work, then me having to leave on time to go get them off the bus,” she told CTV News.

Bean, who has two kids in the public school system, questioned the timing of the rollout.

“It’s now March 3rd and we’re just hearing about this. I have a whole bunch of questions. I have a whole bunch of concerns,” he said. “It’s good they’ve acknowledged that there were challenges, but this a very short runway to get this done for the spring registration.”

The pressure is on, he added, for the school boards to get it right.

“They’ve got to test it to the nth degree and hit it with as much load as possible in order to make sure that this thing will stand up under the [demand] at 8 a.m. on registration day,” Bean explained.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board acknowledged the frustration felt by parents.

“The changes are inspired by parent feedback,” said WCDSB spokesperson Lema Salaymeh. “Our goal is always to ensure that parents have a seamless registration process that is supportive and consistent and reliable. That is at the heart of all the changes that we’re making.”

Both the public and Catholic school boards promised more information on the new system would be shared in coming the coming weeks.

No impact to OneList Waterloo Region

The school boards aren’t the only ones who use OneList.

CTV News asked the Region of Waterloo if they were also moving away from the registration system and they shared the following statement:

“There is no change to the region’s use of the web-based program, OneList Waterloo Region, for parents/guardians to apply for centre-based and home-based licensed child care in Waterloo Region. Licensed centre-based child care programs operating Before & After School Programs will continue to use OneList Waterloo Region.”