Hoping for $10-a-day child care? Here’s how many Toronto daycares opted in to the federal program.
A new government-run child care program launched in July promises nearly $10 a day per child in subsidies for families who qualify for the income-tax-free cash.
The government said as many as 2,000 children aged five to 17 years old could get the subsidy under this program, which launched Wednesday.
“This program, which was created in the interest of Ontario’s health and economic priorities for child care and early childhood education, will provide a critical tool to help reduce child poverty,” Minister of Children and Youth Worker Diane Finley said in a statement.
Premier Doug Ford last month unveiled the so-called Ontario Child Care Program, which included $500 million for the program, but Ford said he was also considering other options in the future.
The Ontario Child Care Program, which will be administered by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, was first announced in April, 2015, but the government said in an update last July that no subsidies had been made available to families.
The program does not require parents to pay any fees for child care, the Government of Canada told the Toronto Sun in a written statement Wednesday.
“The Ontario Child Care Program is a means to help families access child care,” the statement read. “In order to qualify for the Ontario Child Care Program, families must have either a child from an employer who is registered with the Ministry of Employment and Economic Development or a child from an independent child care home that is accredited by the Ontario Child Care Accreditation Office.”
The government said about 2,000 children ages five to 17 as of Sept. 30 will be eligible to receive the subsidy.
The subsidy amounts will vary according to family income. Families that qualify for the maximum of $2,000 per child will receive the maximum of $1
