Paying a Reduced Price for Childcare

Are you looking to lower your childcare expenses? In Quebec, some parents are eligible for “reduced contribution” (lower-rate) or free daycare available at early childhood centres and subsidized private daycares. At these places, for less than $10 a day, your child has access to early childhood education, snacks, a meal and educational materials for 261 days out of the year.

Read this article to find out if you are entitled to lower-rate or free daycare, how to enroll, and where to get free guidance. Depending on your situation, you may also be entitled to a tax credit for childcare expenses.

Who is eligible for lower-rate daycare?

You are eligible to enroll your child in an early childhood centre or subsidized private daycare if you live in Quebec and your status in Canada is listed here:

• citizen,
• permanent resident,
• temporary worker,
• foreign student,
• refugee,
• asylum seeker (with or without a work permit).

Other statuses in Canada also give you the right to access lower-rate daycare. You can reach out to Quebec’s department of family services by phone at 1 855 336-8568 or by email at renseignements@mfa.gouv.qc.ca to see if you are eligible. The department’s French name is Ministère de la Famille.

Who is eligible for free daycare?

Early childhood centres and subsidized private daycare services could be free for your child if you are enrolled in at least one of these social programs:

• Social Assistance,
• Social Solidarity,
• Aim for Employment,
• The Program of The Cree Hunters Economic Security Board — Chasseur cri

You must live in Quebec and your status in Canada must make you eligible for lower-rate daycare (check the previous section of this article).

You need to fill out a form and prove what your status in Canada is

 
You must follow certain steps to get access to an early childhood centre or subsidized private daycare. First, you need to register your child with an early childhood centre or subsidized private daycare on the Quebec government’s Childcare Services Registration Portal.

Good to know!  Early childhood centres are often referred to by the French language acronym CPE, which stands for Centre de la petite enfance. CPEs are government-accredited, non-profit organizations run by a board made up of parents.

Next, you need to fill out the Application for the reduced contribution or for a payment exemption form. You need to say if you are enrolled in a social program and say which one. You need to give the filled-out form to the early childhood centre or subsidized private daycare that your child gets a spot in. Here are some of the documents you need to provide along with the form:

• A copy of the document that proves your status in Canada. You can check the form for examples.
• A copy of a document that proves that you receive financial assistance payments from a social program. For example, a signed letter from the agent at your local employment assistance centre or a copy of your claim slips.

Check if you can ask for a tax credit for your childcare expenses

 You can reduce the portion of your income on which you pay tax (your “taxable income”). The reduction is called a tax credit.  The tax credit for childcare expenses allows some people to reduce their taxable income by subtracting the amount they paid for childcare.

Check Line 21400 – Child Care Expenses on the Government of Canada website to see if you are eligible and how to apply.

Free Resources to Guide You

Do you need help to figure out if you are eligible to register your child in an early childhood centre or subsidized private daycare? There are free resources available to give you information and walk you through the process.

Good to know! You have childcare options other than early childhood centres and subsidized private daycares. You can enroll your child in non-subsidized private daycare or a home daycare. Note that the government does not offer a lower rate for these types of daycare.