Your Complete Guide to Ontario Child Care Fee Subsidy
Learn how you can save on your CEFA child care program tuition.
You may qualify for a child care fee subsidy for your child’s early learning child care program!
Eligible families can apply for the Ontario child care fee subsidy, sponsored by the provincial government, municipal governments, and First Nations communities. We are here to help guide you through the process.
Our Core Education & Fine Arts Private Schools are a ‘Licensed Child Care Facility’.
Licensed childcare facilities are monitored and regularly inspected by regional health authorities. They must meet specific requirements for health and safety, staffing qualifications, record keeping, space and equipment, child-to-staff ratios, and programming.
At Core Education & Fine Arts, we help children gain the success and confidence they need to go into kindergarten. CEFA Early Learning Private School was established in 1998 and is Canada’s oldest and independent leading private school for children ages one to five.
Our proprietary, award-winning curriculum is based on the latest research in child & brain development academically, socially and physically. When you get your provincial early childhood education subsidy, give your child the best gift and enroll with CEFA.
Our First Ontario CEFA School is in Oakville!
We are excited to open our first Ontario CEFA school in Oakville, a beautiful town located in southern Ontario!
Childcare Subsidy Income Requirement
CEFA Schools are a Licensed Childcare Facility
The amount you pay for childcare is based on your annual net income which is identified on line 236 of your Canada Revenue Notice of Assessment.
The parental contribution towards the cost of childcare for a family receiving fee subsidy is zero if family income is under $20,000. Over $20,000, it is 10 percent of income over $20,000. Over $40,000, there is an additional 20 percent for incomes.
This chart outlines the annual adjusted income based on the amount on line 236 from the Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency. The parental contribution (as known as daily parent fee) means the amount that the parent will pay the childcare agency. This information is based on care required for a single child for five days per week. If you apply for more than one child, the daily fee will be divided by the number of children.
Please note that this chart is ONLY to be used as a general guideline and estimate.
To calculate your net income:
- Take your net income amount on line 236 of the Canada Revenue Agency personal income tax form.
- Then subtract any federal Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) payments (the UCCB is not considered in determining a family’s childcare fee subsidy).
Please note that if the parental contribution exceeds the cost of childcare for all children in the family, the family won’t be eligible for a childcare fee subsidy.
|
Annual Adjusted Income
|
Daily Parent Fee
|
|---|---|
|
Less than $20,000
|
$0.00
|
|
$25,000
|
$1.92
|
|
$30,000
|
$3.83
|
|
$35,000
|
$5.75
|
|
$40,000
|
$7.66
|
|
$45,000
|
$13.41
|
|
$50,000
|
$19.16
|
|
$55,000
|
$24.90
|
|
$60,000
|
$30.65
|
|
$65,000
|
$36.40
|
|
$70,000
|
$42.15
|
|
$75,000
|
$42.15
|
|
$80,000
|
$53.64
|
|
$85,000
|
$59.39
|
|
$90,000
|
$65.13
|
|
$95,000
|
$70.88
|
|
$100,000
|
$76.63
|
Who can apply?
You can apply for childcare subsidy as long as:
- You and your child(ren) must live in Ontario
- You must have a child(ren) between the ages of birth and 12 years who need to be in a licensed childcare program (centre-based, home-based, or in-home services), a child enrolled in a “children’s recreation program”, a camp, a before- and after-school program operated directly by a school board.
- You must be working, attending school, training, or participating in upgrading skill courses or long-distance education.
- You must be in financial need, as determined by the most recent Canada Child Care Tax Benefit Notice or Income Tax Federal Notice of Assessment. You will also be considered to be in financial need if you are eligible for social assistance.
If you meet the above four requirements, you may be eligible for a Child Care Fee Subsidy. Please note that eligibility is determined through a meeting with a Child Care Case Manager.
Estimate Your Subsidy
The maximum amount of childcare subsidy is the full cost of childcare for all children in a family.
Estimate your subsidy amount based on your child(ren)’s information and income. You can use an online subsidy estimator (click button below) to find out the approximate amount of your subsidy.
Please note, the information you provide in the estimator is not shared or saved.
About the Application Approval Process
How To Apply:
The Ministry of Education of Ontario provides funding for Child Care Fee Subsidies. To apply or to get more information about this program, you need to contact your municipality’s District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs)/Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs). Below is the list of local children’s services boards in Ontario.
To check which Administration Board/Municipal Service you belong to and get their contact information, please click here.
After You Apply:
Your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted by the municipal/city office you applied to. The application/approval process time can vary as your application is reviewed on a first come, first served basis. If Child Care Fee Subsidies are not available at the time of your application, you will be placed on a fee subsidy wait list.
If you do not receive a letter of confirmation, we encourage you to contact the Child Care Division within 14 days.
- To start, you must file an income tax return and complete an Income Test to determine if you qualify for childcare fee subsidy. You will also need a recent copy of one of the following documents:
- Current Canada Child Benefit Notice (CCB) (all pages, front and back) or
- Current Notice of Assessment/Reassessment (NOA) (all pages, front and back).
- If you cannot locate these documents, please contact Canada Revenue Agency for replacement NOA 1-800-959-8281 or 1-800-387-1193 for a CCB replacement.*
Online Application or call 311.
Once you are approved to be eligible for childcare subsidy, you will receive a letter in your mail that outlines all the required documents you need to complete.
Ensure you send all required documents. Please note that your application is considered incomplete and will not be processed unless all the documentation has been received.
You will receive a confirmation email from Children’s Service confirming the submission of your documents. This email will also provide guidelines regarding the next steps in the application process.
* Recent immigrants who did not live in Canada in the previous year and had no Canadian income to report for income tax purposes do not need to have filed an income tax return. Your adjusted income will be considered zero for the first year.
We are here to help you.
Early Childhood Education helps the development of a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs in order to build a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing. Let us know if you have any questions or inquires of provincial government subsidies. It’s free to call or email, and we would love to help.
Need Extra Help?
You may use an interpreter provided by Halton Region at no cost. Please use Halton Region’s TTY line (905-827-9833) if you have a hearing impairment.
Regional Municipality of Halton Children’s Services
690 Dorval Drive, 5th floor
Oakville, Ontario L6K 3X9
Tel: 905-825-6000 or Dial Tel: 311
TTY: 905-827-9833
Fax: 905-825-8821
Toll-free: 1-866-442-5866 (Toll-free: 1-866-4-HALTON (425866))
accesshalton@halton.ca
www.halton.ca
Let us know if you have any questions or inquiries of provincial government subsidies.