Child Care Fee Subsidy

Child Care Fee Subsidy helps with the cost of child care. Subsidized care is available for licensed child care centres and licensed home-based child care agencies that have an agreement with the City of Peterborough.

Apply for Child Care Fee Subsidy

Please fill out an application form to apply for subsidy, or call us at 705-748-8830 to complete an application by phone.

To qualify for subsidy, you must:

Have a child who is 12 years old or younger
Live in the City or County of Peterborough
Meet the financial criteria

And you must be involved in one of the following:

Working
In an education program such as high school, college, university or alternative learning
Receiving Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program
Have a Social/Special Need Referral completed by a community professional who has involvement with your family

Your appointment

Before your appointment:

Once we receive your application you will be contacted to set up an appointment
You will need to reserve a child care space within a Licenced Child Care centre or Licenced Home Child Care Agency. For information on how to register for a child care space, visit the new online registry and waitlist.
You will need to submit your Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) from Canada Revenue Agency to before making an appointment
If care is needed in the future, or there is a waitlist for Child Care Fee Subsidy, you will be required to submit your NOA or CCTB before being placed on the waitlist.

Make sure to bring the following to your appointment:

Identification for all family members
NOA or CCB from Canada Revenue Agency
Paystubs or a work or school letter showing a start and end date
Special/Social Need Referral (if you have one)
Custody court order (if you have one)

If approved for Subsidy, you will be required to come in to review your file once a year.

Ongoing Child Care Subsidy Clients

Helpful documents:

Finding/Applying to child care

You must choose your child care arrangement. But we can help.

Apply for Child Care in the City and County of Peterborough using the new OneHSN Waitlist and Registry system.

OneHSN is a safe, secure, fast and convenient way to allow parents to:

Locate programs close to either home or work.
Apply for several child care options in one application.
Access OneHSN website anytime, anywhere.

Complete your Application

Finding Child Care just got easier; One application for child care; its safe, fast and convenient

Unlicensed or informal child care

Child Care Fee Subsidy for unlicensed or informal child care may be available for those who receive Ontario Works. If you are on Ontario Works and in need of Child Care Fee Subsidy please contact your case manager.

Financial criteria

Household Income
Please enter the income from Line 236 of the recent Notice of Assessment. (Form T451)
Your Income
Your Partner's Income

# of Children
Select the number of children from each age group
0 - 18 Months
19 - 30 Months
31 Months - 6 Years
7 - 13 Years

Are you Eligible?

Types of Child Care

There are four different types of child care:

Licenced Centre Child Care
Licenced Home Child Care
Unlicenced Home Child Care
Care in the child’s home

The Child Care and Early Years Act set specific rules, regulations and standards that child care agencies must follow to get and keep a licence. Licensed child care providers should have programs that include both active and quiet play, crafts, pretend play, outdoor play and many other kinds of learning. Licensed Child Care can be provided through:

A Child Care Centre

Home Child Care agencies

Licensed Centre Child Care

Licenced child care centres follow the rules, regulations and standards set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act. The Act ensure that minimum standards are met in areas of health, activities, nutrition and staff to child ratios.

Licensed child care centres can care for

infants
toddlers
preschool aged children
school aged children

They may include:

nurseries
full-day care
extended hours care
overnight care
before-and-after-school programs

Child care centres operate in a variety of locations including workplaces, community centres, schools and places of worship.

Benefits of licensed child care centres:

are government-regulated and inspected
allow children to be with other children their age
make sure staff members meet the qualification requirements set out under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014
have to meet certain standards of care
have activities designed for children at different stages of development
may have child care fee subsidies available

How can parents know their child care is licensed?

All licensed child care centres, home child care agencies, and homes contracted with a home child care agency receive and display decals to identify them as licensed by the government of Ontario.

Do you need help with child care costs?

Licsensed Home Child Care

Individual home caregivers are contracted by home child care agencies that are licensed by the Ministry.

An individual home child care provider that is overseen by a licensed agency can care for up to six children under the age of 13, which must include any of their own children under the age of four.

These providers may care for:

infants
toddlers
preschool aged children
school aged children

They may offer:

full-day care
before and after school care
extended hours
overnight care

Benefits of home child care:

government-regulated and inspected homes that meet specific standards
siblings to be placed together
small group size
child care fee subsidies that may be available
standards that must be met by providers

How can parents know their child care is licensed?

All licensed child care centres, home child care agencies, and homes contracted with a home child care agency receive and display decals to identify them as licensed by the government of Ontario.

Do you need help with child care costs?

Unlicensed Home Child Care

Unlicensed caregivers are not inspected by the Ministry of Education, and are not required to meet most provincial standards. However, the Ministry of Education does investigate all complaints from the public about child care providers who may be operating illegally.

Under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014, unlicensed child care providers are not allowed to care for more than five children, which includes:

the provider's own children under the age of four
no more than three children under the age of two

This limit on the number of children applies regardless of how many adults are present at the home.

Unlicensed providers may not operate at multiple premises.

Care in the Child’s Home

Care in the child’s home is not inspected by the Ministry of Education, is not required to meet most provincial standards. In this category, a caregiver either lives in or comes to the family’s home to care for the child (nanny), keeping the child in his or her normal surroundings, with familiar toys and routines.

This is convenient for the family and offers flexibility. However, it can be more expensive. Parents/Guardians choosing this form of child care need to be aware that they become employers and need to follow the Employment Standards Act.

Quality Child Care Makes a Difference

Every child has the right to the best possible childhood. As your child’s first and most important teacher, you have been working hard to provide the best environment you can for your little one. Most likely it is the need to go back to work or school that has brought you to a place where you need help from others to do this important job.

There is a great deal of research available to confirm that high quality child care is very important for the healthy growth and development of children. There is also a lot of research out there that tells us that child care that is of low quality can be harmful to children.

Qualified early learning and care professionals - like Early Childhood Educators - with training in child development, are very important pieces to excellent child care. As a parent you want someone who knows how to provide great learning experiences, but also knows what activities are appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development.

An early learning and care environment that is safe, clean and bright, welcoming and gives children a sense of belonging is also very important to a good child care program.

Checking for quality child care

You have the responsibility of checking the quality of care your child is receiving.

Investing In Quality created 7 Standards of Quality to offer a framework for child care to help children to learn and grow.

Questions to ask Licensed Child Care

What is your agency’s program statement?
What kind of training/education do the educators have?
Which educators will be caring for my child?
How many children does each educator look after?
How many children will be in the room with my child?
How long have your educators been at the centre?
How do you plan activities for the children? (inside/outside)?
What is your daily routine?
How will you help my child feel like he/she belongs?
What do you do if a child hits, bites another child, or is uncooperative?
How do you sooth a child that is crying or is upset? What is your approach to toilet learning?
Do you take children on field trips? How do you transport the children?
How do you help the children to get involved in learning?
What are your fees? When do I pay them? Are there any other fees? What is your vacation policy?
What do you do if my child is sick, hurt or has an emergency?
Do the educators have First Aid and CPR training?
How will you communicate with me about my child’s progress?
Do you encourage parents to be involved? If so, how can I be involved?

Questions to ask Licensed Home Child Care

What experience do you have caring for young children?
What kind of training/education do you have?
Do you have First Aid and CPR training?
Will there be other adults in the house while my child is here? How many children do you provide care for? (note: an individual home child care provider that is overseen by a licensed agency can care for up to six children under the age of 13, which must include any of their own children under the age of four).
Do you have children of your own?
What rooms will my child be in during care?
What kinds of activities and experiences do you plan (inside/
outside)?
What do you do if a child hits, bites another child, or is uncooperative?
How do you sooth a child that is crying or is upset?
How will you help my child to feel like she/he belongs?
What is your approach to toilet learning?
Do you have an emergency evacuation plan?
What are the hours and days you offer care? What happens if I cannot get there on time to pick-up my child?
What do you do if my child is sick, hurt or has an emergency?
What happens if you are sick or on vacation? Do you have a back-up care provider, or do I need to arrange back-up?
Can I have the phone numbers of other parents to ask them some questions?

Resources

Helpful websites