Toronto Childcare Centres Can Opt In For The $10-A-Day Program & Families Can Get Refunds

Parents with young kids in Toronto could finally get some money back soon from the $10-a-day child care program that Ontario signed onto with the feds earlier this year.

On Wednesday, June 22, the City of Toronto announced that as of June 23, all licensed child care providers in the city can now start to apply to be part of the brand new Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care funding program.

This means all licensed child care programs that look after kids under 6 years old, or who turn 6 before June 30, can apply to be part of this program, so long as they meet the requirements laid out by provincial and municipal governments.

As soon as a child care program has been approved for the program, eligible families can start to see refunds retroactive to April 1, 2022. Ontario families were originally supposed to see rebates starting in May.

"The City of Toronto supports all efforts to keep child care fees affordable for families and we are proud to partner with the federal and provincial governments to help make licensed child care within reach for families in this city," Mayor John Tory said.

"The funding will help strengthen the early learning and child care system in Toronto, and help us reach our goals of affordability, access and workforce support now and into the future," added Michael Thompson, Chair of the Community and Economic Development Committee.

Per the agreement between Ontario and the Canadian government, child care fees are to be cut by 25% by April 1, 2022, to a minimum of $12 a day. Then, parents can expect another 25% price reduction by December 2022.

Come September 2025, the program is expected to provide $10-a-day child care for all eligible children.

Licensed child care providers have until September 1 to apply, where they can also look into getting "compensation supports" for eligible staff under the program too. After this date, the form will no longer be available.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.