Parent fees: school board- operated programs (extended day)

Requirement

In accordance with the Education Act, the CCEYA and their respective regulations, every school board shall charge fees to parents of students enrolled in school board-operated programs to recover costs incurred by the schoolboard.

School boards are also required to ensure that costs associated with accommodating students with special needs are incorporated into the cost of the program.

Considerations:

A school board may also require a deposit or a registration fee to be paid to enroll a student in a school board-operated program.

  • Deposits cannot exceed fees charged by the school board for two weeks enrolment in a program
  • Where a parent withdraws an enrolled student before the first day of the program, school boards must refund deposits, less a maximum of $50 for administrative fees
  • Registration fees cannot exceed $50

Parent fees: third party programs

School boards do not determine third party fees as these are set by the provider. The ministry does not regulate child care fees set by licensed child care centres or authorized recreational skill building providers.

Ontario Regulation 137/15 prohibits child care centres from charging a waiting list fee or deposit to parents seeking to be added to or removed from a waiting list.

Child care subsidy

The ministry provides funding to local service system managers who are responsible for the administration of child care fee subsidies in their communities. Child care subsidy is available for children enrolled in licensed child care, school board-operated before and/or after school programs, children enrolled in authorized recreational and skill building programs, and for children enrolled in camps that meet criteria set out under the CCEYA and regulations.

Eligible families may apply for subsidy through their local service system manager. Fee subsidy for eligible families is subject to the availability of subsidy funds within the budget of the service system managers, the existing of a purchase of service agreement with the operator, as well as space being available within a child care program.

Local service system managers have the flexibility to determine how to allocate child care and early years funding to best meet the needs of children, families and service providers within their community. There may be instances where a before and after school program is not in receipt of fee subsidy even if it is eligible.

Service system managers may also choose to provide general operating funding to school board operated programs (extended day programs), as defined under the Education Act, to alleviate high fees to parents, consistent with service system managers’ discretion to provide general operating funding to other child care programs.

Requirement

Child care subsidies may only be provided through the local service system manager. School boards are not permitted to directly provide subsidies to families to access a before and/or afterschool program.

Considerations

School boards may enter into agreements with a local service system manager to provide subsidies to eligible families with children enrolled in a school board-operated program. Local service system managers may administer child care subsidy based on local policies and priorities, in accordance with ministry regulations and policies, to best respond to the needs in their community.