Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI)
The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) enhances child care affordability by offering funding to eligible, licensed child care providers to reduce and stabilize parents’ monthly child care fees. Parents who send their children to licensed childcare can save up to $900 per month under this program.
Parents do not need to apply for this subsidy. Participating childcares will automatically get this funding starting December 2022. Please note, this subsidy is not dependent on your household income unlike Affordable Child Care Benefit. It is completely based on the age of the child and what kind of care is the child getting.
This BC government initiative helps families to afford the childcare which is a must for child's holistic growth. In addition to this subsidy, parents can apply for Affordable Child Care Benefit to get further discounts.
| New 2022 Reductions | 2022 New Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Age under 3 | $550 | $900 |
| Age 3 to 5 (not in school) | $445 | $545 |
The Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB)
The Affordable Child Care Benefit is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of child care. Factors like income, family size, and type of care determine how much support families can get. Families with household income less than $111K can receive up to $1,250 per month for their child.
Please note that families need to renew their application every year.
| Group child care / multi-age child care | Maximum monthly funding |
|---|---|
| Children under 19 months | $1,250 |
| Children 19 months and over but under 37 months | $1,060 |
| Children 37 months and over but who have not reached school age | $550 |
Do You Qualify for the ACCB?
A parent or guardian must be:
- A resident of B.C. (you must have a current B.C. address)
- A Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada , a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection
Most types of child care are eligible. Child care by a family member who lives with you, licensed occasional care and recreational care are not eligible for funding.
Parents must provide one of the following reasons for requiring child care:
- Working or self-employed
- Attending school
- Participating in an employment program
- Looking for work (only one parent or guardian)
- Living with a medical condition that interferes with your ability to care for your child
- Your child is attending licensed preschool
- You have been referred by a Ministry of Children and Family Development or Delegated Aboriginal Agency social worker.
A formula is used to calculate whether a family qualifies for a funding amount based on their annual income and deductions, or adjustments. This step is called income testing. Generally speaking, families that earn up to $111,000 may qualify for funding. Families that earn more than $111,000, but have considerable deductions for family size or children who have special needs, can also apply.
Families may be exempt from income testing if they are caring for someone else’s child under a Ministry of Children and Family Development placement.
Apply for funding before the end of the month in which you need child care. For example, if you would like to receive funding for child care starting September 1, you need to apply by September 30.
Available Funding
The number of children who are living at home and whether or not any of them have a designated special need.
Children who have a designated special need and require extra support may be eligible for an additional $150 per month towards the cost of child care.
The combined total of the special needs supplement and the Affordable Child Care Benefit cannot be more than the rate charged by the child care provider. If it is, the supplement amount will be reduced so that the combined amount is equal to the child care provider's rate.
The type of child care, and age of children determines the level of funding.
In some cases, the number of days per week that child care is needed is a factor in determining how much funding your family may receive. If you require less than 20 days of care per month, the amount of funding is prorated.
For most families, the level of funding is calculated based on the combined gross annual amount that a child’s parents or guardians earn, less deductions for family size and children who have a designated special need. Income is calculated based on information from your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notice of Assessment or an income declaration form.
Here's an example of the formula that uses income from your CRA Notice of Assessment
Family's adjusted annual income = total gross income (line 15000) – social assistance payments (line 14500) – ($2000 x (number of family members – 2)) – ($3000 x number of children who have a designated special need)
This means, depending on the type of care used:
- Families who earn approximately $0 to $45,000 (after adjustments are calculated) may qualify for full funding
- Families that earn $45,000 to $111,000 (after adjustments are calculated) may qualify for partial funding