Child care funding
Help with child care fees
No application needed
Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative
A provider that takes part in the Province’s fee reduction has its monthly fees reduced for each eligible child. It is not based on family income, and parents do not apply.
- Up to $900 a month off full-time infant and toddler group care
- The amount depends on the child’s age and full- or part-time care
- The provider applies it to the monthly fee
- Full-time fees are not reduced below $200 a month
Monthly help based on income
Affordable Child Care Benefit
A monthly payment from the Province toward child care costs for eligible families. Families earning up to $111,000 may qualify; income, family size and the type of care set the amount.
- Up to $1,250 a month for group care under 19 months
- Apply through the Province’s My Family Services
- Apply by the end of the month you need care
- Renew every year, or when the reason for care changes
Affordable Child Care Benefit
Who can apply for the benefit
A guardian applies. These are the Province’s requirements; its eligibility page has the details.
- 1
Residency
A resident of British Columbia with a current B.C. address, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, Convention refugee or person in need of protection.
- 2
A reason for care
Work, school, job training, looking for work, a medical condition, a licensed preschool, or care arranged by a social worker.
- 3
Type of care
Most types of child care are eligible. Care by a family member in your home, occasional, drop-in and recreational care are not.
- 4
Income
Families earning up to $111,000 may qualify. Families earning more, with significant deductions, may also apply.
Monthly amounts
The amounts at a glance
The Province’s maximum monthly amounts for licensed group child care. A family’s own amount may be lower; part-time care gets a smaller reduction.
Source: Province of British Columbia. Amounts change; the Province’s pages have the latest.
| Infant (0-18 months) | $900 |
|---|---|
| Toddler (18-36 months) | $900 |
| 3 years to Kindergarten | $545 |
| Kindergarten | $320 |
| Grade 1 to age 12 | $115 |
| Preschool | $95 |
| Under 19 months | $1,250 |
|---|---|
| 19 to 36 months | $1,060 |
| 37 months to school age | $550 |
| School age | $415 |
| Licensed preschool | $225 |
On Ellerna
Applied on every invoice, claimed from the same numbers
The provider sets it up once
A location opts in with the Province, enters its approved rates by age group and schedule, and Ellerna applies the fee reduction to every invoice it generates.
The benefit is entered once, not every month
Staff record a family’s approval order as an award with its amount and period. It applies to each month in the period; nothing is retyped.
The invoice shows the whole picture
The monthly fee, the fee reduction, the benefit and what the family pays, line by line, on the invoice and the receipt.
Claims come from the same numbers
The monthly claim reports for the Province are built from the invoices, so what families saw and what the provider claims always match.
For families
Each provider opts in with the Province. On Ellerna, a provider that takes part shows the reduction on every invoice; if you do not see it, ask your provider.
Yes. The fee reduction lowers the fee itself, and families earning up to $111,000 may also apply for the Affordable Child Care Benefit for more savings.
Online through the Province’s My Family Services, by the end of the month you need care. Your provider enters the approval into Ellerna once it arrives.
The monthly fee, the fee reduction, the benefit and the amount you pay, each on its own line, with the care category the Province’s rules use.
For providers
Your location’s funding profile: the opt-in, the approved rates per age group and schedule, and the programs each category applies to. Ellerna does the rest on every invoice.
When a family’s approval arrives, record it once with its amount, period and case reference. Every month in the period picks it up; when it ends, it stops.
The monthly fee reduction claim with its daily grid, and the benefit claim, built from the invoices of the month.
Funding is a plan feature. The pricing page shows which plans include it.