Excerpted from the overview
In an effort to alleviate the challenges presented to child care providers and families as a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, as of April 1, 2020, Temporary Emergency Funding (TEF) is available to licensed child care providers who have a 2020/21 funding agreement through the Child Care Operating Funding Program (CCOF). Eligible, licensed child care facilities not currently enrolled in CCOF are welcome to apply for CCOF and TEF at any time; please visit the CCOF webpage for more information on how to apply.
The intention of the TEF is to:
- Support child care facilities to remain safely open to provide child care to any children whose families require it, including currently enrolled children and children of essential service workers, while following public health guidance from the Provincial Health Officer;
- Support essential service workers to have access to child care services during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
- Support child care facilities that choose to close temporarily to help cover fixed facility costs, so they can continue to provide child care services once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
The Ministry is offering to eligible facilities the opportunity to opt-in to certain temporary changes to the current CCOF funding arrangements through a modification to the 2020/21 CCOF Funding Agreement. Starting April 1, 2020, for child care facilities that opt-in to the modification, these interim changes involve the Ministry suspending the ‘CCOF Base Payments’ that would normally be paid to a facility under its 2020/21 CCOF Funding Agreement and replacing them with TEF. This TEF is discretionary and is subject to change or cancellation depending on how the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.
Further details and requirements regarding these new temporary measures are set out below.