Excerpted from introduction
The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) within the Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) Program provides funding to make child care more affordable for families across the province. Funding is available to eligible, licensed child care organizations to reduce monthly child care fees.
Eligible child care organizations must apply to the Ministry of Children and Family Development (Ministry) to receive CCFRI funding. These guidelines explain how CCFRI applications will be assessed for the April 1, 2020- March 31, 2021 Funding Agreement Term.
As the purpose of CCFRI is to make child care more affordable for B.C. families, the standards outlined in these guidelines are intended to ensure that the greatest possible benefit is passed along to parents in the form of reduced monthly parent fees.
The CCFRI is an important part of the Childcare BC plan. Eligible organizations must participate in the CCFRI to receive funding through other Childcare BC initiatives, including the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, Maintenance Fund, Start-Up Grants, and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE). This ensures organizations funded by the Childcare BC plan are demonstrating a commitment to offering affordable child care for families.
CCFRI funding is available to eligible licensed Group and Family child care facilities for children in the “Under 36 Months” and/or the “3 Years to Kindergarten” categories (Parent Fee Reduction Eligible Care Categories). Enrolled organizations receive Parent Fee Reduction Payments, which are given to parents in the form of reduced parent fees, for up to the following amounts for full-time care (pro-rated amounts apply for part-time care):
- $350/month for Group infant/toddler care (Under 36 months);
- $200/month for Family infant/toddler care (Under 36 months);
- $100/month for Group care for children aged 3 years to Kindergarten; and
- $60/month for Family care for children aged 3 years to Kindergarten.