New Brunswick Child Care Subsidies
Need help with childcare expenses?
Childcare Financial Assistance is available for middle- and low- income parents to help cover the cost of child care. To be eligible, parents must be working, enrolled in a training or education program, have a parent referral or have a referral from a child program. Benefits are determined based on annual gross household income up to $80,000.
There are two Childcare Financial Assistance Programs:
1. Parent Subsidy Program which provides financial support to parents with preschool children (0-5 years, not yet in school) enrolled in a designated early learning and childcare facility.
Do you know, Wee College Campuses are designated New Brunswick Early Learning Centres?
2. Childcare Assistance Program which provides financial support to parents with preschool children (0-5 years, not yet in school) enrolled in a non-designated early learning and childcare facility or children 5-12 years and enrolled in a school age program.
Parent Portal
The Parent Portal is a secure, online site. It is a ‘one stop shop’ for parents to interact with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) throughout their child’s educational experience from preschool to Grade 12.
We encourage all families to visit the Early Learning Parent Portal, https://www.nbed.nb.ca/parentportal/en/ and see if your family qualifies for a subsidy.
Once in the parent portal, register for an account to apply for both programs.
The Childcare Assistance Program
The Childcare Assistance Program is a program provided by the Government of New Brunswick to help offset the costs and increase access for families to affordable, inclusive, quality early learning and child care in non-designated licensed Early Learning and Child Care facilities, for preschool children aged 0-5, not yet attending school, and/or children aged 5-12 years and attending school.
The Childcare Assistance Program for eligible families is paid directly to the operator of the Early Learning and Child Care facility. Parents are responsible for paying any difference between the actual daily cost charged by the Early Learning and Child Care facility and the Childcare Assistance Program subsidy amount approved.
Please note:
– Parents/guardians who have a preschool-aged child AND a school-aged child registered in a designated centre might be eligible for the Parent Subsidy Program for the preschool-aged child and for the Childcare Assistance Program for the school-aged child. Parents/guardians only need to fill out one application for both programs.
Parents/guardians may be eligible for the Childcare Assistance Program if:
• They have a preschool-aged child (0-5) not yet attending school who is enrolled in a licensed non-designated Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) facility,
AND/OR
• They have a school aged child (5-12) enrolled in a school age program in a designated and/or non-designated licensed Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) facility; AND
• They are residents of New Brunswick; AND
• They are employed, or in a training program, or have a Parent Referral or a Child Program Referral, AND
• They have a gross annual household income (before deductions) of $80,000 or less.
The program uses a sliding scale based on gross annual household income (before deductions) and the childcare fees charged by the centre.
Parents can apply for Childcare Financial Assistance benefits up to 60 days before their child starts at the centre. If an enrolment offer is not active within 60 days from the benefit approval date, the benefit will expire, and parents must then submit a new application.
The Parent Subsidy Program
The Parent Subsidy Program is offered by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to provide support for low- and middle-income families, to support preschool children aged 0 – 5 years, not yet attending school and enrolled in a designated early learning and child care facility.
The program considers childcare registration fees, the number of children under age five not yet attending school, and the total gross annual household income (before deductions).
Parents/guardians could be eligible to the Parent Subsidy Program if:
• They have at least one preschool-aged child who is not attending school and who is registered in designated New Brunswick Early Learning facility; AND
• They are residents of New Brunswick; AND
• They are working, in training or in an education program or have a special circumstance; AND
• They have a gross annual household income is $80,000 or less.
Both programs use a sliding scale based on gross annual household income (before deductions) and the childcare fees charged by the centre.
Families with a gross annual household income of $37,500 or less will have access to free childcare at a designated facility.;
Families with a gross annual household income between $37,501 to $80,000, will pay based on the sliding scale;
