Help Paying for Child Care

Step 1: Check if you have an eligible reason for needing child care

Who is eligible for Child Care Subsidy?

You may be eligible for Child Care Subsidy if you meet all the following criteria in the next 16 weeks:

1. Your household is financially eligible;
2. You have one or more children who are 0-12 years of age, and you have a start date or need for child care;
3. You live in Waterloo Region; and
4. You (and your spouse) have an eligible reason for needing child care from this list:

• • Currently working (full-time or part-time)
  • Currently working (self-employed)
  • Attending school or training program
  • Your child has a special or social need (Referral - Child Special/Social Need)
  • You are ill, experiencing stress or have a family circumstance and have a doctor or other professional recommending licensed child care (Referral - Parent Medical Need)

Income Eligibility: Before you start your application, use the calculator below to estimate your financial eligibility based on your household's net income.

Child Care Subsidy Calculator

When applying for Child Care Subsidy, you will need to upload supporting documents with your application. The documents needed will vary depending on your circumstances and your reason for needing child care. All supporting documents need to be submitted within 30 days of your date of application to avoid the need to re-apply.

Your supporting documents can be submitted in one of two ways:

• Online - Upload all required documents directly to your Child Care Subsidy account within 30 days of submitting your application. This will avoid the need to re-apply. 
• In-Person - Deliver your documents in-person or by mail to a Region of Waterloo Welcome Space where knowledgeable staff can also assist you in submitting your documents to complete your application. Please note, your application may be delayed if submitted by mail.

To prevent delays in processing your application, please carefully review the document information provided to ensure that all required documents are included and on time.

When your application and all documents are received and processed, you will be booked for an appointment with a Caseworker to complete the application process and assess your eligibility for Child Care Fee Subsidy.

Required Documents

Please ensure you are submitting the following required documents at one time. For more information about each, please read below.

Need additional support to submit your documents and complete your application?

For help completing a Child Care Subsidy application, families can contact one of the following:

• Call, email or meet with an Early Learning Child Care Navigator
  • Phone: 519-741-8585, extension 3008
  • Email: elccnavigator@ytr.ymca.ca 
  • Submit an ELCC Navigator request form
• Call or email the Region of Waterloo to speak with Child Care Subsidy staff
  • Phone: 519-575-4400
  • Email: ccs@regionofwaterloo.ca 
• Visit the Region of Waterloo, Community Services Welcome Spaces located on the first floor of our three locations in Waterloo, Cambridge and Kitchener. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Region of Waterloo is updating its application process to a Child Care Subsidy Account to support safe and secure communication for your child care subsidy information.

By creating a Child Care Subsidy Account, you will be able to safely and securely upload your personal documents. As of July 23, 2024, all documents are required to go through your Child Care Subsidy Account.

How to Create a Child Care Subsidy Account

1. Go to the Child Care Subsidy Account webpage. Select "Sign In" at the top right corner of the screen.

2. Select "Create an Account".

3. Complete the information for yourself as the adult applying on behalf of your child (i.e. your name and birth date, not your child's). Select the "Create Adult Account" button.

4. Shortly after, you will receive a confirmation email from your Child Care Subsidy Account. Sign into your email, find the message from "Confirm your Children's Services account / Confirmer votre compte du Services à l'enfance" and click the link within the email to confirm your account. The link will be active for 24 hours.

After confirming your account, you will automatically be redirected to the sign in page of your Child Care Subsidy Account.

1. Go to the Child Care Subsidy Account webpage. Select "Sign In" at the top right corner of the screen. Log in using the email address and password you created.

2. Select the "Child Care Fee Subsidy Application" box to start the application form.

3. On the welcome page of the application, select "Apply for Child Care Subsidy". When completing the application, please note: 

• After 20 minutes of inactivity, this application will close and a new application will need to be started. You cannot save and access this information again.
• Any fields with an asterisk (*) must be completed.
• If, at any time, you need to stop completing the Child Care Subsidy Application Form before submitting it, please click "Cancel" in order to clear any information you have provided.
• You may also contact our office and apply by phone at 519-575-4400.

First, complete all fields in the Child Care Subsidy Application form. You will be asked for the following information:

• Personal information about yourself and your spouse (if applicable), including birth date, gender, marital status, source of income, immigration status and date of arrival in Canada (if applicable).
• Contact information for yourself and your spouse (if applicable), including address, phone, and email.
• Work/school information, including start date and type of work/school.
• An eligible reason for needing child care (i.e. attending school, working, child with special/social needs, parent medical need, or social assistance)
• Information on other adults living in your home, including name, date they started living with you, and relationship to you
• Personal information about your child(ren), including name, date of birth, preferred choice of child care, and preferred start date for child care
• Contact and appointment preferences
• Personal information and contact information

Second, submit supporting documents. All documents must be submitted within 30 days of receiving your Child Care Subsidy Application. All documents must be received before you will be contacted for an eligibility appointment. The list of potential documents needed to complete your application is listed above under Required Documents. See Step 5 for how to upload documents through your Child Care Subsidy Account.

 4. Once you submit your application, a message will appear with a confirmation number.

• Select "View Application Summary" and save or print your application. Note: You will not be able to return to this step.
• Click "Upload Documents" to upload supporting documents through your Child Care Subsidy Account.
  • All documents must be submitted within 30 days of receiving your Child Care Subsidy Application.
  • All documents must be received before you will be contacted for an eligibility appointment. 

1. After submitting your application, you will need to upload the documents needed to complete your application. Your account provides a convenient, safe, and secure way to upload documents. These documents are required to determine eligibility for Child Care Subsidy.

• All documents must be submitted within 30 days of receiving your Child Care Subsidy Application.
• All documents must be received before you will be contacted for an eligibility appointment.

Before you upload any documents:

• Ensure documents are clear and legible - no blurred photos - and all required information and pages are included.
• Make sure the file or files you want to upload do not exceed 4 MB.
• Allowed file types - PDF (.pdf), JPG (.jft, .jfif, .jif, jpe, jpeg, jpg)

2. Select the "Child Care Fee Subsidy document upload" box to upload documents securely to your account.

3. Click "Select files" to upload documents from your computer, phone or tablet.

4. Locate the file on your phone/tablet/computer and click "Open".

• The file has now been successfully uploaded and sent to Child Care Subsidy and will be processed alongside your application.

5. All files uploaded will appear under File Name with the File Status of "Pending" until the Child Care Subsidy team has reviewed your documents.

• Once a document has been reviewed, pending status will change to either "Approved" or "Declined". 

When your application and all documents are received and processed, a Child Care Subsidy staff member will reach out to you by email to book an appointment with a Child Care Subsidy Caseworker to assess your eligibility for Child Care Subsidy. Please watch for an email response from ccs@regionofwaterloo.ca regarding your application. You may need to check your email junk or spam folder to ensure you do not miss next steps.

Please note: Processing times may take up to 10 business days for your application and uploaded documents to be reviewed. Please upload all your supporting documents as soon as possible to help your application to be processed as quickly as possible. Waiting to upload all your documents or uploading your documents over multiple days, may mean your application will take longer to process.

For help completing a Child Care Subsidy application, families can contact one of the following:

• Call, email or meet with an Early Learning Child Care Navigator
  • Phone: 519-741-8585, extension 3008
  • Email: elccnavigator@ytr.ymca.ca 
  • Submit an ELCC Navigator request form
• Call or email the Region of Waterloo to speak with Child Care Subsidy staff
  • Phone: 519-575-4400
  • Email: ccs@regionofwaterloo.ca 
• Visit the Region of Waterloo, Community Services Welcome Spaces located on the first floor at three locations in Waterloo, Cambridge and Kitchener. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

After your application has been submitted, you can not make any changes or updates to your online application through your Child Care Subsidy Account.

Please email ccs@regionofwaterloo.ca to update the information on your Child Care Subsidy application. 

You can not use the online application to re-apply or make any changes or updates to an existing application.

Please email ccs@regionofwaterloo.ca to re-apply or make changes to your Child Care Subsidy application.

The Child Care Subsidy program helps eligible families pay for licensed child care, before or after school programs, and/or summer programs.

The Child Care Subsidy program is not able to help you find a child care space. To find a licensed child care placement, families will need to create an account for OneList and apply for child care programs through OneList. If you are looking for a child care space, you can explore the options and apply to child care programs through OneList.

If you need help creating an account on OneList or applying to child care programs through OneList, families can contact:

• Early Learning Navigators
  • Phone: 519-741-8585, extension 3008
  • Email: elccnavigator@ytr.ymca.ca
  • Submit an ELCC Navigator request form
• OneHSN Technical Support
  • Email: Support@OneHSN.com (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

If you have questions about a specific child care program or if you are looking for information on the status of your application at a specific program, please contact the child care program directly.

Yes, you may apply for Child Care Subsidy without having a confirmed child care space with an licensed child care provider.

It is important that you apply for child care at a licensed child care provider through OneList. Due to high demand for child care spaces, you will likely be placed on a waiting list once you apply.

If you do not have a confirmed child care space, in your Child Care Subsidy application for the "Child Care Choice" question, please select "*No confirmed child care space". Your selection does not impact your eligibility for Child Care Subsidy. 

• If you are new to Canada this year and have not yet filed your taxes;
• If you are under 18 years of age; or
• If you are receiving benefits through the Ontario Works (OW) program, including Temporary Care Assistance (TCA), or through Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

In all other situations, Child Care Subsidy requires your most recent Notice of Assessment to determine your financial eligibility. If you have not reported your income to the Canada Revenue Agency, we cannot determine if you are eligible for Child Care Subsidy. 

Families are encouraged to contact the Canada Revenue Agency to file taxes at your earliest convenience to obtain a Notice of Assessment (NOA) or Canada Child Benefit Notice (CCB).

See the Proof of Your Income section on this webpage for more information about the documents needed.

• Continuously for a period of more than three years; or
• Is in a relationship of some permanence; or
• They are the natural or adoptive parents of a child.

If your spouse resides outside of Canada and does not have a status of immigration in Canada, please change your Applicant 1 marital status to "Separated" for the purposes of applying for Child Care Subsidy. Applicant 2 information is not required at this time.

All forms can be found under Step 2: Know what documents to submit when you apply. All forms are also listed below:

Proof of Reason for Child Care: There are a number of forms that may need to be completed to show why you (and your spouse, if applicable) need child care.

• Working (full-time or part-time): Employment Verification Form
• Working (Self-Employed): Self-Employment Questionnaire 
• Therapeutic Referral - Child Special or Social Need: Child Care Referral Form
• Therapeutic Referral - Parent Medical Need: Parent Medical Form

Parenting Arrangement Documents:

• Declaration of Family Composition Form 

10. What should I do if I disagree with a Child Care Subsidy decision?

Please let your Caseworker know that you disagree with a decision that has been made about your eligibility or payment. You may also request to speak with a Supervisor of Child Care Subsidy.

If you continue to disagree with the decision, you can request an appeal through an Internal Review. This is a request to have your file reviewed by an impartial third party. This applies to the following:

• You apply and are determined to be ineligible; or
• Your subsidy payments have been changed or cancelled.

To request an Internal Review, call 519-575-4400 or you can complete the Internal Review Form.