County Distributes Funding for Child Care

Northumberland County yesterday announced that they will be distributing funding from the Province to parents who use licensed child care.  If you used licensed centre-based or home-based child care for a child aged 4 and under, in the period between January 1 and October 31, 2018, you will get up to $4,000 in a refund.  The money is being distributed through the child care operators and refunds have already started.  The money is going only to those who used licensed child care operators so seems to recognize that these may be more expensive.  A statement by Northumberland County’s Community & Social Services Director Lisa Horne says: “This benefit will support families at a time of increasing financial need.  Northumberland County continues to examine opportunities to further ensure quality child care and early years programming is accessible to local families.”

Doug Ford
Doug Ford

The subsidy is a “one-time benefit” and is proportioned only by how much is spent; there is no income eligibility requirement. I think of it as a Christmas gift from Doug Ford!  His photo at right was from when he was in Cobourg during the recent election campaign.

The County expects to distribute a total of $800,000 to child-care operators across Northumberland who will distribute the funds to their clients at rates of:

  • $20 per day for full-day infant care ($10 per day for half-day care);
  • $15 per day for full-day toddler care ($7.50 per day for half-day care); and
  • $10 per day for full-day preschool care ($5 per day for half-day care)

With going rates in Cobourg at around $40 per day, these are significant amounts.

The county advises parents to contact their provider to obtain their refunds – some may have already been distributed.

Here is a list of licensed Day Care Centres provided by the County (Home-based operators are not on this list):

Alliance Family Centre 1333 Ontario St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐373‐0783 y
Cobourg Day Care 325 Alexandria Dr., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐9507 y
Junior Set Nursery School 326 Ball St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐3756 y
St. Peter’s Pre-School Learning Centre 240 College St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐373‐1296
Victoria Park Child Care Centre 172 Queen St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐2143

Multiple YMCA centres

Burnham YMCA Child Care 614 Burnham St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐376‐4806
Terry Fox YMCA Child Care 1065 Riddell Ave., Cobourg Tel: 905‐373‐4664
Cobourg YMCA Child Care 339 Elgin St., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐9247
C.R. Gummow YMCA Child Care 311 Cottesmore Ave., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐9714
Merwin Greer YMCA Child Care 457 King St. E., Cobourg Tel: 905‐375‐8589
St. Joseph’s YMCA Child Care 919 D’Arcy St. N., Cobourg Tel: 905‐372‐6444

Here is the List for the whole County

See also the Cobourg Internet page on Day Care here.

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Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

There was a time when labour unions fought for a ‘living wage’ for their members.
By ‘living wage’ they meant that ONE breadwinner could support his family and live a middle class life with home ownership and with the wife staying at home to raise the family.
Sounds hopelessly old-fashioned.
Today, a ‘living wage’ is calculated based on the needs of a family of four with TWO parents each working full-time, full-year. It would also support a family throughout the life cycle so that young adults are not discouraged from having children and older workers have some extra income as they age. This living wage does not provide for home ownership nor for retirement savings.
For Northumberland the minimum living wage is $17.85.
http://www.ontariolivingwage.ca/what_is_the_living_wage

manfred s
Reply to  Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

“This living wage does not provide for home ownership…” but does provide for shelter, I assume, Walter. Which, in the aggregate and over extended time, is more costly, basic home ownership or renting? Equity is obviously apart from this question.

ben
Reply to  Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

So what you are saying Walter is that the demise of Unions has led to lower family incomes!

Hmm perhaps the answer is to have more Unions, wonder what Drug Ford will say to you?

ben
Reply to  Walter L. Luedtke
5 years ago

And just a couple of days ago Bloomberg had an article quoting economists as saying “Unions have been good for the economy”

Damit
5 years ago

Well we got back about $2500, we did not really need it and it was a surprise to get it. There are some solid points here regarding this payback. Throughout my life thousands and thousands of my money has gone to help others, nice to get something back. I will indeed be thinking of this while relaxing on the beach in Mexico in a few weeks.

Deborah OConnor
5 years ago

A few thoughts about this. First, it’s gratifying to see so many licensed day care centres in our area. When my kids were small in the 70s there was just about nothing available other than the neighbour down the street. Certainly no subsidies to assist low income parents who needed day care to be able to work.

It makes no sense to me to give away cash to parents who don’t need it. I’m sure it’s a vote-buying effort by the Fordites to shore up support in the face of the millions and millions of our dollars Ford has cost us taxpayers with his ham-handed blunders.

True confession: I am old enough to be one of those dinosaurs who would prefer that children have a parent, particularly mothers, to guide them through their early years. It’s sad that we have created a society that requires both parents to work full time to keep the family out of poverty. That’s the reality for many of us who aren’t in the upper income bracket. The plain truth is that if we want all parents to work outside the home, reliable and affordable child care is a necessity.

Frenchy
Reply to  Deborah OConnor
5 years ago

I’m not defending Ford and am certainly not in favour of the rebate to families who don’t need it (see my comment below), but…

“millions and millions of our dollars Ford has cost us taxpayers with his ham-handed blunders.”?

Did you also complain about the Billions and Billions of dollars Wynne/McGuinty has cost us taxpayers with their ham-handed blunders?

ben
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago

Yes we did; waste is waste Frenchy but I guess if Ford wastes it, it is OK by you because you didn’t like Wynne.

Frenchy
Reply to  ben
5 years ago

Ben, I stated in two different posts that it is not OK by me, but you have found a way to turn that around somehow. I have never said whether I liked or didn’t like Wynne, or Ford, or McGuinty, but you seem to have put your stamp on that too. In the end, it appeared that most of the province didn’t like Wynne. Maybe even you.

ben
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago

Frenchy I was one of the few saying that Wynne was dead meat a year before the election. Whether I liked her or the policies had nothing to do with it. The cult of ‘personality politics’ did her in. Just as the same cult is now trying to do in Trudeau.

Frenchy
Reply to  ben
5 years ago

Ben, I’ll edit my above post to this and see if you’ll have a reply.

“Ben, I stated in two different posts that it is not OK by me, but you have found a way to turn that around somehow. I have never said whether I liked or didn’t like Wynne, or Ford, or McGuinty, but you seem to have put your stamp on that too.”

ben
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago

Hmm you appear to have a problem deciding who you might have to vote for. ALL govts waste money, some more than others. Drug Ford has already wasted more money in his first five months than most have done in a year. Hobson’s choice is not nice.

Frenchy
5 years ago

I’ll gladly pay for that single Mom’s daycare while she goes pack to school to better herself and her family, or goes out to work one or two jobs to support her family. But, why should us taxpayers subsidize the exact same amounts to the family pulling in $200-300 grand a year?

Dice
5 years ago

I remember back in the day, when people paid or planned for their OWN child care, instead of expecting taxpayers to foot the bill.

CobourgPerson
Reply to  Dice
5 years ago

Do you also remember back in the day when housing prices were reasonable and families could survive on one income?

Kyle
Reply to  CobourgPerson
5 years ago

Yes, and an individual was responsible and accountable for thier actions and choices.

ben
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

But times have changed but attitudes haven’t – pity!

Rusty Brown
Reply to  CobourgPerson
5 years ago

People seemed to be content. ♪ ♫ ♪
Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent.
Those were the days ♫ ♪ ♫

Hair was short and skirts were long. ♪ ♫ ♪
Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don’t know just what went wrong
Those Were the Days ♫ ♪ ♫