While parents of children in kindergarten at public schools will get some relief for child care costs next week, the same cannot be said for Catholic school parents. At least, not immediately.
Last week, the Waterloo Region District School Board announced that kids aged six and under will receive a 25 per cent discount on child care in the fall as part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement.
A spokesperson for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board told Global News that they are still working out the details to get schools aligned with the plan.
“We’re continuing to work with the Region of Waterloo and the province to license its 36 sites,” the spokesperson said in an email.
“We look forward to this beginning in January.”
In order to qualify for the plan under its rules, they need to get the before- and after-care plans licenced.
Parents with children in before and after care are currently paying around $29 per day while those at the Catholic board are paying about $28.50.
A spokesperson for the WRDSB said last week that the rates would drop 25 per cent in the fall and 50 per cent in January for those with kids in junior or senior kindergarten who were born in 2017 and 2018.
The WCDSB is still working out how they would apply the discounts, as it will work towards the federal government’s plan of having $10-a-day child care by 2025.