Children's Services
Every day, early childhood educators (ECEs) provide Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that build a strong foundation for their development and well-being.
Children who participate in high-quality learning environments experience increased verbal communication, reading, math, and science skills, as well as a host of other benefits.
Uncover the facts about the many ways ECEs benefit children, their families, and the growth of our economy. Download our fact sheet.
We provide leadership to ensure quality, inclusive early learning and child care programs are available to support families across the Algoma District.
This includes:
- Child Care Fee Subsidy
- Supporting Children with Special Needs
- Quality Assurance
- EarlyON Child and Family Centres
- Community Planning
- Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Plan (Click here for PDF)
Children’s Services is responsible for the delivery of early learning and child care services in Algoma and promotes access to high quality early learning, child care and supports for families. Children’s Services supports children’s programs that:
- Care for children in a safe, nurturing environment
- Support the needs of working parents
- Are flexible and provide choice
- Support children and families at risk or with special needs
- Provide quality care that is affordable, effective and accessible
Note: the information on this website is only a guideline, and is subject to change. It does not reflect all policies and procedures of Social Planning and Service Standard’s Children Services division. If you require further clarification on any of the information presented here, please contact the Algoma District Services Administration office in your area.
Child Care Fee Subsidy Program
Children’s Services provides child care fee subsidy for children to parents and guardians in need of financial assistance who are working, job searching, attending school or training, or have children with special needs. We are committed to ensuring that quality, affordable licensed child care is available to qualifying families of Algoma, to ensure healthy child growth and development and well-being.
What is the Child Care Fee Subsidy
The Child Care Fee Subsidy Program helps qualifying families cover the cost of licensed child care. Quality child care plays a key role in helping children develop the skills they need to be life long learners. It is also an essential support for many parents, helping them to balance the demands of career and family while participating in the workforce or pursuing education or training.
Eligibility
In order to qualify, parent(s) or guardians must be working or job searching; attending school or training; receiving Ontario Works benefits while participating in an approved activity; or there must be a social or special need. Parent(s) or guardians of a child applying to a licensed child care program, or a ‘before and after’ school program, may qualify if the child is up to 12 years old, or up to 18 years old if the child has special needs. After your application is received eligibility is determined at your intake interview, using a provincially mandated income test, provincial legislation, and municipal guidelines.
Based on eligibility, parents may pay a portion of the daily cost of child care to the child care centre and Children’s Services pays the balance of the daily cost directly to the child care centre.
Eligibility for child care subsidy is based on your “adjusted income”. Adjusted income is the net income which is shown on line 236 of your last year’s Federal Notice of Assessment document for both parents. As a result, parents applying for child care subsidy must provide a copy of:
The Federal Notice of Assessment and the Universal Child Care Benefit Statement (RC62) (if receiving this benefit)
OR The Canadian Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) Notice (see below).
The Canadian Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) Notice
Persons with a total adjusted income of $20 000.00 or less qualify for a full subsidy. Income amounts are categorized within the three levels listed below. Parents can expect to pay the following towards yearly child care costs, as based on their income levels:
| Income Amount | Calculation of Parental Contribution |
| Under $20,000 | 0% of income under $20,000 (Full fee subsidy, no calculation) |
| $20,000 – $40,000 | 0% of income under $20,000 plus 10% of any income over $20,000 |
| Over $40,000 | 0% of income under $20,000 plus 10% of any income over $20,000 plus 30% of any income over $40,000 |
Note: This yearly amount will be used to further calculate the monthly and daily fees. Ongoing eligibility will continue to be based on the income of either one or both parents as appropriate. You will never pay more than the actual cost of the child care without subsidy.
Supporting Children with Special Needs
The Algoma District Services Administration Board purchases special needs resourcing services from Children’s Rehabilitation Centre Algoma. Services for children with special needs are offered in all licensed child care sites within the Algoma District. Early Childhood Education Resource Consultants, Child Care staff and the family work together for the successful inclusion of every child into the child care program.
Quality Assurance
We are committed to providing high quality early learning and development opportunities for children and families across the Algoma district. Children, families and educators are well supported by a system of responsive, high-quality, accessible, and increasingly integrated early years programs and services that set the foundations for lifelong learning.
Programs value children as competent, capable of complex thinking, curious, and rich in potential. They see families as belonging, valuable contributors to their children’s learning, and deserve to be engaged in a meaningful way. Educators are knowledgeable, caring, reflective and resourceful professionals. They are valuable contributors engaged in meaningful work.
EarlyON Child and Family Centres
All existing child and family programs funded by the Ministry of Education have been combined into one program model, and services will be provided through EarlyON Child and Family Centres.
The goal is to enhance the quality and consistency of child and family programs across Ontario for parents, caregivers and young children ages 0-6 to ensure that:
- Expecting parents, parents, caregivers and home child care providers have access to high quality services that support them in their role;
- Children have access to inclusive, play and inquiry-based learning opportunities to improve their developmental health and well-being;
- Parents, caregivers and home child care providers have a better understanding of early learning and development, find it easy to access support, and are provided with an accessible, non-stigmatized place to seek help; and
- Local services collaborate in an integrated way to meet the needs of children and families and actively engage parents and caregivers to increase participation.
Community Planning
Algoma District Services Administration Board (ADSAB) is the system manger directed to plan and deliver community-based early years programs and services governed and funded by the Ministry of Education.
ADSAB is attuned to the complex and often differing needs of the communities in our area. By providing leadership to local service providers, school boards, and community partners, ADSAB breaks down barriers and establishes connections between programs and services. In the role of guiding local planning tables ADASB finds other innovative ways to connect and work with community partners.