At $650 a month, I have to mortgage a kidney to pay for an unsubsidized daycare spot

TICKET – $50: that’s what my couple has to pay a day to secure a place for my two-year-old in daycare. It’s expensive, you say? This is because it is unsubsidized. My case is not unique. We are over 66 000 families in the same situation.

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Like many parents who do business with a non-subsidized daycare (GNS), I received my bill for the year 2023 in the last few weeks, which exceeds, taxes included — attach your tuque/kippah/cap/hijab and any other covers -leader of this world -, the approximately $15,000.

$15,000 for 260 days, or $1,250 per month.

Hear me: I’m not complaining about having to pay 15,000 dollars for a place in nursery school for my little Marjorie. I rather complain that a daycare place can cost so much, or even more. And I can console myself: she is not one of the 33,829 toddlers who were still waiting for a place in daycare as of May 31, 2022.

Whether in family daycare, early childhood center (CPE) and subsidized daycare or not, free places to accommodate a future heir are rare, to put it mildly. very rare.

In this regard, the Ministère de la Famille du Québec intends to create 37,000 new subsidized places and convert unsubsidized places into subsidized places by 2025. But this is far from being done. It is still necessary to train nearly 18,000 qualified educators to meet this objective.

So when the only institution, although not subsidized, contacts you to tell you that a place is finally free, you do not hesitate. You jump at the chance, knowingly. Especially since we were told that a place in CPE should become available – it’s not a joke – by the time my daughter turns 18.

Take out your calculator

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers to give you an idea of ​​the magnitude of the bill for a subsidized daycare space compared to an unsubsidized space.

Subsidized

At $8.70 per day, 260 days per year, we arrive at $2262 per year, without taxes. That’s less than $190 per month.

Not subsidized

If we take my case, at $50 a day for a year of 260 days, I will have to pay $13,000, without taxes. We are therefore talking about a difference of $10,738.

$10,738.

Thank goodness the provincial government’s child care expense tax credit exists.

The what?

For newcomers to the subject, the tax credit for childcare expenses is a credit allowing families to be reimbursed a portion of childcare costs each month. The reimbursement rate depends on family income.

For couples who win between:

• 0 and $21,000, a 78% refund will be applied
• $21,000 and $37,030, 75%
• $37,030 and $38,400, 74%
• $38,400 and $39,780, 73%
• $39,780 and $41,135, 72%
• $41,135 and $42,515, 71?
• $42,515 and $101,490, 70%
• $101,490 or more, 67%

Source: Quebec Ministry of Finance

The government will reimburse us $7,500 of the $13,000 to be paid for the year, or just over $620 per month.

All in all, daycare costs will cost us nearly $650 per month in 2023 – $7,800 for the year – or $460 more than a subsidized place.

It is all the same incredible and incomprehensible at the same time. It’s not about the state-of-the-art Nespresso machine or the cookware in stainless steel steel to chrome handles that a discount of the Black-Fridayit’s on daycare costs!

Add to that the rent which is close to $1000, the bill d’Hydro, the grocery store that continues to increase for such and such a reason, unforeseen health issues, lark.

The recent Financial Anxiety Index in Quebec published this month states that 85% of Quebecers experience financial anxiety, mostly among 18 to 34 year olds. Well, I’m part of that statistic and it’s understandable.

Non-subsidized single mother

I add up the bills and I’m dizzy. It reminds me of Cristale, a woman from Gatineau and single mother of an 11-month-old toddler, who confided in me recently about her recent financial setbacks.

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She told me that she had to turn to a GNS, due to a lack of subsidized places in her region. Its cost? $57 a day or, if you prefer, just over $17,000 for the next year.

His annual income? $40,000 in 2021. That doesn’t leave much in his pocket, we agree.

“I would reinvest that money in my child’s education,” Cristale told me, without hesitation. But for now, she has had to put her university studies on hold to work full time in order to pay her bills and provide for her child.

The one who wished to remain vague about her situation so as not to be recognized by the father told me that she sometimes thinks of withdrawing her child from daycare, until a place at $8.70 becomes available somewhere.

Not all bad

I concede it, since my little Marjorie left the basement of the home daycare at $8.70 for the nursery school which costs the skin of the buttocks, she has developed faster than ever.

Let’s just say it wasn’t hard to beat, the babysitter and her assistant, both on the verge of retirement, were looking at the Publisac flyers with the kids. Big educational program.

The pedagogical and educational aspect takes precedence and it shows, each time I go to look for the heiress at the end of the day. Every day, it’s a new Marjorie that I have in front of me.

Léa Didelot, francization facilitator at the Collège de Rosemont, agrees. Her spouse Niels, their little Ally and she returned from France and found only one GNS very close to their home in Rosemont-la-Petite-Patrie.

“During the first few months, it was quite a blow financially,” she concedes. But at $50 a day, “we really get what we pay for. It’s just a question of organization and budget, ”adds the one who is involved in her daycare.

She is unequivocal: if a subsidized daycare center contacted her tomorrow morning to give her a place, she would refuse it, in particular because of the personalized follow-up for their little one.

“It’s our first child, it’s our golden nugget and we feel that it’s the service we needed,” Léa told me.

She’s not wrong. We only wish the best for our offspring.

Stop ruining yourself.

The different types of daycare

To qualify for a daycare space, you must go through La Place 0-5, the one-stop-shop for daycare spaces in Quebec. You will find all the establishments offering daycare services.

Early Childhood Centers (CPE)

Non-profit organization or cooperative that provides government-subsidized and recognized child care services in one or more facilities in which up to 80 children can be accommodated.

Subsidized/unsubsidized daycare (GS/GNS)

Establishment providing daycare services similar to the CPE, in a recognized facility. However, the issuance of a daycare permit does not guarantee the granting of subsidized spaces.

Persons in charge of a recognized home childcare service

Natural person who, for remuneration, provides daycare services in a private residence. Recognition of this person is granted by a home childcare coordinating office.

Source: Quebec Family Ministry

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