A budget promise from the Manitoba government is set to come into effect this month to help lower-income families. When the budget was first unveiled earlier this year, the province said it was looking to eliminate child-care fees for low-income families. During an announcement Wednesday, the province said it is getting rid of fees for 4,100 children from 3,000 low-income families. The support would apply to children between the ages of 12 weeks and 12 years. “Early childhood learning plays a critical role in supporting children, families and communities across Manitoba,” said Tracy Schmidt, the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, in a news release. “Our government wants to support the single mom or dad juggling their job, caring for their children and all of the other responsibilities they have every day. By removing these fees, we are supporting parents and caregivers while their kids receive high-quality child care.” The eliminated fees would come through changes to the Child-Care Subsidy Program and eligibility would be determined based on a family’s income, number and age of children, days required for care and the reason for care. Families that are part of the program currently pay a portion of fees with financial assistance covering a part or the rest of what’s left. With the changes, those fees will be completely covered for all eligible families and could save them anywhere from $520 to $2,600 per child per year. “This is an important step forward in reducing family and child poverty and in helping low-income families during the affordability crisis,” said Molly McCracken, the director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in a news release. More details about the program and how to submit an application can be found online.
