Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (C.F.A.F.)
The Childcare Financial Assistance Fund (C.F.A.F.) supports members who are parents and either incur (1) childcare expenses (expenses related to paying a childcare provider for care of their child(ren) while a parent is at work or school), or (2) primary care expenses (defined as expenses associated with having the member, or a household or family member, provide primary care for one or more of their (step-)children in the eligible age range).
Who is eligible to apply to the fund?
Anyone who meets the following criteria is eligible to apply: (a) You secured at least 30 hours of Unit 1 work between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024. (b) You have (step-)children in the eligible age range: from birth until the day they turn 16. (c) You have eligible childcare expenses supported by receipts, and/or you have documentation showing that you, or one of your household or family members, provided primary care for one or more of your (step-)children in the eligible age range. (d) Your childcare expenses are for childcare that took place between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.
What is the eligible age range for children?
Eligible age ranges for the 2023-4 fund year: (1) For childcare expenses, the eligible age range is from birth until the day they turn 16. (2) For primary care expenses, the eligible age range is from birth until September 1 of the calendar year in which they turn 4.
What is an eligible (1) childcare expense?
Eligible expenses include anything that would qualify as a childcare expense for tax purposes (see here for more information). Some examples include: babysitters, nannies, daycare, preschool, summer camps, March break programs, after school programs, and sports/activities/lessons offered through local recreation centres or the equivalent. Examples of ineligible expenses include: tuition for private primary school, school lunches, medical expenses, toys, clothing, food, swimming lessons, tennis lessons, and scout fees.
I receive subsidized daycare rates; does this affect my eligible (1) childcare expenses?
If you receive a daycare subsidy, you can still claim the unsubsidized amount through the CFAF. We ask that you disclose any subsidies to the Union along with your application . Subsidies will be deducted from your total childcare expenses for the fund year.
Some of my (1) childcare expenses are in another currency; can I still submit them?
Yes. Please use a site like xe.com to convert the prices to CAD for the correct date/period (there are features on currency sites where you can convert an amount based on the date the receipt was issued or averaged over a period).
What is an eligible (2) primary care expense?
If you, or your household or family member, provide primary care for one or more of your (step-)children in the eligible primary care age range, then you will receive some support from the C.F.A.F. for each month your (step-)children were in the primary care age range. Each month that your (step-)children were in the primary care age range will be treated as an eligible expense.
How much money will I get?
The CFAF has been allocated $500,000 per year to cover eligible childcare and primary care expenses for members. The fund is disbursed in full each year.
Each year disbursement amounts vary depending on the total number of applicants and their overall need; thus, we cannot advertise disbursement amounts in advance. After all applications have been received and processed, caps are set on the maximum amount a member can receive (1) for childcare expenses per child and (2) for primary care expenses per child.
When will I get my money?
Applications for this fund will be open between September 1 and September 30, 2024. Disbursements will follow in December 2024.
How do I apply?
When the application opens on September 1, 2024, the form will be available online and accessible through the Union’s website. To find the application, login to the Member Portal (found by scrolling up to the top right of this page).
A complete application for the CFAF will include: (a) the 2023-24 CFAF Application Form, (b) A document summarizing childcare eligible expenses (e.g. childcare, after-school programs, etc and (c) supporting documentation – (1) for childcare expenses, this documentation will include the child’s birth certificate and receipts for all expenses claimed organized into a single .pdf and ordered according to the date of the childcare expense (from September to August), and (2) for primary care expenses, this documentation will include the child’s birth certificate.
You will receive an immediate confirmation email for each application you submit. PLEASE NOTE: if you do not receive a confirmation email you did not successfully submit the application.
If you do not have (a) a membership card (i.e., you do not have a CUPE No., found on the left-hand side of the Portal home page), you will be directed to fill out a Membership Application Form (also found on the ‘Forms’ tab). When your membership application is processed, the 2023-24 CFAF Application Form will be accessible through the portal.
PLEASE NOTE: processing membership applications can take up to one hour. Failure to fill out a membership application in a timely way is not grounds for submitting a late application. If you experience any issues during the application process, please see the Fund Application FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions.
Applications will be accepted between September 1 and September 30, 2024.