Apply for child care fee subsidy

Subsidy rates and types

Subsidy rates depend on your family income, the child’s age, child care program, and the number of hours a child attends each month.  The actual cost of care is determined through the application process. Types of subsidy include:

• Any licensed child care centre or before and after school program
• Homes that are affiliated with a licensed home child care agency
• Before and after school programs listed in Child Care Registry and Waitlist

Cost of care

Use the fee subsidy calculator on the Get help with your child care costs page to get an estimate of how much you may have to pay monthly for licensed child care.

Need for care

To be eligible for fee subsidy, you must be involved in one of the following:

• Working (full-time, part-time, self-employed)
• Going to school or a training program
• Looking for work (up to six months in a 24-month period)
• Have a Social/Special (parent or child)
• Receive Ontario Works benefits (with an active Action Plan as part of your Common Assessment)
• Receive Ontario Disability Support Program benefits (ODSP)
• Referral by a professional agency such as the Children’s Aid Society

Financial need

Use the fee subsidy calculator on the Get help with your child care costs page to get an estimate of how much you may have to pay monthly for licensed child care.

To use this calculator, you will need the information from line 236 of your Federal Notice of Assessment (NOA) and your partner’s NOA (if applicable); or your family net income amount from your Canada Child Benefit (CCB) notice. Completing the child care subsidy calculator provides an estimate for screening purposes only. It does not confirm actual eligibility.

You may print this Document checklist [ 103 KB ]

Submit the following documents. Your application for subsidy cannot be assessed until all required documents are received:

• If your start date is within 3 months, you must submit your documents within 30 days.
• If your start date is greater than 3 months, you must submit your documents within 3 months of your preferred start date.

There are five types of documents as well as a Rights and Responsibilities/Consent form:

Child Care Subsidy Program Rights and Responsibilities/Consent form [ 671 KB ]

You can complete the form online but you must print and sign a copy to submit as part of your package. You can also get a copy of the form from any of the Community and Social Support Centres 

You will need to provide the following information and documents when you apply for child care subsidy:

1. Proof of income

• Canada Revenue Agency *Notice of Assessment (for each parent)
• Canada Child Benefit (CCB)
• Canada Revenue Agency Proof of Income Statement (for each parent)
• Proof of receipt of Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program (if applicable)

*Effective July the most recent Notice of Assessment for the previous tax year is accepted. Income Tax returns and T4s are not accepted. For example: July 1, 2024 requires a 2023 Notice of Assessment.

If you are a newcomer to Canada and have not yet filed your income tax, you must provide proof of your landing date in Canada: Record of Landing (IMM1000) and/or Canadian Permanent Resident Identification.

2. Identification

Provide one of the following documents for each family member:

• Canadian Birth Certificate or Statement of Live Birth
• Canadian Passport 
• Immigration documents:
• Canadian Citizenship Card or Canadian Citizenship Certificate (front and back) 
• Permanent Resident
• Protected Person Status Visitor Status under Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program
• Driver’s License
• Certificate of Indian Status 
• Both sides of ID cards are to be copied and current
• Health Cards and Social Insurance cards are not accepted 

3. Reason for care

Provide one of the following for each family member:

Employment documents

• Two most current consecutive payslips
• Employment letter, on company letterhead, containing contact name, phone number, start date and weekly work schedule

Returning to work from maternity leave, parental leave or other leave

• Letter from your employer confirming return to work date and work hours
• Employment Insurance (EI) claim summary

Self-employment documents

• Signed Declaration of Self-Employment
• Copy of business registration, license, contract, or business plan
• Most recent T1 General

Receiving Ontario Works

You must have a current Common Assessment with an approved Action Plan.

Receiving Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

If your spouse is not a person with a disability, verification of a reason for child care required.

Parent or Child is a person with special or social need

When submitting your required documents and identification indicate that you require a Therapeutic Referral form to identify a special or social need. The Child Care Fee Subsidy program will provide you with a Therapeutic Referral form to be completed by your healthcare provider or community agency that is working with your family on an ongoing basis.

School or training program registration

• School registration with class schedule, or
• Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) Summary Assessment which states your student status (part time or full time)

4. Address

Provide one of the following to confirm you live in the City of Ottawa:

• Lease or recent Notice of Rent Increase
• Mortgage 
• Property tax bill
• Rent receipt with landlord’s name and phone number
• Letter from landlord
• Two recent utility bills from different companies (exceptions can be made)
• Two recent government letters (other than your Tax Information verification)

Documents submitted must be recent within the last three months.

5. Child Custody Documents or court documents

Provide one of the following custody documents if the other parent of your child does not reside with you or you have a child who is in your temporary care:

• Child Custody Agreement
• Court order
• Affidavit (must be commissioned)
• Guardian Parental Declaration form
• Temporary Care Agreement

Before you apply, ensure you have all the required documents and identification. Read the eligibility requirements and make sure you understand what happens after you apply. You may be asked to provide additional information or documents during the assessment process.

Follow these steps to complete your application:

1. Go to the online Child Care Registry and Waitlist.
2. If you are a new applicant, create a new account and choose a passphrase (password). Returning users should log into their existing account.
3. Complete the parent and child details information screens.
4. Apply to the childcare programs that best meet your needs: 
   • Select the “Subsidy (I need help to pay my daycare costs)” button for each child who requires child care.
   • Select the appropriate start date of care. For example, if you need before and after school care for the upcoming school year, enter September 1.
   • Select the appropriate provider type (centre-based, home-based, school age or nursery) that meets your needs.
   • Select the program type (full days, part days, before and/or after school, PD days etc..).
   • Based on the care requirements selected, the Registry will provide you with a list of child care programs offered in the City of Ottawa. From the list, apply to the child care programs that best meet your needs.
5. Prioritize your program choices; your number one choice should be your preferred child care service provider and program.
6. You can estimate your monthly contribution towards the cost of care by entering the income from line 236 of the most recent Notice of Assessment in the Childcare Subsidy Calculator located in the "Help with your daycare costs" section. The calculator is also available in screen 4 (Fee Subsidy) of the child details in the Child Care Registry and Waitlist.
7. Once you are finished your application, you will get a confirmation email telling you that your application is either complete or incomplete. If your application is incomplete, log back into the online application and give the missing information.
8. Complete online or print and sign the Child Care Subsidy Program Rights and Responsibilities/Consent form [ PDF - 671 KB]. Download in .pdf format and read it with Adobe Acrobat. 
9. Submit your consent form and other required documents within the prescribed time (see document checklist below). Your application will not be reviewed until all your documents have been received.
10. The City will contact you to confirm the status of your application. Eligibility for child care fee subsidy does not guarantee a space at a child care centre.

Important: All parents on the Registry and Waitlist must log into their account every 60 days to update their information. This will ensure that child care service providers have the most current information to contact you quickly when they have a child care space to fill. If you do not log into your account after 60 days, you will get a reminder email at 90 days and a final notice at 120 days. At this point, you will have 72 hours to log into their account. Failure to do so will result in a final notification advising you that your applications for child care will no longer be active in the Child Care Registry and Waitlist.

Start your City of Ottawa Child Care Registry and Waitlist application for a subsidy

If you cannot apply online and submit your documents, you can mail, fax, or drop off documents at any of our four Employment and Social Service Centres listed in the contact section below. You can also use computers at any of the four sites to complete your application.

Once you have completed your application, you’ll receive an email confirming that you have been placed on the City’s Child Care Registry and Waitlist.

After documents are received you will be contacted by a child care case worker who will discuss your eligibility and determine if you qualify for subsidy.

If you are granted a spot, you need to wait for a Placement Confirmation notice before putting your child in care. If not received Placement Confirmation notice, you will be responsible for the cost of care.

Help with your application

To get support with your application questions email: ChildrensServices@ottawa.ca

Employment and Social Service Centres

Drop-off documents to any one of the four Employment and Social Service Centres. Offices are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm.

Visit one of the City’s four Employment and Social Services offices to access a computer.

Central

370 Catherine Street, 1st floor (near Bay Street)

East

2339 Ogilvie Road, 1st floor (Beacon Hill Shopping Centre)

West

100 Constellation Drive, 2nd Floor (near Baseline and Woodroffe)

South

2020 Walkley Road (near Conroy Road)

Technical Support

For technical support with your application, email: Support@OneHSN.com or call 1-888-722-1540.

Phone

Call 3-1-1 Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm and follow the prompts.

Language (1 for English, 2 for French)
Select 4 for Social Services and Child Care
Select 2 for Child Care
TTY Line 1-800-855-0511