Quebec home daycares to get financial boost, government hopes to stop closures

MONTREAL -

The Quebec government is offering financial aid to home daycares in order to combat the mass exodus of providers since 2014.

The hope is to maintain existing family daycares, while attracting new ones, Family Minister Mathieu Lacombe announced Thursday.

Over the last few years, home daycares have been closing at a frantic pace, despite the increasing need for childcare services in the province.

Quebec loses 4,000 spaces in these daycares every year; meanwhile, there are 51,000 names currently on the waitlist.

In 2014, there were 15,607 family child care providers; now, there are just 11,121.

To curb the closure of home daycares, Quebec says it will offer $3,000 a year to childcare providers who take in at least six children.

If they take in nine or more, they will get $6,000 a year. Those funds could, for example, go to hiring additional staff.

Anyone interested in opening a family daycare will be entitled to start-up assistance of $3,500, which can be used to purchase equipment.

Lacombe says he also wants to help reduce the administrative burden associated with this type of daycare service.

In total, the measures announced will total $200 million over five years.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 3, 2021.