Fee Schedule – Effective January 1, 2023
Payment Details
Payments are automatically withdrawn from the authorized account on the first day of each month. Penalties apply if fees are late. The full monthly fee is withdrawn regardless of the number of days in the month, absenteeism, vacation, inclement weather, childcare closure and/or statutory holidays.
Please see Parent Handbook for more details on payments.
Membership Fee: Bright Starts is a cooperative, and a $50 membership fee per family will be automatically withdrawn annually. A reminder will be given prior to withdrawal.
Subsidy and Financial Help: Families who are interested in learning about fee subsidies available through the Region of Waterloo may contact the Subsidy Office at 519-883-4400 or visit the Region of Waterloo website. University of Waterloo Undergraduate and Graduate Students who are interested in learning about bursary opportunities are encouraged to review the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office and Graduate Studies Office websites.
Late pick ups: If a child is picked up after 5:30 pm, a fee of $5.00 will be charged for the first 1 -5 minutes a parent is late followed by $1.00 per minute thereafter. Parents will be expected to make this payment in cash directly to the staff member who stayed late with your child. At 5:40 p.m. we will call contact numbers to reach the parent(s). If we still cannot make contact with a parent, we will try emergency contact numbers. After 30 minutes, an hourly rate will be charged at the Executive Director or Manager’s discretion. All efforts will be made to contact the parents and/or emergency contact person. If the above-mentioned are still unreachable within 1 hour of the centre closing, Family and Children’s Services will be called.
Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care System
In 2022, Ontario signed the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CWELCC) with the Government of Canada. Significant new federal investments through this agreement will support: fee reductions, increasing the number of licensed child care spaces, addressing barriers to providing inclusive child care, and the early childhood workforce.
On September 7, 2022 Bright Starts CELC was approved to participate in the CWELCC program and on October 1, 2022 our child care fees were reduced by 25% retroactive to April 1, 2022. Regular monthly fees will be reduced an additional 25% beginning January 1, 2023. Further fee reductions are anticipated until fees are reduced to $10 per day in 2025. Funding for the CWELCC System is provided by the Federal government and is being delivered through a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Region of Waterloo.