Child Care - Frequently Asked Questions

1. The EFCA policy supports the modern military and medically released Veteran family when emergency care is required for a family member when CAF personnel require unanticipated additional time and family care expenditures beyond what is available through House Hunting Trips (HHT), in order to secure essential necessities (search for housing and/or spousal employment, etc.) when newly posted (up to a period of 3 months after arrival at their new location).

2. Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) has partnered with Kids & Company, a licensed provider of centre-based child care, for a pilot project to offer emergency back-up child care to eligible Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families. Designed to help when an emergency or unexpected event leaves them scrambling for last-minute child care, this service is provided at no cost to CAF families. It is available in selected cities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. This is a one-year pilot project until 31 March 2024.

Get additional information regarding the Kids and Co pilot
 

1. The EFCA policy supports the modern military and medically released Veteran family when emergency care is required for a family member when CAF personnel are required to report for duty on unexpected and short notice, and/or CAF personnel are absent due to a military tasking, AND neither the primary nor secondary family care provider (as identified in the Family Care Plan) is available, AND the assistance available through the Family Care Assistance (DND 2269) is insufficient.

2. If both members of a service couple who are serving at the same place of duty are absent from the family home for a period of 24 hours or more while on military training or military exercise at the place of duty, one of the members is entitled to be reimbursed for dependent care services.

3. Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) has partnered with Kids & Company, a licensed provider of centre-based child care, for a pilot project to offer emergency back-up child care to eligible Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families. Designed to help when an emergency or unexpected event leaves them scrambling for last-minute child care, this service is provided at no cost to CAF families. It is available in selected cities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. This is a one-year pilot project until 31 March 2024. 

Get additional information regarding the Kids and Co pilot
 

1. Absent from their family home for a period of 24 hours or more

2. If you are looking for other forms of child care, including occasional, extended hours or respite care, here are the other resources that may be able to help:

• Occasional Care: These programs can be licensed or unlicensed. They are part-time and temporary child care options that are available to support families to provide primary caregivers with a break from care or during times of emergency and unexpected events.
  • Local MFRC Programs.
  • Emergency Family Care Assistance.
  • Playcare (Pilot: Edmonton, Winnipeg, Borden, Kingston, Bagotville).
  • Partnership with Kids & Company.

• Extended Hours Care: These programs can be licensed or unlicensed. This type of care is offered outside of standard business hours and flexible in the sense that there could be evening or weekend hours.
  • PSP Weekend Clubs; and other extended hours programming.
  • Local MFRC Programs.
  • Emergency Family Care Assistance.

• Respite Care: These programs can be licensed or unlicensed. It is intended to provide primary caregivers of children with special needs extra support or a temporary break from care.
  • Local MFRC Programs.
  • Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program.
  • PSP Special Needs Facilitators to support inclusion.
  • PSP & MFRC Spring break day camp grant for children with special needs (Pilot in 17 locations).

1. The EFCA policy supports the modern military and medically released Veteran family when emergency care is required for a family member when CAF personnel are required to report for duty on unexpected and short notice, and/or CAF personnel are absent due to a military tasking, AND neither the primary nor secondary family care provider (as identified in the Family Care Plan) is available, AND the assistance available through the Family Care Assistance (DND 2269) is insufficient.

2. Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) has partnered with Kids & Company, a licensed provider of centre-based child care, for a pilot project to offer emergency back-up child care to eligible Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families. Designed to help when an emergency or unexpected event leaves them scrambling for last-minute child care, this service is provided at no cost to CAF families. It is available in selected cities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. This is a one-year pilot project until 31 March 2024. 

Get additional information regarding the Kids and Co pilot

1. Most childcare waitlists are managed by region, municipality or by the childcare centres themselves.  Exceptions to this are; 

• Quebec: The Government of Quebec has a centralized waiting list system for subsidized and unsubsidized daycares and childcares centers called LaPlace0-5.
• PEI: The PEI Early Learning and Child Care Registry (ELCC Registry) is PEI’s only child care registry. Signing up for the Registry gives caregivers access to the waiting lists of licensed early learning and child care centres across PEI and will increase the chances of finding quality child care.