Payments and Fees

Fees are subject to change, based on an annual review. Parents will be given no less than four weeks’ notice of intent to increase fees. Current fees are provided in Appendix A, on page 19 of the handbook.

A registration fee of $ 25.00 is due upon registration at Reaching for Rainbows. This fee covers the administrative costs of registering a child, as well as the cost of orientation visits. This fee also acts as a non-refundable “down payment” to hold a spot for your child.

Payment will be accepted via HiMama based on weekly or bi-weekly invoices. Payments may also be made via cash, e-transfer (to reachingforrainbows@outlook.com) or by cheque, payable to Reaching
for Rainbows and may be made on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. It is requested, however, that payment be made in advance of the service. Therefore, weekly fees will be dated for the Monday of each week and will be payment for that week of care. Bi-weekly payments may reflect one week behind and one week ahead, and monthly payments may reflect two weeks behind and two weeks ahead. Each family should drop off post-dated cheques in three month “bundles”, when paying by cheque. You will be reminded when your last cheque is cashed and asked to drop off the next three-month supply.

Should your account be in arrears for a period of more than one week, a service charge of $10.00 per week will be added to your account. Non-payment of fees, however, will be tolerated for no more than three weeks and will be cause for immediate termination of services. Outstanding balances owed upon
termination of services will be sent to collection and/or filed with small claims court, should arrangements not be made for payment of said outstanding balance.

Payments returned for any reason, will be subject to a service charge of $20.00. Families having more than two payments returned, for any reason, will be required, thereafter, to submit payment by cash, e-transfer or money order. Receipts for each cash payment will be issued at time of payment; however, receipts will only be issued for payments made by cheque or e-transfer, if specifically requested. An annual total receipt will be issued, before the end of February for income tax purposes.

Parents are advised to retain the receipts issued for each individual payment for income tax purposes. Should your family be randomly chosen for audit, Revenue Canada may request to see each individual receipt being claimed, as well as the annual total income tax receipt. If you have paid by etransfer or cheque and get asked for the individual payment receipts, just let me know and I will supply them in your preferred format (hard copies or electronically).

Please keep the centre updated on address changes if your child no longer attends the centre. Year end receipts will be mailed to the most recent address we have on file.

TWO WEEK NOTICE OF DEPARTURE

All families are required to provide two weeks’ notice before removing their child from the program. Should notice not be provided, payment shall be made in lieu of notice. Due to long waiting lists, however, we ask that you please give as much notice as possible.

PARENT FEE REDUCTION SUBSIDY

As part of the commitment under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements, parents are seeing an approximate 50% decrease in their child care fees due to the Parent Fee Reduction Subsidy. This subsidy is administered directly to the early learning centre and, in our case, has reduced rates from $37.00 per day to $21.00 for infants from birth to two years old, from $32.90 per day to $18.00 for 2 year olds and from $31.80 per day to $18.00 for preschoolers from 3 to 5 years old. Once you’ve registered at Reaching for Rainbows Child Development Centre, the director will send you
an “enrollment offer”, via e-mail. When you receive the enrollment offer, just follow the simple directions to enroll your child(ren) in this program. Once you’ve enrolled, your child will automatically be eligible under the Parent Fee Reduction Subsidy.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance is available through funds from the Department of Social Development and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, to parents/guardians who qualify. You can find out more information about the Parent Subsidy Program, online at 
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/education/services/services_renderer.201480.D
esignated_Centre%E2%80%94Parent_Subsidy_Program_.html or the Daycare Assistance Program at https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/services/services_renderer.14136.html or by calling the Social Development office at 1-866-426-5191. After choosing your language of preference, press “2” to “apply for income assistance”; when an operator takes your call, you’ll just need to inform her/him that you’re calling regarding the daycare assistance program. You do NOT need to be on income assistance to be eligible for the daycare assistance program.