How to Apply for the Yukon Child Care Subsidy

The short answer

The Yukon Child Care Subsidy assists families who may not be able to afford to pay for their child to attend a licensed child care centre, a family day home, or a school-aged program. It is run by Yukon's Early Learning and Child Care Branch. The amount is based on an income test on the combined net income of your family, taking into account family size, income, and the community in which you live.

The application is a paper form. You complete it, sign it in ink, and submit it in person or by mail — original signatures are required, and scanned or emailed applications cannot be accepted. If you are approved, the subsidy is paid directly to your child care provider.

Who can apply

You can apply for the subsidy if one or more of the following situations apply:

• you have a full- or part-time job;
• you are looking for a job;
• you are attending school or a training program full- or part-time;
• you are receiving medical treatment;
• you or your child have a special need based on a professional assessment;
• you need to meet a short-term family crisis; or
• you are a grandparent and the primary care provider of your grandchild. You do not need to have legal custody, but rather be the primary adult providing care for the grandchild.

This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. That decision sits with the Early Learning and Child Care Branch.

What the subsidy can pay

Maximum subsidy rates are based on the child's age, hours in care, and special needs, and are set on the basis of a child needing part-time or full-time care. Part-time care is attendance of less than 100 hours a month; full-time care is attendance of 100 hours or more a month. A child is 12 years and under, and special-needs children are 16 years and under.

The opened Yukon page publishes maximum monthly rates for special-needs children only:

• $688 while attending over 100 hours of child care a month;
• $517 while attending 80 to 100 hours a month; and
• $347 while attending less than 80 hours a month.

The maximum monthly rates for children without special needs are:

For part-time care under 80 hours a month, the maximums are $330 for kindergarten and $303 for school-age.

For a child under 18 months, the maximum rate payable for a child under 18 months is paid up to and including the month when the child becomes 18 months old, and the new subsidy rate for a toddler begins the following month. If a school-age or full-time kindergarten child attends a child care program for over 100 hours a month, the subsidy is paid at the full-time rate.

How to apply, step by step

1. Complete the child care subsidy application. You can also pick up an application at the Early Learning and Child Care Branch office at 1000 Lewes Blvd in Whitehorse; at your child care centre or your family day home; by phone at 867-667-3492, toll-free at 1-800-661-0408, extension 3492; or by email at earlylearning@yukon.ca.
2. Gather the required supporting forms and documentation for your situation. If you are working, bring your two most recent pay slips; if you just started work and do not yet have two pay slips, a Verification of Income by Employer form stands in for them. Self-employed applicants bring a Self-Employed Financial Information form and the previous year's Revenue Canada Notice of Assessment. People looking for work bring an Employment Insurance (EI) benefit statement and a Job Search Record form. Students and trainees bring verification of enrolment and course schedule from their learning institute, plus verification of training allowance. Anyone receiving Social Assistance also brings confirmation of the amount of that aid. Special circumstances, such as respite care or a health professional recommendation, call for a Special Needs application form and an Individual Program Plan (IPP), most often provided by the Child Development Centre or your child's school. Everyone also provides supporting documents on maintenance or child support and other income such as insurance or pension, and a child care subsidy consent to release or exchange information.
3. Submit your completed application and supporting forms and documents. In person: Early Learning and Child Care Branch, 1000 Lewes Blvd, Whitehorse, Yukon. By mail: Government of Yukon, Early Learning and Child Care Branch (E-23), Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6. Original signatures are required, so scanned or emailed applications cannot be accepted.

After you apply

The Branch reviews your application to determine if you qualify, and you receive a letter informing you of the decision. If you are approved, the letter identifies the number of months you are approved for and the amount the Branch will pay on your behalf.

Your child care program will require you to sign a Child Care User Subsidy Eligibility form every month. The program submits the signed form on your behalf along with its billing form, and payment is made directly to the child care provider.

When to re-apply

Your subsidy is expiring

The Branch mails you a notification letter about six weeks before your subsidy expires. Submit a new child care subsidy application and all required documentation to the same in-person or mailing address. Re-apply before the deadline, or you could be responsible for child care fees if your application is late.

Your situation has changed

Re-apply for the child care subsidy if you have had changes to your marital status, number of children, job, income, or reason for needing child care. Complete an eligibility form indicating the change, email earlylearning@yukon.ca or phone 867-667-3492, toll-free in Yukon at 1-800-661-0408, extension 3492, then submit a new child care subsidy application and all required documentation.

For questions about applying, email earlylearning@yukon.ca or phone 867-667-3492, toll-free in Yukon at 1-800-661-0408, extension 3492.

What the opened pages do not state

The opened Yukon page states that the subsidy is based on an income test on combined net family income, taking into account family size, income, and community, but it does not publish an income threshold, so this guide states none. The general maximum rates in this guide come from the subsidy application form and the Childcare Resource and Research Unit's Yukon profile. The page also does not state a processing time for applications or an application deadline relative to the month the subsidy is needed, so this guide states neither.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Northwest Territories Child Care Subsidy — the Northwest Territories' income-tested subsidy for licensed child care.
• How to Apply for the Nunavut Child Care Subsidy — Nunavut's income-tested subsidy for licensed child care.
• How to Apply for the Manitoba Child Care Subsidy — Manitoba's income-tested subsidy for licensed child care.
• How to Apply for the Yukon Child Benefit — Yukon's child benefit, assessed from the Canada Child Benefit application with no separate form.
• How to Apply for the Canada Child Benefit — the federal monthly payment for families with children under 18, assessed from your tax return.
• How to Apply for the Yukon Seniors Income Supplement — Yukon's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Sources

• Government of Yukon, Apply for a child care subsidy — the licensed-program requirement, the income test and its factors, the eligibility situations, the application and submission steps, the original-signature rule, the decision letter, the monthly eligibility form and direct payment to the provider, the six-week re-application notice, the change-of-situation steps, the supporting documents by situation, the part-time and full-time definitions, and the special-needs maximum rates.
• Childcare Resource and Research Unit, ECEC in Canada 2024/2025 — The Yukon — the monthly maximum subsidy rates by age of child for full-day and part-day care.