Success Stories
New Brunswick
Day Care Assistance Program and Alternative Child Care Program
Emily is a 34-year-old mother of three. When Emily and her spouse were together, things were much easier. They both worked, and organized their schedules so that one of them was always at home with their children. Even when that was not possible, finding an affordable babysitter was no problem in the rural area surrounding Moncton where they resided. Difficult times began for Emily when she and her husband separated about three years ago. She was struggling to make enough money to support herself and her three children.
After separating from her husband, Emily and her three youngsters
Thomas, age 11, Christopher, 9, and Tabatha, 7, moved to Riverview.
Now living on her own, she was faced with the challenge of finding a
babysitter. “I had to plead with people to baby sit, and the costs
were much greater in the city than in rural areas.” Emily could
not afford a babysitter to go to work, and she needed to work to support
her children. Their situation seemed hopeless, and Emily became quite
depressed.
One of Emily’s co-workers, who was aware of her situation, informed
her about some of the child care programs available in New Brunswick.
The Day Care Assistance Program offers parents or guardians financial
assistance to help them access quality, affordable care at an approved
day-care facility. And the Alternative Child Care Assistance Program
is available to parents or guardians who work or attend school and require
child care during evenings, weekends, or do not have access to a licensed
day care in their community.
Thanks to these child care programs, Emily has been able to retain her job at a nursing home in the Moncton area. Emily’s children attend day care after school on weekdays, and use alternative child care arrangements when Emily’s shifts are scheduled during evenings and weekends. “I could not live without it. My children would never see me because I’d be working all the time and they would be with a sitter.”
The Alternative Child Care Assistance Program was developed in 1998
by the New Brunswick Department of Family and Community Services through
the National Child Benefit (NCB). Federal, provincial and territorial
governments work together through the NCB to invest in children growing
up in low-income families.
Learn about New Brunswick's NCB programs