You receive the amount paid by the parent, plus an additional amount from the MEQ (Ministry of Education).

What parents are required to pay varies from one school to another, but it cannot exceed $9.70 on regular days and $16.55 on pedagogical days. Additional fees may apply for special activities.

MEQ Funding

MEQ contributions vary depending on whether the child attends the daycare regularly, from three (3) to five (5) days per week, or sporadically, from one (1) to two (2) days per week. The contributions also vary based on the size of the daycare. There is a specific contribution for the first 99 children. There is a different contribution for the 100^th to 199^th children, and yet another for the 200^th and above.

On pedagogical days and during spring break, the amount is higher because the daycare’s service hours are longer.

There is also an additional allowance for four-year-old preschoolers.

The table below shows the contributions for the current year (2025-2026), as well as those for the previous year. Indexation is indicated where applicable. Otherwise, the contribution may be higher than the previous year, without having been adjusted for indexation.

Additional Funding for Certain School Boards and Service Centers

Weighted adjustment

There is additional funding for certain school boards and service centers for children registered and attending regularly. The list is in Appendix L: Cost Adjustment Factor for Measure 30011 – Children registered and attending regularly.

For example, the Fer School Service Center has an adjustment of 1.106, which is multiplied by the number of children registered and regularly present. If there are 100 children in a school, the reference number would be 110.6, which corresponds to 100 students x 1.106.

Small Schools

Refer to the Q&A on additional amounts for schools with fifty (50) students or fewer.

Students with Special Needs

Refer to the Q&A on additional amounts for students with special needs.

Yes, budget measure 30012 – Attendance-Related Funding – Additional Allocation for Small School-Based Daycares provides funding for daycares with fifty (50) or fewer students registered on a regular basis. The amount per child is specified in Appendix K[1]. It varies depending on the number of students. For example, $5,478 is paid per student if six (6) students attend on a regular basis. If there are twenty-three (23) children, the amount will be $1,735 per child.

Appendix K : Additional Allocation for Small School-Based Daycares

Allocation Formula

Allocation = Amount specified in the document (Specific Information for the School Year in Question) x number of students registered on a regular basis from three (3) to five (5) days per week

Allocation Norms

• Additional funding is granted when at least six (6) students are registered on a regular basis from three (3) to five (5) days per week.
• The eligible daycare facility (service point) must have fifty (50) students or fewer.

The amount fluctuates and is not decreasing, as it takes into account other allocations received. The simplified table below provides an example. It does not include adjustment rates for certain school organizations or pedagogical day allocations.

[1]     MEQ; Centres de services scolaires et commissions scolaires Éducation préscolaire et enseignement primaire et secondaire RENSEIGNEMENTS SPÉCIFIQUES À L’ANNÉE SCOLAIRE 2025-2026, Juillet 2025, page 59.

Students with special needs attending daycare require additional resources. Budget measure 30011 – Attendance-Linked Funding – provides this funding.

Unfortunately, the amounts are no longer specified. They are determined in advance, meaning that funding is allocated to school boards based on parameters established by the Ministry. During the 2020-2021 school year, specific amounts were available, allowing us to better predict the funding per child, based on their special needs code.

Here are the 2020-2021 amounts:

Legend for Difficulty Codes

Measure 15172 – Training and Professional Development is a budget allocation that the Ministry of Education provides annually to school service centers and boards to fund the training and professional development of school support staff.

However, it does not determine the amounts to which you are entitled. The applicable amounts are specified in the various collective agreements.

Are daycare staff covered by these provisions?

Yes. Daycare staff are included among the job classes covered by the training and professional development provisions in the collective agreements.

Access to the budget depends, however, on the job class, status, and local implementation procedures.

Exactly what amount am I entitled to as daycare staff?

The amount depends on your collective agreement, your region, and your job classification. In some cases, working with students with special needs entitles you to an additional amount. All amounts are then adjusted based on the number of hours you work.

Enhanced Regions: If you work in one of the following regions, the base amount ($100) is increased by 50%, bringing it to $150:

• Region 01: Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Region 08: Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec
• Region 09: Côte-Nord

The 50% regional increase does not apply to the Cree (S8) and Kativik (S9) school boards, as their collective agreement already provides for $200 per employee for professional development

I work with students with special needs. Is there an additional amount for training?

Yes, there is an additional budget for staff who work directly with students with special needs. An additional amount may be added to the base amount, depending on the collective agreement. This amount must be calculated proportionally based on your regular hours.

How is this pro rata calculated?

The table below shows the applicable amounts, calculated based on a 35-hour work week, along with the corresponding conditions.

I work less than 35 hours per week; will my training allowance be reduced?

Yes, since the training allowance is adjusted proportionally to your regular working hours, this means your training budget will be based on the number of hours you work per week.

How is the prorated amount calculated?

The standard work week in daycare is 35 hours. If you work fewer hours, your training allowance is calculated as follows:

Base Amount X (your regular weekly hours ÷ 35 hours)

Example of a prorated calculation:

You are a daycare technician whose regular work schedule is 28 hours per week, and you are considered to be in a job classification working with special needs students:

A) If your employer is a French or English school service center or board (S3 or S12):

• Base Amount: $100 × (28 ÷ 35) = $80
• Special needs amount: $90 × (28 ÷ 35) = $72
• Total training amount: $80 + $72 = $152

B) If your employer is a school board in Northern Quebec (Cree (S8) or Kativik (S9):

• Base Amount: $200 × (28 ÷ 35) = $160
• Special needs amount: $190 × (28 ÷ 35) = $152
• Total training amount: $160 + $152 = $312

C) If you work in one of the administrative regions covered by the enhancement:

• Base amount before enhancement: $100
• Base amount enhanced for the regions: $100 × 50% = $150
• Base amount enhanced and prorated to 28 hours: $150 × (28 ÷ 35) = $120
• Special needs enhancement prorated to 28 hours: $90 × (28 ÷ 35) = $72
• Total training amount: $120 + $72 = $192

Can I decide which training courses I want to take?

The terms of participation and the choice of training courses are the employer’s responsibility. An employee can submit a training request, but the decision to authorize, recognize, and cover the costs rests with the employer.

Important: The proposed training must be related to your job duties or enable you to advance professionally. The employer will confirm whether the training is eligible.

Yes, MAO refers to the acquisition of furniture, equipment, and tools. The amount is set at $30.36 per student attending the daycare, according to sub-measure 18012 – Allocation for MAO primarily used for the acquisition of furniture, equipment, and tools (MAO).

Allocation Norms

Amount ($) x student enrollment = Allocation ($)

For example, if there are 300 children attending your daycare (based on attendance records as of September 30), you will receive $9,108, calculated as 300 students x $30.36.

Measure 11024 – Acquisition of Educational Materials – Kindergarten for 4-Year-Olds, Full-Time adds $11,000 for a new class. This is a protected measure, meaning that the funds from this measure cannot be spent on other items.

Calculation Formula

The calculation formula is as follows:

(Total number of classes authorized for the school year in question – Number of classes authorized for the previous school year) x $11,000

Therefore, if there is a new 4-year-old kindergarten class in one school and one less class in another school within the same school board, the calculation cancels out. For example, if there were eight (8) four-year-old kindergarten classes at the CSS des Oiseaux, and one (1) class is closed at École des Pinsons and one (1) class is opened at École des Colibris in the same school board, the resulting amount would be (8 – 8) x $11,000 = $0.

• This measure aims to facilitate the acquisition of educational materials for children attending full-time four-year-old kindergarten classes authorized by the Minister, both in the classroom and in school-based daycare. The allocation is also granted to newly authorized multi-program classes.
• The classroom layout and materials provided to these children support the development of skills outlined in the preschool education program. Thus, manipulative materials are an important element of educational support; they are essential for young children’s learning and ensure the quality of the learning environment. Four-year-old children attending school-based childcare must also be in an environment adapted to their needs, particularly with regard to materials.
• The choice of materials is made with a holistic developmental perspective in mind, in order to encourage children’s exploration and creativity both in the classroom and in daycare. The materials children need can be used for:
• group activities
• symbolic play (dress-up, props, etc.)
• construction play (various blocks and accessories, etc.)
• sand or water play (water tub, sandbox and accessories, etc.)
• board and manipulative games (puzzles, modeling clay, etc.)
• artistic expression activities (painting, crafts, music, etc.)
• activities requiring technological tools (robotics equipment, digital recorder, etc.)
• outdoor games (balls, hoops, etc.)

Yes, but these funds are not exclusive to school daycares and are not reserved for it. If you wish to invite an artist to the school or organize a cultural outing, you must follow the application procedure established by your school.

Details of Measure 15180 – Cultural Activities

This budget measure supports the design and implementation of activities related to integrating culture into schools. Its objective is to offer students quality cultural products and to promote culture.

Within the framework of the La culture à l’école program, this measure supports the implementation of workshops and short- to long-term school-based cultural projects in collaboration with artists, writers, and cultural organizations listed in the Répertoire culture-éducation or on the Liste des organismes de culture scientifique.

The funding allocated to this field trip initiative aims to allow students to discover the richness of culturally significant places and events, while offering them the opportunity to have meaningful cultural experiences. Activities can be proposed within the framework of Thématiques et interdisciplinarité which aims to support the development of innovative projects that do not conform to current standards or fit within existing programs.

The program and school trips to cultural settings aim to cultivate culturally engaged citizens by increasing the experiences students have.

These amounts are for all school organizations. To obtain the amounts for your school board, please contact your local union.