The Ontario Education Ministry has received 575,000 applications from parents for the announced pay-out when Ontario schools close due to teacher strikes.
On January 16, Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Education, announced the government’s plan to offer parents up to $60 per day if strike actions close schools or school-based child care centres.
As of last Wednesday, 575,000 applications were received.
If all applications are valid, they will amount to a minimum of $14.37 million up to a maximum of $34.5 million in less than a month following the announcement.
The strikes do not seem to slow down but are gaining momentum with the Big 4 unions planning a coordinated province-wide strike on February 21. They represent some 200,000 teachers and education workers.
“Parents are losing patience with the disruption in their lives, the inconsistency in their children’s education, and the financial impact of scrambling for child care. That is why we have offered financial assistance through the Support for Parents initiative, which has seen an immense uptake of more than 575,000 applications,” said Lecce last Wednesday in response to the escalation of strikes.
Support for Parents Initiative
Financial support will be provided to parents for each day of school that a child misses on account of a labour disruption, or each day of child care that is not available if offered from a closed school.
Eligible parents of children up to age 12 (Grade 7), or up to age 21 for children and youth with special needs, in a publicly funded school, qualify for:
- $60 per day for children aged 0-6 who are not yet enrolled in school but attend a school-based child care centre that is required to close on account of the strike.
- $40 per day for students in Junior Kindergarten (JK) and Senior Kindergarten (SK).
- $25 per day for students in Grades 1 up to and including Grade 7.
- $40 total per day for students in JK up to and including Grade 12 with a special need(s).
Funding will also be retroactive for qualifying parents to cover costs already incurred due to labour disruptions that have occurred during the current 2019-20 labour negotiations.
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