Registration Fees

Upon acceptance of a space, a non-refundable registration fee of $50.00 per child is required. If a family withdraws and later wishes to re-register the same child, a non-refundable administrative fee of $25.00 will apply. These fees apply to non-subsidized children over 6 years of age only.

There is no fee charged for placing a child on the waitlist.

Base Child Care Fees

• Child Care Fees as of September 1, 2025
• Fee Payment Schedule based on the 2025/26 School Year

All UFCC base fees are per day and are set according to a child’s age group.

Late fees, NSF fees, and/or any fees beyond base fees are determined on an as-needed basis and are considered non-base fees. Non-base fees are not eligible for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System fee reduction program.

Age Groups:

Base fees are applied based on the following age groups:

• Infant – less than 18 months
• Toddler – 18 months to 30 months
• Preschool – 30 months to the start of JK
• Kindergarten – 44 months (3.6 years) to 7 years
• School Age – 68 months (5.6) to 13 years

When a child moves to a new age group, the new base fee will apply based on the following schedule:

• Infants will begin paying toddler fees at 18 months.
• Toddlers will begin paying preschool fees at 30 months.
• Preschoolers will begin paying kindergarten fees as of the September when they enter their first year of kindergarten at school.
• Kindergarteners will begin paying school age fees as of the September when they enter grade 1.

Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC)

UFCC is enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) System fee reduction program. CWELCC helps reduce child care fees for children 0-6 years of age.

Families do not need to apply to get a fee reduction. Fees will automatically be adjusted by UFCC to reflect the CWELCC reduced rate for their age group.

Before and After School Program Rates

As part of CWELCC, the City of Hamilton’s Child Care Services has replaced its Before and After School Affordability Grant Program with a new universal before and after school rate for children aged 6 to 12 years old. The universal rate will take effect September 2, 2025, and will help reduce costs for families for the 2025/26 school year. School Age Full Day rates are not included in the universal rate program.

Families do not need to apply for the universal before and after school rate. As is done with CWELLC, UFCC will automatically apply the reduced fees to a family’s account.

Child Care Subsidy 

Families can apply to the City of Hamilton’s Child Care Services for financial support in the form of subsidies for children aged 0-12 years of age.

Subsidies are based on a family’s financial situation and need. The City meets with families to determine eligibility for fee subsidy. Depending on the circumstances, a family may be placed on a subsidy waitlist. The waitlist times depend on priority and funding availability.

Families receiving child care subsidy may still be required to pay a child care user fee. These user fees are paid directly to UFCC and are due on a bi-weekly basis in accordance with UFCC’s Fee Schedule.

Families are responsible for fulfilling all payment requirements of the subsidy contract to maintain the subsidy, as well as for any absences not covered by subsidy (i.e. absences that are more than the allotted number of days established by the City, or sick days where appropriate documentation was not provided or was not permitted).

If families become ineligible for subsidy, they are responsible for paying the full cost of child care fees to UFCC.

Families who receive subsidies are expected to maintain their account in good standing. All UFCC policies regarding late pick-up fees, NSF charges, and accounts in arrears will apply.

Learn more about financial supports available to families that qualify at Child Care Subsidy Services or call 905-546-4870. 

Holiday Closures

UFCC closes annually for the following statutory/civic holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Family Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Civic Holiday
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Eve/New Year’s – p.m.
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day

Full base fees are payable for these statutory/civic holidays.

In accordance with HWDSB policy, the two half day closures (Christmas and New Year’s Eve) may be combined for one full day closure. The date of the closure is determined by HWDSB each year and will be communicated to families.

Occasionally, UFCC staff participate in the City of Hamilton’s Early Years Professional Learning Day and UFCC programs will close for the day. Parents/caregivers will be given advance notice of these dates.

School Breaks

Fees for school break programs (P.A. Days, March Break, Summer Camp) are paid separately. Due to the high demand for these programs, all fees are non-refundable even if a child is withdrawn from the program.

Emergency Closures

Daily fees still apply unless an event outside of UFCC’s control requires centres to close for an emergency that exceeds two (2) consecutive business days. Examples of emergency closures include, but are not limited to, inclement weather such as snowstorms, extreme temperatures, utility outages (heat, hydro), labour disruption, health crisis (pandemics), etc.

Absences from the Program

Daily fees will apply even when a child is absent from the program (e.g., illness, vacation, etc.). Families who receive subsidized care are required to advise their subsidy worker of any prolonged absences or changes in their situation that will affect payment of fees.

Withdrawals from Care

Families are required to provide two (2) weeks’ written notice of a withdrawal from the program. Regardless of the last day of attendance, fees will apply for the remainder of the billing period.

Under certain circumstances, the two-week notice period may be waived by UFCC. These instances will be determined on a case-by-case basis where a family has extenuating circumstances and two weeks’ notice cannot be given.

Late Pick Up Fees

It is the responsibility of all families to arrive on time to pick up their child and gather their belongings so that UFCC can close promptly at 6:00 p.m.

A late fee of $5.00 per child, plus an additional $1.00 per child for every minute expired beyond the centre’s closing time, will apply to all families, even those whose child’s care is fully subsidized.

Late fees are strictly enforced and must be paid within three (3) business days.

If families are late more than three (3) times in a row, UFCC will request a meeting with the family to discuss if alternative child care arrangements need to be made to avoid further late pick-ups and termination of care.

Non-refundable

All fees are non-refundable. If a family becomes eligible for fee subsidy, any prepaid fees will be adjusted, and a credit will be issued to the account. A refund may be issued if a family has no user fee, or the resulting credit is not used through regular billing within three (3) months.

Payment Policy

UFCC’s Payment Policies apply to all families, including those who are required to pay a daily user fee to UFCC while on full or partial subsidy.

Method of Payment

All existing care recipients and new registrants, must add pre-authorized payment via bank debit (PAD) or credit card on UFCC’s family communication and registration app.

A small convenience fee will apply to fees paid by credit card.

The payment method selected can be modified or updated on the family communication and registration app at any time, but a pre-authorized payment method must be maintained and kept up to date while a child is in our programs. Failure to maintain the preauthorized payment method on the family communication and registration app will result in termination of care.

Billing Cycle

Fees are deducted from the bank or credit card on a bi-weekly basis (every other Monday). Fees are paid two (2) weeks in advance for each day the child is enrolled at UFCC. Notices are sent via UFCC’s communication and registration app each pay cycle to remind families that the next payment is due.

 NSF Charges

A charge of $45 will be applied to ALL pre-approved bank or credit card payments returned insufficient funds (NSF). Missed payment must be paid in full on the next scheduled pre-authorized payment date. Care will be terminated for children with accounts that have more than three (3) NSF charges in a 12-month period.

Missed Payments

UFCC has a strict missed payment policy. When a payment is missed, UFCC’s Finance Department will notify families by phone and email so that arrangements to pay can be made before the next billing cycle.

Repeated missed payments and NSFs are not acceptable, and failure to keep payments up to date will result in termination of care.

Repeated Missed/Failed Payments

Consistent and timely payment of fees is a condition of care at UFCC. While UFCC will make every effort to support families experiencing financial challenges through temporary payment arrangements, repeated missed payments will result in termination of care.

Accounts in Arrears

Accounts that have been in arrears for four (weeks) will result in termination of care and the debt will be referred to a collection agency. Families in collection will not be permitted to reapply for care in any UFCC programs for a minimum of 12 months.

An Account is in arrears when any of the following occurs:

• A payment is returned NSF
• An NSF, registration or late fee is not paid by the required due date
• Absences not covered by subsidy are not paid
• A valid payment method on the parent app is not maintained

UFCC understands that on occasion, families may miss a payment. If due to extenuating circumstances fees cannot be paid on time, UFCC’s Finance Department may be able to set up a temporary, manageable payment plan to help families get their accounts paid up to date. Before the next billing cycle and to avoid NSF charges, families are urged to contact UFCC’s Finance Department at 905.312.9836 to discuss the circumstances and to set up an agreed upon payment plan based on a set payment schedule.

While UFCC’s Finance Department will make every reasonable effort to work with families to bring accounts up to date through an agreed upon payment plan, failure to pay fees in the determined timeframe will result in termination of care.

Zero Tolerance Policy

UFCC has a zero-tolerance policy for abusive, threatening, or disrespectful behaviour toward UFCC staff who are notifying families of missed payments or who are attempting to collect outstanding fees. Verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, or any conduct that undermines attempts to keep your account in good standing will not be tolerated and will result in the termination of care with limited notice.

Changes and/or Updates

Families will be notified by email and on the family communication and registration app at least four (4) weeks in advance of any changes to UFCC fees. UFCC will make every effort to notify families as soon as possible when information from the City of Hamilton, CWELCC, or other factors that affect fees occurs.

Tax Receipts

Tax Receipts for paid fees in the previous year will be issued in February of the following year and will be posted on the family communication and registration app. Families can download the receipt directly from the app.