Children at Laura Linzey Day Care in The Bottom. (Public entity Saba file photo)
SABA--As part of the BES(t) 4 Kids programme, a childcare cost-reducing subsidy has been introduced which lowers the monthly amount that parents have to pay for their child(ren) in day care and after-school care.
BES(t) 4 Kids is working on improving quality in childcare in the Caribbean Netherlands, including Saba. To further promote safe and high-quality childcare in Saba, the programme has initiated the cost-reducing subsidy, which will decrease the monthly parental fee for both day care and after-school care.
The subsidy went into effect per January 1, 2021, for all children attending day care and after-school care. Parents will pay a monthly fee of US $100 per child attending day care on a full-time basis. The monthly fee for children attending day care on a part-time basis will be $50, while the fee for after-school care has been set at $50 per month.
The so-called child-place subsidy was introduced in October last year to enable parents who cannot afford childcare to still have their child(ren) attend day care and after-school care. This subsidy covers either the full amount of the monthly fee or a partial amount based on the parent’s income and situation.
The information of the new childcare cost-reducing subsidy will be entered quarterly per attending child per organisation in the database provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment SZW, headed by the policy execution unit UVB. The payments will be made directly to the day-care and after-school-care organisations. For Saba’s day care, this will be the public entity Saba.
Commissioner of Social Affairs and Labour Rolando Wilson said he was “content” that the requests of the islands had been heard. He said that the childcare cost-reducing subsidy will be highly appreciated by all Saba parents.
“Over the past three years we have been able to give the early childhood caregivers and the after-school coordinators the opportunity to upgrade and broaden their knowledge through trainings and schooling. Now we are able to assist all parents. I am very happy to know that we can now ease some of the burden of those families who have been struggling,” said Wilson.
