SABA:---As part of the BES(t) 4 Kids program, a childcare cost price-reducing subsidy has been introduced which lowers the monthly amount that parents have to pay for their child(ren) in daycare and after-school care.
The BES(t) 4 Kids program is continuously working on improving the quality in childcare in the Caribbean Netherlands, including Saba. To further promote safe and high-quality childcare on Saba, the program has initiated the cost price-reducing subsidy, which will decrease the monthly parental fee for both daycare and after-school care.
The subsidy went into effect per January 1, 2021, for all children attending daycare and after-school care. Parents will pay a monthly fee of US $100 per child attending daycare on a full-time basis. The monthly fee for children attending daycare on a part-time basis will be US $50, while the monthly fee for after-school care has been set at US $50 per month.
In October last year, the so-called child place subsidy was introduced to enable parents who cannot afford child care to still have their child(ren) attend daycare and after-school care. This subsidy either covers 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 price-reducing subsidy will be entered quarterly per attending child per organization in the database provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (SZW), headed by the policy execution unit UVB. The payments will be made directly to the daycare and after-school care organizations. For Saba’s daycare, this will be the Public Entity Saba. The after-school care on Saba is run by the Child Focus Foundation.
Commissioner of Social Affairs and Labor Rolando Wilson said he was content that the requests of the islands had been heard. He said that the childcare cost price-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 training and schooling. Now we are able to assist all parents. I am very happy to know that we can now ease some of the burdens of those families who have been struggling by proving this new subsidy,” said Wilson.