Speaking at a press conference late on Friday morning, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy confirmed the government would spend more than $365 million in direct payments to parents, up from a $225 million investment announced in August.
Parents will be able to apply for funding in October, although the government has not said exactly how much money is available per child or when they will see a cheque.
“This increased federal funding can be used by parents for things like additional instructional support or supplies and equipment that support learning,” Bethlenfalvy said. “We will have more details soon on when and how parents can expect to receive their immediate payments.”
Details of these direct payments have been promised for weeks. When the government first announced the investment, they said more information about eligibility would be available in the coming days.
In the 2021 budget, the Progressive Conservative government allocated about $980 million in direct payments to parents to offset costs incurred as a result of virtual learning as children moved in and out of the classroom due to the pandemic.
At the time, parents received $400 per child ages 0 to 12. If the same number of parents qualify for this round of funding, it could equate to just $150 per child, without taking into account any additional funding for children with special needs .
That number was closer to $90 with the previous investment of $225 million.
This will be the fourth payment to parents since Prime Minister Doug Ford took office in 2018. The other two cases were released under the Support For Learners program at the start of the pandemic.
Under this program parents received approximately $200 per child or $250 per child with special needs. This cost the Ford administration about $868 million.
