Child Care Resources for Faculty and Staff

The University of Alberta has a corporate membership with Kids & Company child-care centres, which guarantees a minimum number of placements for our faculty and staff. Under this agreement, you can pay for daycare services and emergency back-up child care. Learn more on the Kids & Company website.

The university is affiliated with six non-profit day care centres surrounding our Edmonton campus community. These Accreditation of Early Learning and Care Services (AELCS) are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of parents and community members. See the list of centres. 

This negotiated benefit is available to eligible employees who are enrolled in the family  Supplementary Health Care plan and who belong to the following employee categories:

• Full-time and part-time Academic staff within the Faculty, Librarian, Faculty Service Officer (FSO) and Administrative Professional Officer (APO) groups
• Management & Professional Staff (Excluded) 
• Full-time Academic staff within the Academic Teaching Staff (ATS), Temporary Librarian, Administrative and Professional Officer (TLAPO) and Trust/Research Academic Staff groups with appointments of at least eight months in duration 

You remain eligible for child care benefit while you’re on the following leaves:

• Sabbatical leave
• Administrative leave
• Professional leave
• Medical leave
• Maternity and parental leave
• Compassionate care and emergency leave
• Disability leave
• Leave with partial pay

You will cease eligibility if you are on any other leaves other than the ones listed above.

In the event you terminate your employment, you are entitled to claim child care expenses that you accumulated right up to your termination date. The Child Care Benefit application must be completed and returned to the Staff Service Centre within 30 days of termination to be eligible.

Children, as defined by the Supplementary Health Care Plan, up to age seven* (including the month in which the child turns seven years old) are eligible for the benefit. To be eligible, your child must be listed under your Sun Life Health Care plan for the period you are claiming for. 

The age restriction will be waived for children with a disability that requires constant supervision. The child care benefit reimbursement will be extended up to and including the age of 18. To apply for this extended benefit, you are required to provide satisfactory proof confirming your child has a disability requiring specialized care. Proof of approval under the federal or provincial benefit program must be provided with the benefit claim form.

Reimbursement is calculated as 50% of your actual expenses to a maximum of $2,000 per year per eligible child. Online claims are processed in March each year for the previous calendar year expenses with an application deadline of the last day of February.

Reimbursement under this child care benefit is taxable income and is subject to statutory deductions for income tax, Canada pension plan, and employment insurance. 

Child care expenses paid during your employment at the University of Alberta may include:

• Caregivers providing child care services (in home/out of home care)
• Day nursery schools and day-care centres
• Educational institutions for the part of the fees that relate to child care services
• Day camps and day sports schools where the primary goal of the camp is to care for children
• Boarding schools; overnight sports schools, or camps where lodging is involved

For more child care expenses information, refer to the Canada Revenue Agency’s Child Care. 

The individual caring for your child cannot be:

• The child’s mother or father
• Your spouse or common-law partner
• A person under 18 who is related to you

Depending on if you are an active staff or terminated staff, your application process will slightly differ:

1. Active employees 

   Eligible employees with children under the age of seven will receive a notification from Shared Services in January of each calendar year. This notification will provide information about the online application form to submit your claims for child care expenses accumulated in the previous calendar year. The online application form opens at the beginning of February. You must submit your application to the Staff Service Centre no later than February 28 each year. Payments will be processed once per year in March. Unclaimed benefits cannot be carried forward to the following year.
   
   

2. Terminated employees

   You are entitled to claim accumulated child care expenses up to your date of termination. You have 30 days following the date of termination to submit your claims. You must complete and submit the form and supporting documentation to the Staff Service Centre within 30 days of termination to be eligible. 

If more than one parent is employed by the University in an eligible position, both may make a claim for the same child. 

Receipts for all claimed child care expenses do not need to be submitted with your application however you must retain your receipts for a period of at least six years in case of audit. The university reserves the right to audit claimants on an as-needed basis.