Maintenance Fund Required Relocation

Last updated on August 13, 2024

Licensed group child care providers can apply for funding to help cover the cost of required relocation due to emergency circumstances. Relocation support is not available to licensed personal residence providers, regardless of licence type and circumstance, as the move may include home owner expenses that are not related to the child care facility.

On this page:

Funding maximums

For the required relocation of a licensed facility, each fiscal year eligible applicants may receive, per physical location:

  • up to $50,000 for not-for-profit licensed group child care, multi-age child care, school age on school grounds and preschool providers
  • up to $25,000 for for-profit licensed group child care, multi-age child care, school age on school grounds and preschool providers

Eligible expenses

Expenses eligible for required relocation are exclusive to the following list:

  • packing materials: moving boxes, packing tape, and packing peanuts
  • moving company services/vehicles: rental costs, fuel, and vehicle insurance
  • utility services: Start-up or change costs for Hydro and phones lines, key cutting for the new facility, move-in cleaning services
  • tenant improvements: partitions, fixtures, fencing, resilient ground covering, wheelchair ramps and modified bathroom equipment
  • municipality fees: mandatory inspections for occupants
  • address forwarding: Canada Post change of address costs

Please note: Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Eligibility of requests are evaluated on a number of factors, including the rationale provided, evidence of the emergency circumstance, the reasonability of the request, and whether the cost is considered to be outside routine and regular service. For clarification or questions about eligible items, please call the Child Care Capital and Community Services branch at 1-888-338-6622, option 5.

How to apply

 

Step 1: Review

Review the following in full before beginning your application form:

 

Step 2: Gather mandatory documents

To support your application, you will need to supply the following information and documents:  

  • a detailed rationale for the request that provides a description of the emergency circumstance and speaks directly to the required relocation
  • documented evidence of the required relocation due to an emergency circumstance, such as:
    • an eviction notice
    • unplanned or unforeseen lease termination letter
    • Licensed Child Care Facility Inspection Report or Incident Report completed at the time of the emergency, requiring the relocation of the child care facility
    • insurance company report
    • report by a bylaw officer
    • fire-safety inspection report
    • report from a home or building inspector that verifies the nature of the emergency
  • the facility’s number of licensed child care spaces by care type, as seen on the licence
  • two separate written quotes or estimates from two different companies for each requested expense
  • a current copy of the facility’s valid Community Care and Assisted Living Act licence
  • the organization's Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) Identification Number
 

Step 3: Apply and submit

Submit the completed ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund application form and include all of the mandatory documents.

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Financial reconciliation

All recipients of the ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund grants are required to submit a Financial Reconciliation Report listing all eligible expenditures, including invoices and proof of payment reflecting the purchase of the eligible expenses. Additionally, all recipients are required to apply, where eligible, for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) or any successor programs for the current contract term and adhere to program requirements including fee caps.

If the report does not reflect the purchase of approved items or the recipient does not enroll in CCFRI, the ministry may request follow-up information or repayment.

Within six months of funding approval, or upon immediate receipt of a valid licence, recipients must submit to the ministry:

  • a Financial Reconciliation Report listing all eligible expenditures (as indicated in the approval email), up to the dollar value of the grant
  • invoices and proof of payment reflecting the purchase of the approved expenditures, up to the dollar value of the grant
  • a copy of the new Community Care and Assisted Living Act facility licence issued for the relocated site
 

Written quotes

Two detailed written quotes are required to be submitted with the application. Quotes must be from companies that are a third party at arm’s length from one another and the applicant. Applicants who provide invalid or otherwise deficient quotes in this regard can be disqualified at the sole discretion of the ministry. All written quotes must include the following components:

  1. name of company or individual providing the service/items

And, if applicable:

  1. quantity of the items requested
  2. date and length of time quote is valid
  3. description/scope of work involved
  4. total or estimated cost, total or estimated tax amount, and the total or estimated cost after taxes (in Canadian dollars)

Please note: the Province reserves the right to verify all information with third party sources. Additional information may be requested during the application process.

 

Proof of payment

Proof of payment submitted with the Financial Reconciliation Report should reflect the purchase of all eligible expenditures and include the following components:

  1. verifiable receipts (e.g., transaction receipts), indicating the item purchased, amount paid and date
  2. invoices with zero-dollar balances with a corresponding receipt of payment (if applicable), such as bank statements or a copy of the cheque used in the transaction
  3. name of company/individual from which items or services were purchased
  4. date of purchase
  5. itemized description of the products purchased

Please note: payments made with cash will not be accepted without invoices and proof of payment of the transaction.

If only one estimate or quote is available, please contact the program area.

 

Expense disputes

If, in the opinion of the ministry, the recipient’s Financial Reconciliation Report does not reflect the purchase of approved items up to the dollar value of the grant, follow-up information or repayment may be requested. Additionally, if recipients eligible for CCFRI do not enroll, a request to repay the funding may be made.

Please note: to remain eligible for this funding in the future, and any other funding offered through the Child Care Capital and Community Services Branch, an organization must be in good standing with the ministry.

 

Unspent funds

The program requires recipients to purchase only the items requested and approved on the application, as indicated in the approval email from the ministry. If all funds are not spent on these items, a request to repay the remaining funding will be made.