Emergency Child Care 

When needed, Emergency Child Care can be provided when a CAF family needs an immediate child care provider and there is no time to implement the Family Care Plan (FCP), or it breaks down unexpectedly. Depending on the specific situation the MFRC will assist you either by looking after your child(ren) for you, providing financial reimbursement of child care fees, or providing referrals or caregiver coordination. Each case is unique and will be assessed individually. 

Canadian Armed Forces families will be supported by Emergency Child Care services under many unique circumstances including: 

• When the Canadian Armed Forces member must report for duty on short notice, or is away on tasking and neither their primary or secondary caregiver identified on their Family Care Plan is available to care for their children. 
• When the Canadian Armed Forces member requires emergency short-term child care to secure essential necessities that have not already been covered through the CAF’s Integrated Relocation Program within three months after posting. 
• When the Canadian Armed Forces member or any member of your family has been seriously ill or injured, or when a member of the family has died.  

The MFRC can provide, or fully subsidize, up to 96 hours of free continuous childcare per fiscal year, per family, per emergency. 

If after 96 hours of continuous care, child care is still required the Child and Youth Coordinator and Program manager will assess the situation and make a decision regarding further care. 

Families must be approved for Emergency Child Care by the Child and Youth Coordinator and the Program Manager. Child care records, receipts and/or invoices must be given to the Child and Youth Coordinator to approve. 

Deployment Respite Child Care 

Respite child-care aims to support the well-being of families who are impacted by deployment. This service is used to help relieve some of the stressors related to continuous care giving. Deployment Respite is only available when the CAF member is away from home for CAF related work for 28 days or longer.  

Respite Child Care is NOT to be used to cover routine Child Care (ie: day care while the not-deployed parent is at work/school etc.).  

For the purposes of offering Deployment Respite Care, deployment includes: 

• Imposed Restriction (IR), 
• Courses 
• Training 
• Tasking 
• Overseas Deployment  

After consultation with the Child and Youth Coordinator or the Program Manager, the Calgary MFRC may provide up to 96 hours of subsidized child care per family per fiscal year, either in your home or at a child care facility, for a maximum of 12 hours per week. Care will be subsidized at a rate of $15.00/hr for one child, with a $5.00/hr for each subsequent child. The rate goes down to $13.00/hr, with an additional $3.00/hr for child care provided by a person under the age of 18 who is in school, in concert with Alberta’s minimum wage legislation. 

Child care records, receipts and/or invoices must be given to the Child and Youth Coordinator to approve.  

Consultation with Calgary MFRC staff is required before or during each deployment. Child Care records, receipts and/or invoices WILL NOT be accepted and paid out without this consultation. 

Casual Child Care 

MFRC casual childcare is designed to help CAF spouses who are stay-at-home parents and may want or need a few hours to themselves, and to also provide parents with the opportunity to participate in MFRC activities. 

This low-cost service is not a day care for working parents. Casual child care allows for the stay-at-home parents to have time away from their children for instances such as doctor’s appointments, visiting, housecleaning, shopping and exercise, activities that are not easily accomplished with little ones around. 

It may also be used by parents who need child care so that they can attend MFRC events (workshops, seminars, date nights, etc.). In these cases, the Calgary MFRC’s Casual Child Care program is open to both currently serving and veteran families. 

The Casual Child Care rate for care provided at the Calgary MFRC is $5.00/child/hour and must be recorded.  A receipt must be issued to families for tax purposes.  

Casual Child Care is available from the Calgary MFRC Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, when booked 24 hours in advance. In certain circumstances, child care may not be available because of staffing levels and prior commitments. 

Families may choose (or be required in the event care is needed outside Calgary MFRC office hours) to vet and hire their own child care provider. In these cases, the Calgary MFRC will subsidize child care at a rate of $9.00/hour for the first child in a family, with an extra $3.00/hour for every subsequent child for up to 48 hours/year.  

Families hiring their own child care provider must have permission to claim Casual Child Care hours from the Child and Youth Coordinator or Program Manager before the Child Care session.  

Child care records and receipts and/or invoices must be given to the Child and Youth Coordinator to approve.  

Casualty Support Child Care (CSCC) 

168 hours of child care support is available for families of CAF personnel who are ill, injured or have died while serving, at no cost to the family. 

This support includes short notice child care either day or night. 

The CSCC is available in the following situations: 

• Facilitate attendance at health-related appointments (medical, mental health, social support) that will help with the CAF member’s recovery 
• Provide respite for families 
• Allow families to participate in repatriation services 
• Support families through funeral and bereavement processes 

Casualty Support Child Care is often referred through the Family Liaison Officer (FLO) and all cases requiring Casualty Support Child Care should be monitored and recorded by the FLO. 

Families may make use of child care provided by the Calgary MFRC, as outlined in the Casual Child Care section, or choose to hire their own child care provider. When using their own provider, the Calgary MFRC will subsidize child care at a rate of $15.00/hr for one child, with a $5.00/hr for each subsequent child. The rate goes down to $13.00/hr, with an additional $3.00/hr for child care provided by a person under the age of 18 who is in school, in concert with Alberta’s minimum wage legislation. 

Child care records/invoices must be given to the Child and Youth Coordinator to approve. 

Canadian Forces Family Care Plan 

Having a Family Care Plan ensures that CAF members have made arrangements for child care in preparation for situations in which they may be called away on duty.  

All members of the Regular Force and the Primary Reserve are responsible for creating a Family Care Plan (FCP) to accommodate deployments and emergencies. This Care Plan should include as many possible scenarios for which you could be absent for duty. 

A Care Plan is recommended in the following situations: emergency call-outs, domestic and international operational deployment, training and short-term duty requirements. 

Your Family Care Plan should be prepared for each child and shared with: 

• Your unit 
• Relative or friend who can care for your child in an emergency 

Also make sure to keep a copy for yourself and to give to a caregiver as a back-up. Caregivers designated by the Family Care Plan are not eligible to receive compensation from the MFRC for the child care they provide. MFRC-funded child care kicks in only when the Family Care Plan falls apart.  

If you require help to develop your Family Care Plan, contact the Child/Youth Coordinator Kristin Lailey at the Calgary MFRC for assistance at 403-410-2320 ext. 3592 or at kristin.lailey@calgarymfrc.ca