At the request of a family, special benefits are payable in August of each year to help families meet the special expenses associated with the START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR, where a family has one or more dependent children attending:
- kindergarten for 4-year-olds or kindergarten for 5-year-olds;
- primary school, including exempted cases;
- general secondary school;
- Adult education*.
*A dependent child enrolled in adult education is eligible for the special benefit to cover school expenses so long as he or she is enrolled by the month of August, regardless of when classes start. Children who register for adult education after the month of August are not eligible as they are considered returning students following school drop out.
As of January 1st, 2001, for each dependent child attending school, the special benefit is:
- $76 in the case of kindergarten for 4-year-olds, kindergarten for 5-year-olds or primary school;
- $123 in the case of general secondary school.
Note: The full special benefit is payable, without any prorating, to each parent for each dependent child in shared custody cases.
Families ELIGIBLE are:
- those that are beneficiaries in August;
OR
- those that make application before September 1 and are declared eligible for the month of August.
NEED is established by:
- a STATEMENT from the BENEFICIARY in the case of dependent children in the target group (see operational section);
- PROOF of attendance at school issued by an EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION in the case of dependent children 16 years of age and over who are attending an educational institution.
The addition of this special benefit to normal needs may qualify a family that would not otherwise be eligible for assistance.
Attendance at school need not begin in September. There may be cases where a child does not in fact start school in September. Payment of this benefit is still possible provided that attendance at school continues to be the principal foreseeable occupation of the dependent child in August.
KINDERGARTEN FOR 4-YEAR-OLDS AND KINDERGARTEN FOR 5-YEAR-OLDS
A. Kindergarten for 5-year-olds
This covers children enrolled in:
- regular kindergarten;
- special kindergarten (children with disabilities or other difficulties);
- welcoming" kindergarten (maternelle d’accueil for children without enough French to attend regular kindergarten).
B. Kindergarten for 4-year-olds
This is for children with difficulties or from disadvantaged economic backgrounds who need special care. There are three types:
- a kindergarten class in a location established by educative services of the community.
- home kindergarten; the educator leads educational activities 2 half-days a week in the home of one of the children (primarily in rural areas);
- "parent-guided" kindergarten (maternelle-animation); parents themselves lead educational activities under the supervision of an educator.
If required, the educative services of the community can provide information about the kindergarten services available for 4 year-olds in its district, town or region.
An adult is entitled to receive the temporarily limited capacity for employment allowance (dependent child) if a family has dependent children who are under 5 years of age on September 30 OR who are 5 years of age in September but are not in full-time kindergarten because no spaces are available for them.