Financial support for childcare on Bonaire
Childcare organisations and host parents will receive financial compensation until the 1st of July, 2021, if they have to close due to Covid-19. This has been decided by the Central Government and the Public Entity Bonaire under the BES(t) 4 kids program. The Public Entity Bonaire asks childcare organisations not to charge a parental contribution during the lockdown period.
Childcare organisations and host parents will receive an additional compensation for the parental contribution during the lockdown, so that parents will not have to pay the (full) contribution by themselves. The additional compensation amounts to $150 per month for daycare and $100 for out-of-school care per child. The amount is, of course, lower if the lockdown period is shorter than one month. Childcare organisations that normally charge more than $150 for daycare and $100 for out-of-school care are requested to waive the remainder of the parental contribution during the lockdown.
The compensated parental contribution during the lockdown, will be settled by childcare organisations with parents by July 31, 2021, at the latest.
Childcare subsidies also continue
In addition to the compensation of parental contribution during the lockdown, regular childcare subsidies also continue if a child care centre or host parent must close because of Covid-19. This applies to the child place subsidy for children living in poverty and also to the temporary subsidy to improve the quality of childcare and reduce the costs for parents. These subsidies continue if the childcare provider has to close during a lockdown. But also if a childcare provider has to close temporarily due to employee illness or quarantine as a result of Covid-19.
Childcare organizations that use the subsidies and extra compensation of the parental contribution from the program BES(t) 4 kids, can no longer use the general financial emergency measures of the RCN-unit SZW. The detailed arrangements for childcare are currently being further worked out and will be published shortly.