Good afternoon everyone,
Thank you for joining me today here at Sweetpea Nursery School in Warwick.
I want to begin by thanking the team here at Sweetpea Nursery School for welcoming us and allowing us to use this space this afternoon.
We are here at a nursery because this is where the issue becomes real.
Across Bermuda, parents begin their mornings by bringing their children into spaces like this one before they head to work.
They leave them with people they trust, in places where children can learn, play, develop routines, build confidence and begin forming the social skills that will carry them forward.
For many families, child care makes the working day possible.
It allows parents to earn a living, keep their employment, support their households and provide stability for their children.
At the same time, child care has become one of the highest monthly costs for many young families.
Last Friday, I introduced the Child Day Care Allowance Amendment Regulations 2026 in the House of Assembly.
Today, I want to explain the purpose of those amendments, the families they are intended to support, and the practical relief they can provide.
The operational date is the first of September this year.
The challenge before many families is clear.
A household may already be paying rent, electricity, groceries, transportation, health costs and all the other expenses that come with raising a family in Bermuda.
In some cases, rent alone may be around two thousand three hundred dollars ($2,300) per month. On top of that, child care for one child under the age of four can cost one thousand four hundred dollars ($1,400) or more per month.
For a family with two young children in day care at the same time, the pressure can be very serious. The second child care bill can change the entire household budget.
Parents have spoken out about the pressure. Families have had to make difficult decisions. Some rely heavily on relatives because formal child care is too expensive.
The Government has listened to those concerns, and this amendment is a practical response.
The Child Day Care Allowance Programme already provides support based on household income. That income-based structure will continue because the assistance must remain targeted and fair.
There are three income categories.
The first category covers households earning up to sixty-five thousand dollars ($65,000) a year.
The second category covers households earning from sixty-five thousand and one dollars ($65,001) to ninety-seven thousand dollars ($97,000) a year.
The third category covers households earning from ninety-seven thousand and one dollars ($97,001) to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars ($130,000) a year.
The additional support is aimed at families in those income groups who have more than one eligible child in day care at the same time.
For the first eligible child, the maximum monthly allowance stays at nine hundred dollars ($900), seven hundred dollars ($700), or five hundred dollars ($500), depending on the household income category.
The additional support starts with the second eligible child. For that child, the maximum monthly allowance would increase to one thousand, two hundred and seventy-five dollars ($1,275), one thousand, two hundred and twenty-five dollars ($1,225), or one thousand, one hundred and seventy-five dollars ($1,175), depending on the household income category.
For each additional eligible child after the second child, the maximum monthly allowance would be one thousand, three hundred and fifty dollars ($1,350), one thousand, three hundred and thirty dollars ($1,330), or one thousand, three hundred and ten dollars ($1,310), depending on the household income category.
In each case, the allowance cannot be more than the actual monthly cost of the child’s day care.
That means the support is directed to the actual cost families are facing. It also means that families with multiple young children will receive a higher level of assistance at the point where the financial pressure is usually greatest.
This is a targeted amendment. It recognises that one child care bill is already difficult for many households, but two or more child care bills can become overwhelming.
On International Day of Families in May, I spoke about the way inequality can show up in the daily life of a household.
It can be seen when a parent works hard and still struggles to afford child care.
It can be seen when a family has love, commitment and sacrifice, but limited resources. And it can be seen when a child’s opportunities are affected by pressures outside that child’s control.
Those realities guide the work of this Ministry.
In conclusion, the Child Day Care Allowance Amendment Regulations 2026 are intended to ease pressure on families with multiple young children, improve access to child care, support early childhood development, and help parents remain in the workforce.
This is one part of the wider work of the Ministry of Youth, Social Development and Seniors to support families, assist those who need help, and strengthen our community.
Thank you.