Alberta Affordability Grant & ECE Workforce Supports Calculator (2026)
A companion to Alberta's Affordability Grant and ECE Workforce Supports Program, not a replacement for either. Alberta doesn't publish the current regional benchmark maximum childcare fee tables, so bring your own childcare fee from Schedule A of your agreement, and this tool shows you your monthly Affordability Grant, wage top-up, mandatory employer contribution and financial reporting tier around it — every line with its math shown and cited.
These two grants replaced the Alberta Child Care Grant Funding Program, which ended March 31, 2026. The Affordability Grant (the operating grant) has been in force under 2026-27 agreements; the ECE Workforce Supports Program (the workforce grant) has been in force since April 1, 2026, carrying over the same wage top-up rates by ECE level.
Alberta funding is calculated monthly. The figures below lead with the monthly amount — the way your agreement and your claims are framed — with the annual total (monthly × 12) shown alongside it.
Based on current Alberta Affordability Grant and ECE Workforce Supports Program pages, sources verified 2026-07-18. Estimates only — not a guarantee of funding.
Worked example: monthly Affordability Grant + ECE Workforce Supports
Example inputs (not derived — a real operator's childcare fee comes from their own Schedule A): a facility program with 10 full-time children at a $1,200.00 monthly childcare fee, and 2 Level 1 ECEs at 181 hours/month.
| Line | Monthly | Annual (× 12) | Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability funding — facility, full-time (10 children) | $8,737.50 | $104,850.00 | (childcare fee $1200 − flat parent fee $326.25) × 10 = $8737.5/month × 12 = $104850/year. docs/operator-funding/sources/ab/ab-affordability-grant-2026.md#Facility-based programs and family day homes |
| Wage top-up — Level 1 ECE (2 staff) | $955.68 | $11,468.16 | $2.64/hr × 181 hrs (cap 181) × 2 staff = $955.68/month × 12 = $11468.16/year. docs/operator-funding/sources/ab/ab-ece-workforce-supports-2026.md#Wage top-up funding |
| Mandatory employer contribution funding (9.51% of wage top-up) | $90.89 | $1,090.68 | 9.51% × wage top-up $955.68/month = $90.89/month × 12 = $1090.68/year. docs/operator-funding/sources/ab/ab-ece-workforce-supports-2026.md#Mandatory employer contribution funding |
| Total | $9,784.07 | $117,408.84 | Sum of the lines above. Annual = monthly × 12. |
data_gapThis is an estimate of published entitlements, not an approval. Your actual affordability funding depends on your Schedule A childcare fees (regional maximums are not public) and your signed agreement; wage top-up depends on staff certification levels and eligible hours. Only Alberta Education and Childcare determines your funding.
Worked example: financial reporting requirement
A preschool program with 8 enrolled children (no fee entered, so the grant uses the full $100.00/child/month) earning $600,000.00/year in Affordability Grant revenue overall:
| Line | Monthly | Annual (× 12) | Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability funding — preschool (8 children) | $800.00 | $9,600.00 | Preschool grant is up to $100/enrolled child/month: $100 × 8 = $800/month × 12 = $9600/year. docs/operator-funding/sources/ab/ab-affordability-grant-2026.md#Preschool programs |
The compliance ladder, by annual Affordability Grant revenue — this preschool's $600,000.00/year lands in the highest tier:
| Annual Affordability Grant revenue | Requirement | CPA required? |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $250,000.00 | A certificate signed by appropriate officers + a financial report detailing actual funding spent and any funding to be returned. | No |
| $250,000.00 – $500,000.00 | A Review Engagement Report with financial statements showing income and expenditures, by an external independent CPA using Canadian GAAP. | Yes |
| Above $500,000.00 | An audited financial statement showing income and expenditures, by an external independent CPA using Canadian GAAP. | Yes |
Thresholds ($250,000 / $500,000) and the external-independent-CPA/GAAP rule are sourced from the January-2024 Funding Guide and March-2023 Reporting Guide (which agree). Confirm the exact deadline against your current agreement / the May-2024 Financial Reporting Guide.
Recurring compliance calendar
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Optional services & fees reporting | Within 30 days of signing your Affordability Grant agreement, then bi-annually on October 31 and April 30. |
| ECE wage top-up claim | Within 60 days of the last calendar day of each month. |
| Financial report | Within 90 days of the expiry or termination of the grant. |
ab-affordability-grant-2026.md#Optional services and fees · ab-ece-workforce-supports-2026.md#How to receive payments · jet-financial-reporting-guide-child-care-affordability-grant-2024-05.pdf#Financial Reporting Due Date (rendered 2026-07-20) + ab-affordability-grant-financial-reporting-guide-2023.md
What this tool doesn't do
We only model what's publicly documented and verifiable against the sources below. Here's what isn't, and why — read this before you rely on any number this tool shows you.
Your maximum childcare fee (Schedule A regional benchmark)
Affordability funding is your childcare fee (in Schedule A of your own agreement) minus the flat parent fee. The current 2026-27 regional benchmark MAXIMUM childcare fees (Appendix A for facilities, Appendix B for family day homes) are not published in any current guide — the Funding Guide posted on open.alberta.ca is still the January-2024 version, whose rate tables are from the $15/day era and no longer apply. This estimator therefore asks you to enter your own childcare fee (the amount on your signed Schedule A) and computes the grant around the published flat parent fees ($326.25 full-time / $230 part-time).
Cost Increase Replacement Funding (former Schedule B, 3% / 6%)
The January-2024 Funding Guide added 3% or 6% of childcare fees as 'Cost Increase Replacement Funding'. The current 2026-27 affordability page does not restate it, so whether it still applies (and at what rate) could not be confirmed this session. It is not included in the estimate.
Overnight care and extended-hours grant amounts
Overnight care (12:01 am–5 am) receives the same funding rate as daytime care, with an optional supplemental parent fee. The January-2024 overnight rate table is superseded and the current overnight maximums are not published, so overnight is treated exactly like daytime here (grant = childcare fee − flat parent fee).
Professional development, release time and Infant Care Incentive
PD and release-time funding are reimbursement-based, per-application and event-driven (up to $2,000/yr PD per ECE; release-time up to $787.50 workshops / $1,600 post-secondary). The Infant Care Incentive (children under 19 months) is administered case-by-case by licensing. None are recurring monthly entitlements, so they are documented but not summed into the monthly funding total.
Child Care Subsidy flow-through
The Child Care Subsidy reduces what the parent pays and flows through the operator's claim, but it is a parent-side benefit, not operator funding. It is out of scope for this operator estimator (and is modeled separately on the family side of MapleCub).
Exact financial-reporting deadline and current thresholds
The $250,000 / $500,000 reporting thresholds and the CPA/GAAP requirement are sourced from two documents that agree (the January-2024 Funding Guide and the March-2023 Reporting Guide). As of 2026-07-20, the current May-2024 Financial Reporting Guide was rendered first-hand (browser + in-page inflate) and states the report 'is due 90 days after the Agreement ends OR 90 days after the program's fiscal year-end', so the deadline is confirmed and no longer single-sourced to the superseded March-2023 guide. The current dollar thresholds were not separately re-verified against the May-2024 guide's tier section this pass. Use the reporting tier as guidance, and confirm exact threshold figures with the current guide or your agreement.
Common questions
How is my Alberta Affordability Grant calculated?
The formula is: monthly affordability funding = your childcare fee (from Schedule A of your agreement) − a flat monthly parent fee of $326.25 for full-time care (100+ hours/month) or $230.00 for part-time care (50–99 hours/month). In the worked example below — a childcare fee of $1,200.00 for 10 full-time children — that comes to ($1,200.00 − $326.25) × 10 = $8,737.50/month ($104,850.00/year). Preschools work differently — see the next question.
Why does this calculator ask me for my own childcare fee instead of deriving it?
Affordability funding is your childcare fee (in Schedule A of your own agreement) minus the flat parent fee. The current 2026-27 regional benchmark MAXIMUM childcare fees (Appendix A for facilities, Appendix B for family day homes) are not published in any current guide — the Funding Guide posted on open.alberta.ca is still the January-2024 version, whose rate tables are from the $15/day era and no longer apply. This estimator therefore asks you to enter your own childcare fee (the amount on your signed Schedule A) and computes the grant around the published flat parent fees ($326.25 full-time / $230 part-time).
How does the ECE Workforce Supports wage top-up and employer contribution work?
The wage top-up pays $2.64/hr for a Level 1 ECE, $5.05/hr for Level 2, and $8.62/hr for Level 3, up to 181 eligible hours per month per staff member, plus a mandatory employer contribution of 9.51% of the wage top-up (covering the program's CPP/EI/WCB payroll costs on those top-ups). In the worked example — 2 Level 1 ECEs at 181 hours/month — the wage top-up is $955.68/month, plus $90.89/month employer contribution, for $1,046.57/month combined.
What are Alberta's financial reporting tiers, and which one applies to me?
Your financial reporting requirement depends on your annual Affordability Grant revenue: at or below $250,000.00/year, signed financial report of actual funding spent (no CPA required); between that and $500,000.00/year, review engagement report (external independent cpa) (CPA required); above $500,000.00/year, audited financial statement (external independent cpa) (CPA required). In the worked example below, $600,000.00/year in Affordability Grant revenue requires: Audited financial statement (external independent CPA).
Does this guarantee my funding amount?
No. This tool estimates the Affordability Grant and ECE Workforce Supports math around a childcare fee and staffing figures you supply — it does not determine your actual funding. Only the department, per your signed grant agreement, determines what you actually receive. Confirm every figure with the department and your accountant before relying on it.
What does this tool not model?
6 areas, listed in full below — most importantly, your maximum childcare fee (the current regional benchmark tables aren't published), Cost Increase Replacement Funding, overnight/extended-hours rate specifics, and professional development, release time and the Infant Care Incentive, none of which are recurring monthly entitlements the way the Affordability Grant and wage top-up are.
Official sources
- https://www.alberta.ca/affordability-grant
- https://www.alberta.ca/early-childhood-educator-workforce-supports-program
- https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-child-care-grant-funding-program
- https://open.alberta.ca/publications/alberta-child-care-affordability-grant-funding-guide
- https://open.alberta.ca/publications/alberta-affordability-grant-financial-reporting-guide
- https://www.oag.ab.ca/reports/child-care-subsidy-and-grants-program/
Calculate your own numbers
Enter your childcare fee and staffing for a personalized estimate. Nothing is saved unless you choose to email yourself a copy.
Estimates only. Your actual funding is determined by the department (Alberta Education and Childcare), per your grant agreement. MapleCub is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Government of Alberta. This is not financial, accounting, or legal advice — confirm figures with the department and your accountant. Based on current Alberta Affordability Grant and ECE Workforce Supports Program pages, sources verified 2026-07-18.