Quebec plans to convert 5,000 childcare places into subsidized places, starting this autumn

A daycare in Quebec is photographed. (CTV News)

The new Minister for Families, Catherine Blouin, announced on Saturday morning that a call for proposals would be launched in the coming days to convert 5,000 unsubsidized childcare places into subsidized places, including some 500 places in early childhood centres (CPEs).

The announcement follows on from the measure announced in Finance Minister Eric Girard’s latest budget on March 18, which provides for an investment of approximately $400 million for its implementation.

The call for proposals will be open from May 7 to 29, according to a news release from the Family Minister’s office.

It will be divided into two parts: one for nurseries wishing to convert their unsubsidized places into places costing $9.65 per day, and another for those wishing to take the opportunity to convert into CPE centres.

“The selected projects will be announced this summer, and the places will be gradually converted from the autumn onwards,” the release reads.

“I am very proud that our government has created more than 37,000 subsidized places and that nearly 11,000 places have been converted into subsidized places since the launch of the major initiative for families in 2021,” said Blouin.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published in French on May 2, 2026.