Child Assistance Payment is a benefit paid by the Régie des rentes to all families with dependent children under 18 years of age. The amount paid depends on the number of children, family income, and family situation. There is also an allowance for handicapped children. For more details, call the Régie at 643-3381 or visit their web site at www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca.

The federal government also provides to some families various benefits such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB), the National Child Benefit Supplement (NCBS), the child Disability Benefit (CDB), and the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB).

To apply for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and Québec Child Assistance Payment, you are only required to complete one application form. For more details or to request a form, please contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-387-1194 or visit their web site at www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

Québec has a network of childcare centres, either in a school, day care, or home setting at a cost of only $7 a day, for children under the age of five. Not all day cares are part of this plan. For more details, call the Ministère de la Famille, Aînés et de la Condition féminine at 643-4721 or visit their web site at www.mfacf.gouv.qc.ca.