Child Day Care Services & Fees

The centre’s hours are from Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. inclusive.  Children may attend up to nine hours per day, depending on each family’s work schedule.

Full time care consists of five full days per week, Monday to Friday. Part time care can be either Tuesdays and Thursdays, or Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Pumpkin Patch provides 2 snacks each day, and lunch is professionally catered by Wholesome Kids Catering which meets or exceeds the nutritional requirements for each child. Please check out their website at https://wholesomekids.ca/.

The centre runs a camp during the summer months for children ages 6-12. Families may sign up for only the weeks of care they require. Campers attend 2-3 trips per week, and swim at the community pool on other days. Campers are required to bring their own lunch.

Pumpkin Patch provides a walking escort to and from G.L. Armstrong School for children in Junior Kindergarten and older. Armstrong has a full day kindergarten schedule, so children can attend Pumpkin Patch before and after school, PA Days and school holidays.

Child Care Services & Fees for 2022 are as follows:

	Weekly	Weekly After $10/day Affordability Grant*	Daily	Daily After $10/day Affordability Grant*
Infants	$331	$281	$71.50	$61.50
Toddlers	$260	$210	$59	$49
Preschool	$217.50	$167.50	$50.50	$40.50
Kindergarten Before & After	$145	n/a	$14.50 PA day / $43.50 full day
School Age Before & After	$110	n/a	$21.50 PA day / $43.50 full day

The City of Hamilton has provided an Affordability Grant which reduces parent fees by $10/day for children 0-4 years of age. This grant is guaranteed until December 31, 2022. Rates will return to regular full fees once the grant is no longer in place.

Pumpkin Patch is participating in the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Program which will gradually reduce parent fees to $12/day by 2026.  Full rates will be reduced by 25% in 2022, and by 50% in 2023.

The centre will be closed the following days during the year:

• NEW YEAR’S DAY
• FAMILY DAY
• GOOD FRIDAY
• EASTER MONDAY
• VICTORIA DAY
• CANADA DAY
• CIVIC HOLIDAY
• LABOUR DAY
• THANKSGIVING DAY
• CHRISTMAS DAY
• BOXING DAY

For full time families, full fees must be paid for the weeks containing these holidays. Part time families scheduled to attend on statutory holidays when the centre is closed will not be charged for that day. Rates for part time families have been adjusted to include payment for these days.