According to a report presented to Peel Regional Council in April this year, research says for child care to be considered affordable, families in Peel should spend no more than 11 per cent of their net household income on child care.

Dueck says the amount a parent could save varies depending on factors such as the number of days paid, the program the child attends (full-day/part-day), and the number of children in each family between birth and 4 years who attend the licensed child care centre.

A parent with one child could save approximately $3,000 per year if the child attends a full-time program for the full year, added Dueck. As a result, child-care fees for children up to age 4, yet not eligible to attend kindergarten, are being reduced by: $12 per day for full daycare (6 or more hours of care per day) or $6 per day for part daycare (fewer than 6 hours of care per day).

There are 146 service providers participating in Peel’s affordability program, said Duek, and each of these providers has an agreement with the Region of Peel. The list of providers is not a public document.

Those statistics are cold comfort for Gonzales.

Gonzales realizes the minimum earnings requirement for self-employed people exist to protect the system from abuse. But, she wonders why there is nothing available for entrepreneurs with a registered business who are struggling,

To be eligible for child-care subsidy, the Region of Peel said a client must have an approved reason for care. This means that they must be working; attending school or a recognized training program; or require a placement for a child with special needs.

Total hours of care required is assessed based on the reason for care, age of the child and the overall collective needs of the family.

All clients who declare self employment, regardless of type of business, will need to provide a Business License or Business Registration. To determine the total hours of care required, the region says a self-employed client's gross profit is used to make this determination.

Gonzales says her daughter will go into daycare two days a week, which is what they can barely afford, and her husband’s parents will take care of Felicity one or two days a week.

“I’m thankful that there is a system to support those who are in more need than I am,” Gonzales wrote to the newspaper. “And I’m thankful that I have some help from family in caring for my sweet girl. But you really feel how broken the system is when you fall between the cracks.”

“We are the fortunate ones,” she adds. “What about everyone else?”