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Source verified July 8, 2026
9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs
Employment and child care support
Offered by
Latest source updateLast Update: July 8, 2026Latest change: The directive now includes the Participation Benefit – ESUB, with updated eligibility, verification, and IES-specific support categories.View change
Latest source update
Last Update: July 8, 2026
Latest change: The directive now includes the Participation Benefit – ESUB, with updated eligibility, verification, and IES-specific support categories.
Ontario ODSP policy update: Participation Benefit – ESUB added
The directive was updated from Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs to Employment and training start up benefit, the Participation Benefit and up front child care costs, and the updated page is marked April 2026. In IES sites, the new Participation Benefit – ESUB is now described as a separate benefit for approved activities that address barriers to employment and move ODSP recipients and eligible family members closer to employment services, while non-IES sites continue under the ESUB rules with up to $500 in any 12-month period. Eligibility and monitoring language were also expanded: written verification can now come from an employment service provider or a caseworker, and caseworkers are required to monitor the Participation Benefit – ESUB and related financial supports for duplication or overlap. The up-front child care benefit is still listed as paid in addition to ESUB or the Participation Benefit – ESUB.
Funding available
$ 500
Deadline
Open continuously
Location
Ontario, Canada
Overview
Ontario’s Employment and Training Start-Up Benefit (ESUB), Participation Benefit – ESUB, and Up-Front Child Care Benefit support eligible members of the benefit unit with work-related and child care costs. Eligible members may receive up to $500 in any 12-month period, and child care costs must be required in advance.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop workforce skills
- Train or support volunteers
- Start a business
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 500 $
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Ontario
Legal structures
- All legal structures
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Persons with Disabilities
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Beginning, changing or maintaining employment, including full-time, part-time, casual or self-employment
- Beginning, changing or maintaining an employment assistance activity under the Ontario Works Act, 1997
- Beginning a formal program of employment-related training, including the on-the-job portion of a training program or moving from unpaid job-training to paid work
- Job search, job interviews, volunteering to prepare for employment, and other activities approved by the Director to help a person become and stay employed
- In IES sites, approved activities that address barriers to employment and move the ODSP recipient and eligible family members closer to employment services
Documents Needed
- Written verification of employment, self-employment, or another approved activity
- Pay stub
- Letter of employment from an employer or potential employer
- Notification from an employment service provider, a caseworker determination, or any document that verifies the activity
- Verification that child care must be paid in advance, for Up-Front Child Care Benefit requests
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Recipient
- Spouse included in the benefit unit
- Dependent adult who is not attending secondary school full time
- Dependent child who has received their secondary school diploma or equivalent
Who is not eligible
- Dependent child who has not received their secondary school diploma or equivalent
- Dependent adult who is attending secondary school full time, unless they are starting employment within fifteen days from the date of leaving or completing school and provide appropriate verification
Eligible expenses
- Transportation costs related to preparing for, finding or starting a job
- Clothing for a job interview or work clothes and uniforms required for a new job
- License or association fees, Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) exam fee, post-secondary application fees, and grooming costs
- Cost of eyeglasses, including lenses and frames, and repairs to eyeglasses for dependent adults
- Tools and equipment required for training or a job, and up-front child care costs required to be paid in advance
Selection criteria
- Reasonable necessity of the costs
- Verification of employment or approved activity
- Director approval of the activity, where required
- Need for advance child care payment, where applicable
How to apply
- Step 1: Confirm the employment or approved activity
- Gather proof of work, training, or other approved employment-related activity.
- Identify the costs that are needed to begin, change, or maintain the activity.
- Step 2: Provide written verification
- Submit documents that confirm the employment or approved activity.
- For child care support, provide proof that payment is required in advance.
- Step 3: Request the benefit
- Ask for the employment and training start-up benefit or up-front child care benefit through ODSP income support.
- Wait for the Director's decision on eligibility and payment amount.
Processing and Agreement
- Written verification must be on file to support the decision and the amount paid
- In IES sites, caseworkers must monitor the allocation of the Participation Benefit – ESUB and financial supports from employment service providers to identify and address issues or duplication
- If a recipient is later determined ineligible for ODSP during the period they received ESUB or the Participation Benefit – ESUB, the amount issued during that period may be included in the overpayment calculation
Additional information
- If a benefit or resource is available elsewhere in the community, it must be accessed before these employment and participation benefits, which are not intended to top up existing maximums from social assistance or other programs.
Contacts
Other components of this program
Explore related funding streams and grants that belong to the same program.
- Discretionary benefit for low-cost energy-conservation measuresSupport for low-cost home energy-saving measures
- Extended health benefitExtended health coverage for eligible Ontario recipients
Frequently Asked Questions about the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs Program
What is the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs?
Ontario’s Employment and Training Start-Up Benefit (ESUB), Participation Benefit – ESUB, and Up-Front Child Care Benefit support eligible members of the benefit unit with work-related and child care costs. Eligible members may receive up to $500 in any 12-month period, and child care costs must be required in advance.
How much funding can be received?
9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs Funds up to $500 of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs program?
To be eligible for the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs program, you must:
Eligible members of the benefit unit
Costs must be reasonably necessary
For Up-Front Child Care Benefit, child care must be required in advance in the Director’s opinion
What expenses are eligible under 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs?
Beginning, changing or maintaining employment, including full-time, part-time, casual or self-employment
Beginning, changing or maintaining an employment assistance activity under the Ontario Works Act, 1997
Beginning a formal program of employment-related training, including the on-the-job portion of a training program or moving from unpaid job-training to paid work
Job search, job interviews, volunteering to prepare for employment, and other activities approved by the Director to help a person become and stay employed
In IES sites, approved activities that address barriers to employment and move the ODSP recipient and eligible family members closer to employment services
Who can I contact for more information about the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs?
You can contact Government of Ontario by email at none or by phone at 416-325-5666.
Where is the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs available?
The 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs program is available the province of Ontario.
Is the 9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs a grant, loan, or tax credit?
9.1 — Employment and training start up benefit and up front child care costs is a Grant and Funding