Daycare is steeling money from me

[Rachael]

There is no central body who oversees child care providers in each province however, if your carer is a registered carer then the agency or community services in your area might be able to assist/mediate. If she's an unregistered provider, then you have no way to get help other than through the Small Claims Court.

Although any carer can increase their rates, is usual to provide notice of that change. It doesn't matter what she claims to have on a contract, especially if it's different than yours and if she's not willing to provide you with a copy.

I would lay out your stand-point firmly in writing and include a copy of your contract. If the contract doesn't cover how a fee increase will be handled, then that's the providers issue, not yours.

Your agreement is that she provides care between certain hours on certain days for a certain price. Hopefully your contract details these and is signed by both parties. Be clear in your letter than you are NOT agreeing to the increased fee she is proposing, that your contract does NOT detail that two weeks closed over Christmas is to be paid. Tell her clearly that she is not entitled to keep the advance payment you provided, that she is in breach of your agreement and that if need be, you will pursue her through Small Claims Court where it will be more expensive because not only will you be seeking a refund but you'll also be seeking court costs.

Bottom line - you need to seek a new carer immediately and deal with this issue in parallel.