Family advocacy campaigners are cautiously optimistic about legislation promising to address the high cost of child care.

On Wednesday Government tabled the Child Day Care Allowance Act 2008 at the House of Assembly.

The promise of free day care was made in the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) election manifesto last year and was also mentioned in the Throne speech this year.

In the explanatory note to the bill it states that: "The purpose of this bill is to enact legislation to provide for day care allowances to be paid to person operating home day care facilities and licensed day care centres where the applicant and child meet certain eligibility criteria."

Martha Dismont executive director of the Family Centre yesterday said she was happy to see the Government starting to help families meet the cost of living, but urged them to look at the bigger picture.

She said: "As we have said in the past, we are pleased to see Government finding ways to relieve the financial burden for families.

"It also looks as if Government has considered the cost to provide free day care, by limiting the support to those who meet a certain criteria.

"The financial burden of day care is obviously not limited to those families who will meet the criteria as presented by government. So it is a small "fix".

"As much as we applaud Government for taking this step, it only touches the surface of the challenges facing families (low and middle income families).

"The overall high cost of living on this island, from buying groceries, to paying rent, to paying electricity bills, telephone bills, gasoline costs, clothing costs, and day care, is stretching families far beyond what a low, to middle, income family should be reasonably expected to manage."

Ms. Dismont said that she was also very concerned about the 'cap' on incomes that will be decided by the Director of the Financial Assistance Department.

The Bill appears to give the Director the ability to decide what income qualifies a parent or guardian and what is the limit. There were no numbers, however, included in the bill yesterday.

Besides the level of income for a parent or guardian, the applicant must have care and control of the child and must "possess Bermudian status or is the spouse of a person who possesses Bermudian status and has cohabited in Bermuda with that person for a period not less than three years ending with the date of the application".

According to the legislation, which will still have to be read a second time and debated, it seems that a parent or guardian must apply for the allowance and it will be paid directly to those operating registered home day care facilities and licensed day care centres.

The child must also be eligible for the care allowance and in order for the child to qualify they must be under four-years-old and must not have entered primary school.

Finally the Director must receive written confirmation from the operator of the licensed day care centre or registered home day care centre of the child's registration before awarding the allowance.

Yesterday, Sheelagh Cooper, of the Coalition for the protection of Children, said she also had concerns about the control of this service being placed with financial assistance and the lack of supervision done of the caregivers.

Added to this legislation, Ms. Cooper said she hoped Government would ensure that the tax payer was not funding delinquent caregivers.

She added: "I think it's a step in the right direction and there's no question it's an expense that mothers in a certain wage brackets cannot afford and it's essential we have proper day care.

"But it's essential that the day care that's subsidised in the context of our care givers that's qualified and is capable and able to give a stimulating and early education environment.

"I think they should also be required to have a written discipline code."