Child care in Canada

Excerpts from the report: This report provides an overview of child care in Canada as reported by Canadian families to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). The report focuses on the child care experiences of children aged six months to five years over the eight-year period from 1994-1995 to 2002-2003. Nationally, in 2002-2003, about 54% of Canadian children aged six months to five years were in some type of non-parental child care. This rate represented a significant increase from the 42% of children in non-parental child care eight years earlier in 1994-1995. The rise in rates occurred for children from almost all backgrounds, regardless of geographic location, household income, family structure, parental employment status or parental place of birth. However, children with certain characteristics were more likely to be in non-parental child care than others, such as children in higher income households and children with a single-parent who worked for pay or studied. … This profile of child care in Canada is intended to provide some insight into a subject that is relevant to all Canadians. However, there are additional questions that require answers. Forexample, what are the reasons that parents choose one type of child care arrangement over another? Do multiple care arrangements affect children and if so, how? And what is the level of quality of the child care arrangements of Canadian children? Future research and future cycles of the NLSCY may help answer some of these questions.