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Quebec many pre-school aged children are in daycare. But how much do parents know about what their children are doing?

Nina Howe of Concordia University's dept. of Education led a study looking at the daycare experience in Montreal, Winnipeg and Halifax.

She found parents had many criteria for daycare, usually based on proximity.

"But they weren't looking particularly at a kind of program being offered to the children, and given that kids are maybe in day care seven, eight, nine hours a day, five days a week, that is a long time, and so that part really kind of surprised us," said Howe.

She believes that parents should be taking the time to find a daycare that offers good programs, and asking questions such as: "Is it a good match for your child? What kind of activity does the kids get on a daily basis? What is the organization of the day like?"