Characteristics of home-based child care serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

Home-based child care provided in non-relative settings remains a prominent model of care in Canada. Building on Budget 2021 commitments exceeding $27.2 billion and the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement, the report reviews licensed and unlicensed home-based care for children aged 0 to 5 at the agreement’s outset. It analyzes provider reasons for not obtaining a licence and factors linked to licensed provision using 2022 Canadian Survey data, April 2022 estimates, and descriptive and multivariate results.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Demand for child care in Canada

Child care choices over time

Catalogue no. 36-28-0001 ISSN 2563-8955 Economic and Social Reports Characteristics of home-based childcare serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022 by Thomas J. Charters and Leanne C. Findlay Release date: July 23, 2025 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, [www.statcan.gc.ca](www.statcan.gc.ca). You can also contact us by Email at infostats@statcan.gc.ca Telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. , at the following numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-514-283-9350 Standards of service to the public Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, the Agency has developed standards of service which its employees observe in serving its clients. To obtain a copy of these service standards, please contact Statistics Canada toll-free at 1-800-263-1136. The service standards are also published on [www.statcan.gc.ca](www.statcan.gc.ca)[ ](www.statcan.gc.ca)[under](under) “Contact us” > “Standards of service to the public.” Note of appreciation Canada owes the success of its statistical system to along-standing partnership between Statistics Canada, the citizens of Canada, its businesses, governments and other institutions. Accurate and timely statistical information could not be produced without their continued co-operation and goodwill. Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada © His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2025 Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement. An HTML version is also available. Cette publication est aussi disponible en français. Characteristics of home-based child care serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022 by Thomas J. Charters and Leanne C. Findlay DOI: [https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202500700002-eng](https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202500700002-eng) Abstract Child care provided in home-based settings by non-relatives remains a prominent model of care in Canada. Following commitments of over $27.2 billion in Budget 2021, the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement was formed, encompassing collaborations between the federal government, provinces and territories, and Indigenous groups to develop an affordable, inclusive, flexible and highquality system of child care. This report examines characteristics of licensed and unlicensed home-based child care providing care to children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada at the outset of this agreement. To inform a workforce strategy, this report further examines the reasons unlicensed providers gave for not obtaining a licence and the factors associated with being a licensed home-based child care provider. This report uses data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, the first national survey of child care services in Canada. The results suggest an estimated 14,435 licensed and 14,022 unlicensed child care homes were providing care to children aged 0 to 5 in Canada in April 2022. A descriptive overview of home-based child care settings included information on licensing status, child enrolment and staffing, services provided, and providers’demographic characteristics and educational background. Compared to unlicensed homes, licensed homes were more likely to provide full-time care and less likely to provide part time or flexible care options, were more likely to have employees and more likely to have providers with formal training in early childhood education. The reasons unlicensed homebased providers selected for not obtaining a licence varied considerably by province. Overall, about twothirds agreed that they saw no benefi

FAQs

What does the report study about home-based child care in Canada?

It examines characteristics of licensed and unlicensed home-based child care serving children aged 0 to 5 in Canada, including enrolment, staffing, services, and provider demographics.

Which data source does the report use?

The report uses data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, the first national survey of child care services in Canada.

How do licensed and unlicensed home-based providers differ in care characteristics?

Licensed homes are more likely to provide full-time care, more likely to have employees, and more likely to have providers with formal early childhood education training, while unlicensed providers show more variation in reasons for not being licensed.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai