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Why parents choose their childcare
What parents of children in care said decided their main arrangement, in Statistics Canada's 2025 survey. Parents could give more than one reason, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Canada, 2025
- Location64%
- Care provider is trustworthy, warm, nurturing52%
- Licensed or accredited child care47%
- Affordable cost45%
- Hours of operation43%
- Qualifications of the child care provider41%
- Program characteristics29%
- Only option available26%
- My other children go there or have gone there21%
- Other reasons12%
- Flexible contract or no contract11%
- Offers culturally-relevant or minority language programming5%
- Ability to meet child's special needs3%
- No specific reason2%
Top reasons by province
| Province | Location | Care provider is trustworthy, warm, nurturing | Licensed or accredited child care | Affordable cost | Hours of operation | Qualifications of the child care provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 64% | 52% | 47% | 45% | 43% | 41% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 53% | 53% | 37% | 55% | 37% | 34% |
| Prince Edward Island | 64% | 51% | 59% | 48% | 41% | 47% |
| Nova Scotia | 67% | 53% | 38% | 40% | 44% | 38% |
| New Brunswick | 62% | 46% | 48% | 34% | 39% | 35% |
| Quebec | 63% | 47% | 48% | 49% | 42% | 45% |
| Ontario | 63% | 52% | 43% | 41% | 40% | 39% |
| Manitoba | 60% | 56% | 49% | 47% | 43% | 38% |
| Saskatchewan | 63% | 57% | 47% | 51% | 43% | 37% |
| Alberta | 68% | 58% | 51% | 43% | 45% | 43% |
| British Columbia | 62% | 55% | 49% | 45% | 48% | 42% |
| Yukon | 62% | 54% | 51% | 42% | 44% | 42% |
| Northwest Territories | 50% | 45% | 39% | 41% | 35% | 29% |
| Nunavut | 30% | 47% | 18% | 38% | 16% | 14% |
"—" means Statistics Canada didn't publish a reliable figure.
Canada over time
Survey questions changed slightly between years, so read small changes with care.
Source
- Parents' reasons for choosing their main childcare arrangement, 2019–2025 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0006) · 2025 · Survey, roughly every 1–2 years
More figures: Childcare in Canada, by the numbers.