Early learning and child care: Data visualization tool
A centralized source of national data on Canada's Early Learning and Child Care Landscape. Brought to you by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada. If you have questions, feedback, or requests related to Canada's Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) data, visualizations, or publications, we're here to help. We welcome your input as we continue to enhance the ELCC: Data visualization tool. Please reach out to the team at ESDC.
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Data
The data used to create this interactive web application is from the following listed data tables:
Access
Use and type of early learning and child care arrangement
- Table 42-10-0103-01 Use of early learning and child care arrangements, children aged 0 to 5 years
- Table 42-10-0108-01 Type of child care arrangement, children aged 0 to 5 years
- Table 42-10-0118-01 Type of child care arrangement, children in school aged 6 to 12 years
- Table 42-10-0119-01 Use of child care arrangements, children in school aged 6 to 12 years
Difficulties and consequences in finding child care
- Table 42-10-0001-01 Difficulty for parents and guardians in finding a child care arrangement, children aged 0 to 5 years
- Table 42-10-0009-01 Consequences of having encountered difficulties in finding a child care arrangement, children aged 0 to 5 years
- Table 42-10-0010-01 Reasons for not using any child care arrangement, children aged 0 to 5 years
- Table 42-10-0112-01 Number of children in Canada
Affordability
Workforce
Training and professional development
- Table 42-10-0076-01 Centre-based child care providers by employee type and highest level of formal Early Childhood Education related training, April 2024, Canada
- Table 42-10-0077-01 Home-based child care providers by highest level of formal Early Childhood Education related training obtained by the operator, April 2024, Canada
- Table 42-10-0078-01 Proportion of centre-based and home-based child care providers by participation in child care-related professional development training, April 2024, Canada
- Table 42-10-0094-01 Centre-based child care providers by employee type and highest level of formal Early Childhood Education related training, April 2022, Canada
- Table 42-10-0095-01 Home-based child care providers by highest level of formal Early Childhood Education related training obtained by the operator, April 2022, Canada
- Table 42-10-0096-01 Proportion of centre-based and home-based child care providers by participation in child care-related professional development training, April 2022, Canada
Child care operators
Child care businesses by service type
Data snapshots
Access
Mothers with hourly wages between $15 and $19 were less likely to return to work compared with those earning between $20 and $29 per hour.
Source: The likelihood and timing of mothers returning to work after parental leave
Affordability
Average parent expenses for centre based child care decreased by 32% between 2019 and 2025.
Indigenous child care
Parents of 67% of Indigenous children not using regular child care say that they would not use it.
Articles 3 new articles
Access New
- Parental Preferences and Unmet Demand for Child Care for Children Aged Zero to Five Years in Canada New
- The Daily — Child care arrangements of children aged 6 to 12 years, 2025 New
- The Daily — Child care arrangements, 2025
- The Daily — Child care arrangements, 2023
- Use of child care before and after school in Canada
- Use of child care for children younger than six during COVID‑19
- The Daily — Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements, 2020
- The Daily — Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements, 2019
Affordability
- Child care use by low-income families in Canada, 2023
- Estimates of parental child care expenses in January to February 2022
- Employment, Child Care Spending, and Child Tax Benefits | National Tax Journal: Vol. 74, No. 2
- GSS 2011 Linked with TIFF: Exploring the Cost of Child Care in Canada and the Use of the Child Care Expense Deduction | Canadian Journal of Family and Youth / Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse
Quality
Inclusivity
- Children with long-term conditions or disabilities: Why some are not in non-parental child care
- Identification of Children with Disabilities in the Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements: Children with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities
- Child care for young children with disabilities
- The Daily — Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements - Children with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities, 2023
- Differences in Child Care Participation Between Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Families | Journal of Childhood Studies
- Child care services in the minority official language in Canada, 2021 and 2022
- Patterns of participation in early learning and child care among families with potential socioeconomic disadvantages in Canada
Indigenous child care
Workforce
- Diversity, Economic Characteristics, and Retention of Early Learning and Child Care Workers in Canada: Journal of Research in Childhood Education
- Work Absences Due to Injury or Illness and Employee Retention in the Child Care Services Industry Before the COVID‑19 Pandemic
- Gender differences in sociodemographic and economic characteristics of early learning child care workers
- Indigenous and non-Indigenous early learning and child care workers in Canada
- Child care workers in Canada
Child care operators New
- Insights into the accessibility, affordability, inclusivity, flexibility and quality of child care centres in Canada, 2024 New
- Characteristics of home-based child care serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022
- The Daily — Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, 2024
- Child care centre workers serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022
- Use of government business liquidity support by child care businesses in Canada during the COVID‑19 pandemic
- Diversity, Economic Characteristics, and Retention of Early Learning and Child Care Workers in Canada: Journal of Research in Childhood Education: Vol 38 , No 2 - Get Access
- Work Absences Due to Injury or Illness and Employee Retention in the Child Care Services Industry Before the COVID‑19 Pandemic
- The Daily — Data availability: Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, 2022
- Characteristics of child care centres serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022
- The Daily — Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, 2022
- Exploring the business dynamics of self-employed child care service providers
- Gender ifferences in sociodemographic and economic characteristics of early learning child care workers
- Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services
- The early learning and child care industry in Canada: Business characteristics and industry gross domestic product
- Indigenous and non-Indigenous early learning and child care workers in Canada
- Child care workers in Canada
- The Daily — Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services, January 2021
Other publications
- Progress and impact of Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care - Canada.ca
- Socio-Emotional Outcomes of Child Care Participation: Results of a Four-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study | MDPI
- Labour market participation of parents with young children
- Employment situations and child care arrangements after mothers' return to work following parental leave
- Research to Insights: Early Learning and Child Care
- Engagement on federal early learning and child care legislation: What We Heard Report – November 2022
- Investing in our Future: National Progress Report on Early Learning and Child Care 2018-19
Related data tables
Access
Table 42-10-0103-01 Use of early learning and child care arrangements, children aged 0 to 5 years
Table 42-10-0108-01 Type of child care arrangement, children aged 0 to 5 years
Table 42-10-0106-01 Waitlists for child care, children aged 0 to 5 years
Table 42-10-0104-01 Use of child care during non-standard hours, children aged 0 to 5 years
Affordability
Workforce
Child care operators
Table 42-10-0063-01 Profile of centre-based and home-based child care providers, April 2024, Canada
Table 42-10-0064-01 Profile of centre-based child care providers, April 2024, Canada
Table 42-10-0069-01 Centre-based child care providers by maximum capacity, April 2024, Canada
Table 42-10-0084-01 Child care providers by service type, April 2022, Canada
Surveys
Canadian Child Care Worker Survey (CCCWS)
Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA)
Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services (CSPCCS)
Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care (CSELCC)
Survey on Before and After School Care in Canada (SBASCC) (Inactive)
How to use
How to use this interactive visual
Interactive map
Placing the cursor over a province or territory on the map of Canada will show the most recent estimates of child care use among children aged 0 to 5 in that province or territory.
Users can also select the geography or reference year from the available drop down menus.
Instructions to maximise the use of this tool
- More detail is available by hovering over the data points or bars within each chart.
- Clicking anywhere on a chart also opens additional options in the top right corner of each chart. These include the ability to:
- See the filters and slicers affecting the visual;
- Choose “Focus mode”, which displays a larger and more detailed version of the chart, along with the corresponding data table;
- Export the data in either .xlsx or .csv format;
- View the table in spotlight mode; and/or
- Sort the data in different ways.
Keyboard shortcuts and screen reader tips
Keyboard shortcuts and screen reader tips are available by entering the visual and pressing Ctrl + Enter.
While in the visual, pressing Shift + ? will open the keyboard shortcuts.
When focus is on a visual, the data table can be displayed by pressing Alt + Shift + F11.
When in a visual, to view a tooltip press CTRL + H.
More information
Note of appreciation
Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a long-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.
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.
Copyright
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,
Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.
Catalogue no. 71-607-X
Ottawa
- Date modified: