Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series
Child care services in the minority official language in Canada, 2021 and 2022

Key results

Quebec

• In Quebec, in 2022, 14% of children eligible for instruction in English who had ever attended child care in Canada attended English-language, and 39% attended bilingual child care. This latter proportion was higher in the Montréal census metropolitan area (47%).
• Eligible children in Quebec whose parents both spoke English most often at home were more likely to have attended English-language child care (20%) or bilingual child care (49%) than children whose neither parent spoke English most often at home (7% and 22%, respectively).
• In Quebec, 29% of parents of children eligible for instruction in English who attended French-language child care would have preferred their child to attend English-language child care instead. The unavailability of English-language child care was the main reason they used French-language child care (69%^E).
• Quebec children eligible for instruction in English who attended English-language child care were more likely to go on to attend an English-language elementary school, including French immersion programs (82%), compared with those who attended bilingual (63%) or French-language child care (48%).
• Among all child care facilities in Quebec in 2022, English was spoken with parents or children by 44% of centre-based providers, 15% of licensed home-based child care providers and 21% of unlicensed home-based providers, most often alongside French. English was the sole language spoken in 1% of centre-based child care facilities and by 2% of licensed and unlicensed home-based child care providers.
• Some child care providers in Quebec had spaces available for full-time enrolment. This was the case for 24% of centre-based child care providers, 10% of licensed home-based child care providers and 10% of unlicensed home-based child care providers. These proportions were higher for centre-based (34%) and licensed home-based (20%) facilities where English was spoken with children or with parents, alone or in combination with other languages.
• In Quebec, 16% of child care workers used English at work at least on a regular basis in 2021. Among child care workers who did not use English at work, 28% could conduct a conversation in English.

Canada outside Quebec

• In Canada outside Quebec, in 2022, 35% of children eligible for instruction in French who attended or had ever attended child care in Canada attended French-language child care, and 12% attended bilingual child care. The proportion of eligible children who attended French-language child care was higher than average in New Brunswick (63%) and in the territory capitals (51%), that is, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit.
• Eligible children in families where both parents (66%) or one parent (57%) spoke French most often at home were about three times more likely to have attended French-language child care than children in families where neither parent spoke French most often at home (20%).
• In Canada outside Quebec, 40% of parents of children eligible for instruction in French who used English-language child care would have preferred their child to attend French-language child care instead. The unavailability of services in French (67%) and the distance to the facility (33%) were the main reasons for using English-language child care.
• In Canada outside Quebec, children eligible for instruction in French who attended French-language child care were more likely to go on to attend a French-language elementary school (93%) than children who attended bilingual (61%) or English-language (30%) child care.
• In child care facilities in Canada outside Quebec in 2022, French was spoken with parents or children by 19% of centre-based providers, 6% of licensed home-based providers and 8% of unlicensed home-based providers, most often alongside English. French was the sole language spoken in 2% of centre-based child care facilities and by 1% of home-based child care providers. In New Brunswick, French was the only language spoken by 23% of child care providers.
• In Canada outside Quebec, child care providers where French was spoken were less likely to have available spaces (41% in centre-based facilities and 24% in licensed home-based providers) compared with the average (46% and 39%, respectively).
• In Canada outside Quebec in 2021, 6% of child care workers used French at least on a regular basis at work. Among child care workers who did not use French at work, 5% could conduct a conversation in the language.

Acknowledgments

This report was made possible through the expertise and guidance of numerous teams and individuals, including current and former Statistics Canada staff. The authors would like to thank every one of them, especially Dominique Pépin-Filion, Martin Turcotte, Éric Caron-Malenfant, Laurent Martel, Daniel Pereira, Daphne Fernandes, Foungatrigue-Siramane Coulibaly, Ekin Sun Kiziltan, Leanne Findlay, Katarina Canaj and Shivani Sood. Special thanks are also extended to all members of the Language Statistics team for their ongoing support and encouragement throughout this project.

1 Introduction

In Canada, participation in child care is common among preschool-aged children. In fact, in 2023, over half (56%) of children aged 5 years and younger participated in child care.^{Note 1} Child care, along with other developmental activities, may represent the first step in a child’s educational trajectory outside the home, making early childhood education settings important for language acquisition and language development. This may be particularly important for children in official language minority communities in Canada, that is, English-speaking children in Quebec and French-speaking children outside Quebec. In minority official language contexts, child care environments play a key role in supporting language acquisition, especially where opportunities for exposure to and interaction in the minority language are limited.^{Note 2}

The Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 commits to investing in the development of early child care services, with a particular emphasis on French-language services in Canada outside Quebec. Central to the action plan is the promotion of an “educational continuum,” which aims to support learners in minority official language settings from early childhood through postsecondary education. Moreover, the Government of Canada is investing in the professional training of child care workers in French-language minority communities.^{Note 3}

From 2001 to 2016, the number of child care workers who primarily used a minority official language at work increased faster than the number of children likely to attend minority official language child care in both Quebec and the rest of Canada, meaning the overall availability of minority official language child care likely improved during that period.^{Note 4Note 5} In contrast, most children in a minority official language situation^{Note 6} in Quebec and Canada outside Quebec who were or had been in child care did not attend minority official language child care, and the proportion who attended this type of child care decreased from 2006 to 2022.^{Note 7Note 8} For parents to be able to use child care services in the minority official language, these services must exist and be available. Given this situation, more extensive information on participation in and provision of minority official language child care is needed.

This study uses three distinct data sources to present various aspects of minority official language child care services in Canada. The 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population (SOLMP) provides insights into participation in minority official language child care services among children who are eligible for instruction in the minority official language, and on the educational trajectory of these children from child care to elementary school. The 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services provides information on the use of official languages within child care facilities. Lastly, the 2021 Census of Population is used to describe the use of official languages by child care workers. For additional information on these sources of data, see the box entitled “Data sources and methods.”

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Data sources and methods

The 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population

The Survey on the Official Language Minority Population (SOLMP) is a postcensal survey conducted among the English-speaking population in Quebec and the French-speaking population elsewhere in Canada. The survey covers a wealth of topics, including participation in child care by language and the language characteristics of children and their families.

In this study, results are presented for children aged 1 to 17 years who are eligible for instruction in the minority official language pursuant to Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that is, eligible for elementary or secondary instruction in English in Quebec^{Note 9} or in French in Canada outside Quebec.^{Note 10}

This study includes current and past participation in child care in Canada. Therefore, enrolment in a child care facility may be current at the time of the survey or may have been prior to the survey. Complete details on the target population of this survey and its content can be found in the SOLMP user guide.

The 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services

The Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services (CSPCCS) was conducted among child care facilities in Canada, including centre-based child care^{Note 11} and home-based licensed and unlicensed^{Note 12} locations. In 2022, administrators of centre-based child care services were asked to report which languages employees spoke with parents or children, and those in charge of home-based child care services were asked to report which languages they spoke with parents or children when providing services, without specifying how often these languages were used.

To have a reference period similar to that of other data sources presented in this report, the section about this topic is based on the results of the 2022 CSPCCS.^{Note 13}

The 2021 Census of Population

The Census of Population has information on workers aged 15 years and older who were employed in the child care sector during the 2021 Census reference week, based on their usual place of work.^{Note 14} The census collects information on a variety of workers’ characteristics, such as their knowledge of official languages, their use of languages at work, immigrant status and educational attainment.

In this study, workers in the child care sector include those whose occupation was early childhood educators and assistants or home child care providers, according to the 2021 National Occupational Classification, and who worked in child day-care services, based on the 2017 North American Industry Classification System.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The census and survey data used in this study were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic-related restrictions impacted the child care sector and demand for these services, with child care establishment closures and an increased prevalence of work from home. Although the potential influence of these challenges on the results of this study cannot be dismissed, these issues are not directly addressed in this study.

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2 Participation in child care services among children who are eligible for instruction in the minority official language

The use of minority official language child care services may be influenced by various factors, such as service availability, proximity, affordability, parental language preferences and other personal or practical considerations. Although eligibility for instruction in the minority official language criteria do not apply to child care services, this study focuses on eligible children to examine the continuity of educational pathways in the official languages from child care to elementary school. First results from the 2022 SOLMP^{Note 15} showed that a minority of children in a minority official language situation^{Note 16} attended or had previously attended minority language child care in Canada. The situation is similar among children eligible for instruction in the minority official language.^{Note 17} In the survey, parents were asked whether the child care attended was an English daycare, a French daycare, a bilingual daycare or a daycare in another language.^{Note 18}

In Quebec, in 2021, 304,000 children were eligible for instruction in English, accounting for 18.1% of the population younger than 18.^{Note 19} In 2022, 76% of children eligible for instruction in English in Quebec attended or had ever attended child care in Canada. Among them, 14% attended English-language child care and 39% attended bilingual child care. Participation in English-language child care was lower than the provincial average in central Quebec^{Note 20} (7%) and in the city of Québec and the surrounding area^{Note 21} (2%). While almost half (47%) of eligible children in the Montréal census metropolitan area attended or had attended bilingual child care, the proportions were lower than the provincial average in western Quebec^{Note 22} (30%), central Quebec (23%^E), the city of Québec and the surrounding area (12%), and eastern Quebec^{Note 23} (7%).

In Canada outside Quebec, in 2021, 593,000 children younger than 18 were eligible for instruction in French, accounting for 11% of this population.^{Note 24} In 2022, 61% of children eligible for instruction in French attended or had ever attended child care in Canada. Among them, 35% attended French-language child care, and 12% attended bilingual child care. However, the proportions varied across provinces, as shown in Map 2.1. In New Brunswick,^{Note 25} about two-thirds (63%) of eligible children attended French-language child care and 21% attended bilingual child care, the highest proportions in Canada outside Quebec. The proportion of eligible children who attended French-language child care was even higher in northern New Brunswick^{Note 26} (75%) than in the other regions of the province.

Children eligible for instruction in French in the territorial capitals (Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit) were more likely to attend or have attended French-language child care (51%) but were less likely to have attended bilingual child care (4%), compared with the Canadian average (outside Quebec). The provinces with the lowest rates of eligible children who attended or had attended French-language child care were Newfoundland and Labrador (16%), Alberta (17%), and British Columbia (13%).

Although results for Ontario are not significantly different from those of Canada outside Quebec overall, there are notable differences within the province. For instance, children eligible for instruction in French were more likely to have attended French-language child care in southeastern Ontario^{Note 27} (56%), northeastern Ontario^{Note 28} (53%) and the city of Ottawa (49%) than in the city of Toronto (25%) and the rest of Ontario region (26%). Eligible children in northeastern (22%) and southeastern (25%) Ontario were also more likely than average to have attended bilingual child care.^{Note 29}

More results on the participation of eligible children in French-language, English-language or bilingual child care by region are available in the appendix.

Description for Map 2.1

The title of the map is “Among children eligible for instruction in the minority official language, proportion who attended French-language, English-language or bilingual child care, provinces and territory capitals, 2022.”

This is a map of Canada featuring the provinces and territory capitals and showing the proportion of children aged 1 to 18 who were eligible for instruction in the minority official language and who attended or had attended English-language, French-language or bilingual child care in 2022.

Among children eligible for instruction in English in Quebec, 47% attended French-language child care, 14% attended English-language child care and 39% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Canada outside Quebec, 35% attended French-language child care, 54% attended English-language child care and 12% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Newfoundland and Labrador, 16% attended French-language child care, 80% attended English-language child care and 4% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Prince Edward Island, 51% (use with caution) attended French-language child care, 46% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 3% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Nova Scotia, 30% (use with caution) attended French-language child care, 65% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 5% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in New Brunswick, 63% attended French-language child care, 16% attended English-language child care and 21% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Ontario, 37% attended French-language child care, 52% attended English-language child care and 11% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Manitoba, 30% attended French-language child care, 61% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 9% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Saskatchewan, 22% (use with caution) attended French-language child care, 69% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 9% (use with caution) attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in Alberta, 17% attended French-language child care, 70% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 13% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in British Columbia, 13% attended French-language child care, 76% (use with caution) attended English-language child care and 12% attended bilingual child care.

Among children eligible for instruction in French in the combined territory capitals (Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit), 51% attended French-language child care, 45% attended English-language child care and 4% attended bilingual child care.

Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.

Data table for Map 2.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Map 2.1 French-language child care, English-language child care, Bilingual child care, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	French-language child care			English-language child care			Bilingual child care
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note E use with caution Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
Quebec	47	43.9	49.8	14	12.7	16.4	39	35.9	41.6
Canada outside Quebec	35	32.5	36.9	54	51.1	55.8	12	10.7	13.2
Newfoundland and Labrador	16	12.5	21.2	80	74.5	84.2	4	1.9	7.6
Prince Edward Island	51 E use with caution	43.2	59.0	46 E use with caution	38.2	54.1	3	1.5	5.1
Nova Scotia	30 E use with caution	20.5	41.4	65 E use with caution	53.6	74.5	5	3.7	7.4
New Brunswick	63	59.5	65.8	16	13.9	19.2	21	17.9	23.9
Ontario	37	33.7	40.2	52	48.5	55.4	11	9.6	12.8
Manitoba	30	23.5	36.3	61 E use with caution	53.6	68.1	9	6.6	13.2
Saskatchewan	22 E use with caution	16.1	30.3	69 E use with caution	58.2	77.2	9 E use with caution	3.8	20.4
Alberta	17	12.5	22.8	70	62.5	77.2	13	7.9	19.4
British Columbia	13	8.6	19.0	76 E use with caution	67.7	81.9	12	7.6	17.6
Territory capitals	51	45.8	56.4	45	39.3	49.9	4	2.6	7.1

Parents who speak a minority official language most often at home are more likely to enrol their children in a minority official language school.^{Note 30} But is there also a relationship between the language parents speak most often at home^{Note 31} and the language of the child care services they use?

In Quebec, children eligible for instruction in English were more likely to attend bilingual child care (49%) or English-language child care (20%) when both parents spoke English most often at home compared to the average (39% and 14%, respectively). In contrast, eligible children were more likely than average (47%) to attend or have attended French-language child care when only one of their parents (57%) or neither parent (70%) spoke English most often at home.

Data table for Chart 2.1

Data table for Chart 2.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 2.1 Both parents speak English most often at home, One parent speaks English most often at home, Neither parent speaks English most often at home, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Both parents speak English most often at home			One parent speaks English most often at home			Neither parent speaks English most often at home
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
English-language child care	20	17.2	23.2	10	5.1	14.2	7	4.5	9.8
French-language child care	30	26.1	33.5	57	50.2	63.8	70	64.1	75.2
Bilingual child care	49	45.2	53.2	32	26.1	38.4	22	17.2	27.3

In Canada outside Quebec, children eligible for instruction in French were more likely than average (35%) to attend French-language child care when both their parents (66%) or only one parent (57%) spoke French most often at home. Conversely, over two-thirds of eligible children from families in which neither parent spoke French most often at home attended English-language child care (69%).

Data table for Chart 2.2

Data table for Chart 2.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 2.2 Both parents speak French most often at home, One parent speaks French most often at home, Neither parent speaks French most often at home, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Both parents speak French most often at home			One parent speaks French most often at home			Neither parent speaks French most often at home
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
French-language child care	66	62.6	69.0	57	51.0	62.5	20	17.6	23.1
English-language child care	17	14.4	20.2	31	25.6	36.2	69	65.6	71.9
Bilingual child care	17	14.5	19.1	12	9.4	15.0	10	8.4	11.8

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Participation in minority official language child care services among the general population

Children eligible for instruction in the minority official language are not the only ones who attended child care services where the minority official language was used. The 2023 Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care provides information on the languages used in child care services attended by children aged 0 to 5 at the time of the survey, regardless of the linguistic situation of the children and their families.

In Quebec, 18% of children attended a child care service^{Note 32} where English was used, either alone or with other languages. In Canada outside Quebec, 7% of children attended child care where French was used. The proportion of children who attended child care where the minority official language was used was higher in daycare centres (22% in Quebec and 7% outside Quebec) than in family daycare settings (8%^E in Quebec and 5% outside Quebec).

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3 Reasons for using child care service in a minority official language

The concept of choice in child care services comes with significant limitations because it depends on the availability of child care services that meet parents’ needs. The language spoken most often at home does not solely explain parents’ use of child care in a specific official language. In fact, parents consider multiple factors when making decisions about whether to use a minority official language child care provider.^{Note 33} In the SOLMP, parents were asked why their child attended daycare in English or French.^{Note 34}

Among Quebec families in 2022, parents of children eligible for instruction in English were equally likely to use an English-language child care provider because of service availability (42%^E), identity (37%^E), proximity (35%), English being the only language the child knows (30%) and the perceived quality of child care in English (29%).^{Note 35}

In Quebec, 29% of parents of children eligible for instruction in English who attended French-language child care would have preferred their child to attend English-language child care instead. Among these parents, the main reason for using French-language child care was that the child care service was not available in English (69%^E), followed by distance to the facility (23%).

Outside Quebec, in families where parents of children eligible for instruction in French both spoke French most often at home, identity (68%) was a key reason for using French-language child care. In families where only one parent spoke French most often at home, the importance of receiving services in French was the most frequent reason for using French-language child care (78%), along with identity (64%). In contrast, in families where neither parent spoke French most often at home, the most common reason for using French-language child care was the desire for the child to become bilingual (73%).

In Canada outside Quebec, 40% of parents of children eligible for instruction in French who used English-language child care would have preferred their child to attend French-language child care instead. Among these parents, the main reasons for using English-language child care were the unavailability of services in French (67%) and the distance to the facility (33%).

4 Educational pathways after attending child care in the minority official language

Child care services may be the first step in the continuum of education in the minority official language. However, among eligible school-aged children, is participation in minority official language child care associated with enrolment in minority official language elementary schools?

In Quebec, close to 3 in 5 school-aged children eligible for instruction in English who had started elementary school^{Note 36} attended or had attended an English-language elementary school (58%) in 2022, including French immersion programs. The proportion of eligible children who attended an English-language elementary school was higher among children who had attended English-language child care (82%) than among those who had attended bilingual (63%) or French-language (48%) child care.

In Canada outside Quebec, among school-aged children eligible for instruction in French who had started elementary school, more than half (56%) attended a regular French-language program, 14% attended a French immersion program and nearly one-third (30%) attended an English-language program. The vast majority (93%) of eligible children who attended French-language child care continued their schooling in a regular French program at the elementary level. This proportion was significantly lower among eligible children who attended bilingual child care (61%) or English-language child care (30%).

Data table for Chart 4.1

Data table for Chart 4.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 4.1 French-language child care, Bilingual child care, English-language child care, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	French-language child care			Bilingual child care			English-language child care
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note E use with caution Note: Among children aged 5 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
Regular French program	93	90.9	94.9	61	53.8	67.8	30	26.2	34,5
French immersion	2	1.2	2.6	14	9.9	20.7	23	18.8	27.1
English program	5	3.4	7.3	24 E use with caution	17.7	32.0	47	41.8	52.0

5 Official languages used by child care providers

The availability of child care services in the minority official language depends on the presence of child care facilities that offer services in that language, among other things. Given this context, the 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services collected data on the distribution of centre-based and home-based child care facilities according to the languages spoken with parents or children.^{Note 37}

In Quebec, there were 14,525 child care facilities in 2022, including 3,400 centre-based, 7,634 licensed home-based and 3,490 unlicensed home-based providers.^{Note 38} English was spoken exclusively or alongside other languages with children or parents by 44% of centre-based providers, 15% of licensed home-based providers and 21% of unlicensed home-based providers. In the vast majority of child care facilities where English was spoken with parents or children, French was also used.^{Note 39} In fact, French was spoken with children or parents by 99% of centre-based providers and 98% of licensed and unlicensed home-based providers in Quebec. In contrast, 1% of centre-based child care providers and 2% of licensed and unlicensed home-based child care providers offered an environment where English was the only language spoken.

Some child care providers in Quebec had spaces available for full-time enrolment. This was the case for 24% of centre-based child care providers and 10% of licensed home-based child care providers. These proportions were higher in centre-based (34%) and licensed home-based (20%) facilities where English was spoken with children or with parents alone or in combination with other languages.^{Note 40}

In Canada outside Quebec, there were 30,841 child care facilities in 2022, including 10,529 centre-based, 7,291 licensed home-based and 13,022 unlicensed home-based providers.^{Note 41} French was spoken exclusively or alongside other languages with children or parents by 19% of centre-based providers, 6% of licensed home-based providers and 8% of unlicensed home-based providers. In New Brunswick, these proportions were much higher than in the rest of the country outside Quebec (55% of centre-based, 55% of licensed home-based and 37% of unlicensed home-based providers). Across Canada outside Quebec, English was also spoken with parents or children by almost all providers (98% of centre-based, 98% of licensed home-based and 90% of unlicensed home-based providers^{Note 42}). French was the only language spoken in 2% of centre-based child care services, 1% of licensed home-based services and 2% of unlicensed home-based services in Canada outside Quebec. In contrast, these proportions were much higher in New Brunswick (23% of centre-based, 33% of licensed home-based and 20% of unlicensed home-based providers).

Data table for Chart 5.1

Data table for Chart 5.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 5.1 Center-based child care, Licenced home-based child care and Unlicensed home-based child care, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Center-based child care	Licenced home-based child care	Unlicensed home-based child care
	percent
Note E use with caution Note F too unreliable to be published Note: Data for some provinces and territories were ommited because they were not available for the reference period, or the sample size was too small to meet data quality standards and confidenciality requirements of the Statistcs Act. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child care Services.
Canada outside Quebec	19	6	8
Nova Scotia	23	F too unreliable to be published	7 E use with caution
New Brunswick	55	55	37
Ontario	21	F too unreliable to be published	8 E use with caution
Manitoba	24	14	F too unreliable to be published
Saskatchewan	8	F too unreliable to be published	4 E use with caution
Alberta	11	F too unreliable to be published	6 E use with caution
British Columbia	15	4 E use with caution	F too unreliable to be published

Outside Quebec, there were spaces available for full-time enrolment in 46% of centre-based child care services, 39% of licensed home-based child care services and 21% of unlicensed home-based child care services. The proportions among facilities that offered services in French exclusively or in combination with other languages were 41% for centre-based, 24% for licensed home-based and 20% for unlicensed home-based providers.

6 Languages used by child care workers

Another aspect of the provision of minority official language child care services is the availability of child care workers who use the language in their workplace. Based on results from the 2021 Census of Population, this section presents a comparative analysis of child care workers who reported using the minority official language at work at least on a regular basis, versus those who did not.

In 2021, there were 170,495 child care workers in Canada. Of these, 1 in 10 (10%) reported that they used the minority official language at least regularly at work.

In Quebec, 16% of the province’s 60,430 child care workers used English at work at least on a regular basis in 2021. More specifically, 7% worked predominantly in English, 3% worked in English and French equally often, and 6% worked predominantly in French and used English as a secondary language. Among Quebec child care workers who did not use English at least on a regular basis at work, 28% could conduct a conversation in English, hinting that they could potentially provide child care services in the minority official language.

Among the 110,060 child care workers in Canada outside Quebec, 6% reported using French at least on a regular basis in their workplace. In particular, 4% worked predominantly in French, 1% worked predominantly in English and used French as a secondary language, and less than half a percent used English and French equally often. The proportion of child care workers who used French at least on a regular basis at work was higher in New Brunswick (34%) than in any other province in Canada outside Quebec.

Description for Map 6.1

The title of the map is “Number and proportion of child care workers who used the minority official language at work at least on a regular basis, provinces and territories, 2021.”

This is a map of Canada featuring the provinces and territories and showing the number and the percentage of child care workers who used the minority official language at work at least on a regular basis in 2021.

In Quebec, 9,670 child care workers used English at work at least regularly, representing 16% of all child care workers in the province.

In Canada outside Quebec, 6,615 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 6% of all child care workers outside Quebec.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, 35 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 2% of all child care workers in the province.

In Prince Edward Island, 45 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 5% of all child care workers in the province.

In Nova Scotia, 160 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 5% of all child care workers in the province.

In New Brunswick, 1,420 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 34% of all child care workers in the province.

In Ontario, 3,695 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 8% of all child care workers in the province.

In Manitoba, 370 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 5% of all child care workers in the province.

In Saskatchewan, 85 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 2% of all child care workers in the province.

In Alberta, 370 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 2% of all child care workers in the province.

In British Columbia, 390 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 2% of all child care workers in the province.

In the combined territories (Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut), 40 child care workers used French at work at least regularly, representing 7% of all child care workers in the territories.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Data table for Map 6.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Map 6.1 , calculated using (appearing as column headers).

	Number	Percent
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.
Quebec	9,670	16
Canada outside Quebec	6,615	6
Newfoundland and Labrador	35	2
Prince Edward Island	45	5
Nova Scotia	160	5
New Brunswick	1,420	34
Ontario	3,695	8
Manitoba	370	5
Saskatchewan	85	2
Alberta	370	2
British Columbia	390	2
Territories	40	7

Outside Quebec, 5% of child care workers who did not use French on a regular basis at work could conduct a conversation in French. Among those who did not use it in the workplace, the provinces with the highest proportion of workers who knew French were New Brunswick (17%) and Prince Edward Island (9%).

In several respects, child care workers who used the minority official language at work had similar characteristics to those who did not, in both Quebec and Canada outside Quebec. For instance, only negligible differences were observed in the distribution of workers by gender,^{Note 43} by place of birth (i.e., whether they were born in Canada or abroad) and by the incidence of part-time work. However, in other respects, child care workers who used the minority official language at work differed from their colleagues who did not.

For example, in Quebec, child care workers aged 15 to 34 years represented 35% of those who used English at least regularly at work and 27% of those who did not. This higher proportion of younger child care workers using English at work may indicate a greater potential for growth in providers able to offer child care services in the minority language. In contrast, workers approaching retirement age (55 to 64) accounted for 13% of those who used English at least regularly at work and 16% of those who did not. These figures may suggest that a larger share of workers who do not provide services in English are nearing retirement.

In Canada outside Quebec, child care workers aged 15 to 34 years accounted for 44% of those who used French at least regularly at work and 39% of those who did not. This difference was not identified among workers aged 55 to 64 years who are approaching retirement age. In line with the previous results, the higher proportion of younger child care workers using the minority language at work may point to a greater potential for growth in providers able to offer child care services in French.

In Quebec, child care workers who used English at work at least regularly were more likely to be immigrants (41%) or to have at least a bachelor’s degree (24%) compared with child care workers who did not use English at work (23% were immigrants and 11% held at least a bachelor’s degree).

In contrast, in Canada outside Quebec, child care workers who used French at work at least on a regular basis were less likely to be immigrants (28%) or to hold at least a bachelor’s degree (16%) compared with those who did not use French at work (33% were immigrants and 25% held at least a bachelor’s degree).

7 Conclusion

Building on previous research that examined trends in minority official language child care availability and use,^{Note 44Note 45Note 46} this study provides additional insights into child care in the minority official language in Quebec and in Canada outside Quebec, from the perspectives of both parents and service providers.

Certain groups of children eligible for instruction in the minority official language were more likely to attend  minority official language child care. For example, in Quebec, eligible children whose parents both spoke English most often at home were more likely than average to have attended child care in the minority official language, as were children with at least one parent who primarily spoke French at home in Canada outside Quebec. Outside Quebec, families where neither parent spoke French most often at home often used French-language child care because they wanted their child to become bilingual. When the minority official language is not spoken most often at home, child care can play a key role in fostering knowledge of that language.

Most parents who enrolled their children in a majority language child care setting, despite preferring an official minority language option, did so for practical reasons, primarily the distance to or lack of availability of official minority language services in their area.

Once they entered elementary school, eligible school-age children who had attended minority official language child care were more likely than average to attend a minority official language elementary school. This shows the importance of minority official language child care services as the first step in the educational continuum in that language.

In child care facilities, the minority official language is spoken with parents or children in a higher proportion of centre-based child care services than in licensed or unlicensed home-based services. Unlike home-based settings, child care centres generally have several employees, whose language practices may differ, and may offer a more varied range of programs. Across all types of facilities, the minority official language was the only language spoken with parents or children in a small proportion of child care facilities, both in Quebec and in Canada outside Quebec.

In Quebec, centre-based child care providers and home-based licensed child care facilities offering services in English were more likely than average to have spaces available for full-time enrolment. Conversely, in Canada outside Quebec, centre-based child care providers and home-based licensed child care facilities providing services in French were less likely than average to have full-time spaces available.

The possibility of using a minority official language child care service is in part constrained by the local availability of the service. Some child care workers have knowledge of the minority official language but did not use it at work, hinting at the potential for more child care facilities to provide services in the minority official language where there is demand for it.

This study presents certain limitations that point to opportunities for further research, particularly given the challenges of reconciling results from multiple data sources. For instance, parents and child care providers may hold different views on what constitutes a minority official language child care setting, especially in establishments where both English and French are used with parents or children. It is also important to acknowledge that some parents whose children are not eligible for instruction in the minority official language may prefer enrolling their children in minority official language child care. Furthermore, because any child can attend minority- official language child care, collecting additional data on the linguistic characteristics of all children in these settings would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the population served. In the SOLMP, data on current and past participation in child care services for children aged 1 to 18 may reflect varying contexts depending on the year; however, the data for children aged 1 to 5 were insufficient for an extensive standalone analysis. Finally, although minority official language child care is available in some areas, access may be constrained by factors such as geographic location, limited capacity for specific age groups or other barriers, which fall outside the scope of this report.

Appendix

Data table for Chart A.1

Data table for Chart A.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart A.1 Quebec, Estrie and southern Quebec, Eastern Quebec, Montréal, Western Quebec, City of Québec and surrounding area, Central Quebec, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Quebec			Estrie and southern Quebec			Eastern Quebec			Montréal			Western Quebec			City of Québec and surrounding area			Central Quebec
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note E use with caution Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
French-language child care	47	43.9	49.8	60 E use with caution	51.9	67.4	76	69.8	80.7	36	32.1	40.1	51	44.4	57.6	86	78.1	91.0	70 E use with caution	62.2	77.4
English-language child care	14	12.7	16.4	10	6.0	14.8	17	12.6	22.3	17	14.3	19.8	20	15.2	24.6	2	1.4	4.3	7	4.1	11.0
Bilingual child care	39	35.9	41.6	31 E use with caution	23.7	38.3	7	4.8	11.3	47	43.2	51.0	30	24.3	35.5	12	6.8	19.8	23 E use with caution	16.3	31.1

Data table for Chart A.2

Data table for Chart A.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart A.2 Canada outside Quebec, New Brunswick, Northern New Brunswick, Southeastern New Brunswick, Rest of New Brunswick, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Canada outside Quebec			New Brunswick			Northern New Brunswick			Southeastern New Brunswick			Rest of New Brunswick
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note E use with caution Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
French-language child care	35	32.5	36.9	63	59.5	65.8	75	69.6	79.5	63	58.1	68.1	38	31.7	44.0
English-language child care	54	51.1	55.8	16	13.9	19.2	5	3.0	9.4	12	8.5	16.0	48 E use with caution	40.3	55.3
Bilingual child care	12	10.7	13.2	21	17.9	23.9	20	15.6	24.9	25	20.6	29.9	15 E use with caution	8.6	23.7

Data table for Chart A.3

Data table for Chart A.3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart A.3 Canada outside Quebec, Ontario, Northeastern Ontario, Ottawa, Southeastern Ontario, Toronto, Rest of Ontario, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent, 95% confidence interval, Percent and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound, upper bound, lower bound and upper bound units of measure (appearing as column headers).

	Canada outside Quebec			Ontario			Northeastern Ontario			Ottawa			Southeastern Ontario			Toronto			Rest of Ontario
	Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval		Percent	95% confidence interval
		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound		lower bound	upper bound
Note: Among children aged 1 to 17 who attended or had attended child care in Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, 2022 Survey on the Official Language Minority Population.
French-language child care	35	32.5	36.9	37	33.7	40.2	53	46.3	59.5	49	43.2	55.1	56	50.3	61.4	25	18.6	31.6	26	19.8	32.1
English-language child care	54	51.1	55.8	52	48.5	55.4	25	18.8	32.0	36	30.5	42.0	19	13.9	25.1	70	62.6	76.2	70	63.1	75.7
Bilingual child care	12	10.7	13.2	11	9.6	12.8	22	17.3	28.1	15	10.9	19.8	25	20.3	30.8	6	3.4	9.4	5	3.2	7.0