Child Care by the Numbers - Ontario

The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.

Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of parents in Ontario and their reasons for the type of care they choose.

January 28, 2021

Child care is the care of a child, no matter who provides that care. Families have diverse care needs and rely on a variety of forms of care to meet those needs. Public policy best serves families when it offers flexibility and choice. Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of parents in Ontario and their reasons for the type of care they choose.

Of Ontario children under age six, about 46 percent are in parental care only.1
Less than 3 percent of Ontario children under age six are in parental care because the parent could not find another option.2
Of Ontario parents who use non-parental child care, about 64 percent report that they have no problem finding the care.3
Of all Ontario children under age six (those in non-parental child care and those who are not), about 24 percent are in centre-based care or preschool.4

Ontario should take a neutral, evidence-based approach and respect the diversity of care that parents use.

Child Care by the Numbers - Ontario

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