IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/stc/stcp8e/202500700002e.html

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

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas J. Charters
  • Leanne C. Findlay

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 high-quality 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 home-based providers selected for not obtaining a licence varied considerably by province. Overall, about two-thirds agreed that they saw no benefit in obtaining a licence or considered it unnecessary given their intended duration of providing care. Multivariate analyses found that provider characteristics independently associated with being licensed included an intention to continue providing care in the home in three years, higher educational attainment, and province or territory of residence.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas J. Charters & Leanne C. Findlay, 2025. "Characteristics of home-based child care serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022," Economic and Social Reports 202500700002e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies and Modelling Branch.
    • Handle: RePEc:stc:stcp8e:202500700002e
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202500700002-eng
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2025007/article/00002-eng.htm
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2025007/article/00002-eng.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202500700002-eng?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:stc:stcp8e:2023007e is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Pierre Lefebvre & Philip Merrigan, 2008. "Child-Care Policy and the Labor Supply of Mothers with Young Children: A Natural Experiment from Canada," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(3), pages 519-548, July.
    3. repec:stc:stcp8e:2023003e is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Anne Guèvremont & Leanne Findlay, 2023. "Estimates of parental child care expenses in January to February 2022," Economic and Social Reports 202300700001e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies and Modelling Branch.
    5. Thomas J. Charters & Leanne C. Findlay, 2023. "Characteristics of child care centres serving children aged 0 to 5 years in Canada, 2021 to 2022," Economic and Social Reports 202300300001e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies and Modelling Branch.
    6. Gordon Cleveland & Morley Gunderson & Douglas Hyatt, 1996. "Child Care Costs and the Employment Decision of Women: Canadian Evidence," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 29(1), pages 132-151, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christoph Zangger & Janine Widmer & Sandra Gilgen, 2021. "Work, Childcare, or Both? Experimental Evidence on the Efficacy of Childcare Subsidies in Raising Parental Labor Supply," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 449-472, September.
    2. Alex Laurin & Kevin Milligan, 2017. "Tax Options for Childcare that Encourage Work, Flexibility, Choice, Fairness and Quality," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 481, May.
    3. Shelly Lundberg & Aloysius Siow, 2017. "Canadian contributions to family economics," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1304-1323, December.
    4. Katrin Huber & Geske Rolvering, 2023. "Public child care and mothers’ career trajectories," Working Papers 228, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    5. Leduc, Elisabeth & Tojerow, Ilan, 2020. "Subsidizing Domestic Services as a Tool to Fight Unemployment: Effectiveness and Hidden Costs," IZA Discussion Papers 13544, IZA Network @ LISER.
    6. Givord, Pauline & Marbot, Claire, 2015. "Does the cost of child care affect female labor market participation? An evaluation of a French reform of childcare subsidies," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 99-111.
    7. Brewer, Mike & Cattan, Sarah & Crawford, Claire & Rabe, Birgitta, 2016. "Free Childcare and Parents' Labour Supply: Is More Better?," IZA Discussion Papers 10415, IZA Network @ LISER.
    8. Marie Connolly & Catherine Haeck, 2015. "Are Childcare Subsidies Good for Parental Well-being? Empirical Evidence from Three Countries," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 13(1), pages 09-15, 04.
    9. World Bank, 2016. "Georgia Country Gender Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 26091, The World Bank Group.
    10. Brodeur, Abel & Connolly, Marie, 2013. "Do higher child care subsidies improve parental well-being? Evidence from Quebec's family policies," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 1-16.
    11. Colm Harmon & Claire Finn & Arnaud Chevalier & Tarja Viitanen, 2006. "The economics of early childhood care and education : technical research paper for the National Economic and Social Forum," Open Access publications 10197/671, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    12. Michael J. Kottelenberg & Steven F. Lehrer, 2017. "Targeted or Universal Coverage? Assessing Heterogeneity in the Effects of Universal Child Care," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(3), pages 609-653.
    13. Zimmert, Franziska, 2019. "Early child care and maternal employment: empirical evidence from Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203528, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. repec:hal:pseose:halshs-00699671 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Muller,Miriam & Jaen,Martha, 2020. "Complex Decisions between Care and Paid Work : A Qualitative Study on the Demand for ChildcareServices in Mexico City," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9452, The World Bank.
    16. BOUSSELIN Audrey, 2019. "Expanding access to universal childcare: Effects on childcare arrangements and maternal employment," LISER Working Paper Series 2019-11, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    17. Christina Gathmann & Björn Sass, 2012. "Taxing Childcare: Effects on Family Labor Supply and Children," CESifo Working Paper Series 3776, CESifo.
    18. Anna Kurowska & Michal Myck & Katharina Wrohlich, 2012. "Family and Labor Market Choices: Requirements to Guide Effective Evidence-Based Policy," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1234, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    19. Sencer Karademir & Jean-William Laliberté & Stefan Staubli, 2026. "The Multigenerational Impact of Children and Childcare Policies," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(1), pages 189-227.
    20. Di Stefano, Roberta & Resce, Giuliano, 2025. "The determinants of missed funding: Predicting the paradox of increased need and reduced allocation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    21. Anna Lovasz & Agnes Szabo-Morvai, 2013. "Does Childcare Matter for Maternal Labor Supply? Pushing the limits of the Regression Discontinuity Framework," Budapest Working Papers on the Labour Market 1313, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • M21 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - Business Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:stc:stcp8e:202500700002e. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mark Brown (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/stagvca.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.