Surviving Childcare in Canada: What Parents Really Need to Know

A day like today, a few years ago, my kids started school here in Canada🍁. Just days after arriving, we walked straight to the school we had researched (thankfully it was right around the corner) and registered them. The registration process was super easy… I’ll tell you more about it in my post “Ready, Set, Enroll! What you need to register your child in school”.

The real challenge came with before & after school care🤔 . Yes, we had researched it, and we knew we needed to register them. The school shared lots of helpful information, but two things still caught us by surprise:

• For my son, who entered grade 2, the school had a before & after school program run by a non-profit. But guess what? When we contacted them, they had no spots available🤯. I was like, WHAT??? You can imagine my desperation… with my very broken English back then, all I could do was beg. By some miracle, a spot opened the following week and he got in.
• For my daughter, who was just starting JK, the story was different. At that time, schools in Ontario still offered half-day instruction for kindergarten and were transitioning to full-day. I started working almost immediately, and the plan was for my husband to find a job ASAP. But with her school hours from 8:45 am to 11:15 am, the available time wasn’t much. The school offered us some daycare options, like:
  • A nearby family who cared for kids at home. We went to meet them… the lady was lovely, but her husband (forgive me if I’m wrong) was kind of creepy. So, a BIG no.
  • A daycare near the school. They welcomed us warmly but told us the waitlist was about four months!.

And so on… endless cases like that!

In the end, we chose a private school until full-day kindergarten became available. It was very expensive💸, very! we paid more for daycare than for rent. But at least we learned a few things along the way:

• 📌Municipal childcare subsidy exists! We applied and got accepted. The program covered 100% of both kids’ daycare costs for several years (I literally cried when they approved us😥). They even included us in a food subsidy program that delivered fresh fruits and vegetables every two weeks. Lesson learned: research the options in your area and apply!
• 📌Daycare isn’t just for when your kids don’t attend school. You’ll need it for Before & After school hours, PA Days, summer and winter breaks, and snow days when schools close. Lesson learned: check your school’s calendar online and plan ahead!
• 📌Teacher strikes happen. Schools close. Lesson learned: have a plan B.
• 📌Summer camps are pricey. You register and pay by the week. Summer break is nine weeks long. Lesson learned: research and budget ahead!
• 📌Nannies are an option, but expect to pay at least $20 per hour.
• 📌The younger your child, the harder it gets. Daycare spots are scarce, and waitlists are insane. Many families end up extending maternity or paternity leave just to secure a spot.
• 📌There are plenty before & after school options. Some include sports, arts (like martial arts, dance, painting, etc.), and even transportation to and from school. Many programs are offered right at the school by third-party providers.
• 📌Planning is everything in Canada. Many immigrants come from countries where improvising is the norm. Forget it here. Without grandma living nearby to babysit, you must plan everything ahead.

You’ve probably heard of the $10-a-day childcare program, a federal initiative to make daycare more affordable. If not, I invite you to read more here. While the plan aims to help families, it’s also controversial: many providers struggle financially, quality sometimes suffers, and waitlists just keep growing.

My opinion on the program? I’ll keep it to myself 🤐.  My goal here isn’t to politicize but to share information that could be useful to parents going through this stage.

Thank God that stage is already behind me. But I know how hard it is, not only financially, but even more so emotionally. Having to trust and hand over the care of your beloved baby into the hands of strangers isn’t easy😢. Many times, these caregivers don’t even share your culture, and because of your circumstances, you simply don’t have another choice if you need to return to work, your source of income.

And let’s not forget how tough it is for the children too. The adjustment process can be very painful. I can’t help but feel heartbroken when I hear the stories of my friends and acquaintances.

My sweet Mila, I pray to God for you and your mom as you go through this stage🙏.

Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss any of my new posts!

Good luck, and God bless you! 💗

Disclaimer: affiliate links may appear in this article. When you purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

📸 Photo by Freepik