Insights on Canadian Society
Parents’ use of child care services and differences in use by mothers’ employment status

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Introduction

Canadian governments, at federal and provincial levels, have shown increasing attention to the importance of child care, for reasons that include parents’ labour force participation and children’s development. Most recently, the 2021 federal budget allocated $30 billion over five years towards a new Canada-wide early learning and child care plan.^Note This plan has the stated goal of ensuring high quality, affordable and flexible care to secure women’s participation in the labour force and to provide children with the range of benefits associated with quality child care.

A recent report using data from the Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements (SELCCA) revealed that approximately 52% of children aged 0 to 5 participated in some type of child care, formal or informal, in Canada in 2020. However, results further suggested that almost 4 in 10 (37%) parents reported experiencing difficulties in finding a child care arrangement.

Along with the challenges of finding and accessing quality child care, research has shown that women’s employment characteristics also affect the use of child care. For example, one study found that mothers working non-standard hours were less likely than mothers who work standard hours to use child care on a regular basis for their young children.^Note Understanding the association between parents’ employment characteristics and child care use is particularly important in light of research, notably studies on Quebec’s universal child care program,^Note that show investments in child care can have a positive impact on mother’s labour force participation. 

Using the 2017 General Social Survey on Families, the present study provides a profile of non-parental child care (hereafter, referred to as child care) among Canadian families (see the Data sources, methods and definitions section). The study examines parents’^Note use of child care, including the types of child care arrangements used by parents, the cost of care, the reasons for selecting a type of child care, as well as reasons for not using child care. Paid and unpaid child care arrangements can include home daycares; before or after school programs; preschool centres, nursery schools, daycares or centre de la petite enfance (Quebec only); and care in the child’s home or elsewhere by a relative or non-relative.

Also, recognizing that the use of child care and mothers’ employment are closely linked – with the gender gap in labour force participation being attributed, in part, to the availability of child care^Note – this study looks at characteristics of mothers’ employment. This includes an analysis of whether use of child care varies according to women’s type of employment, usual work schedule, and sector of employment.

Use of child care differs by family characteristics

Overall, approximately two-thirds (64%) of parents reported using some type of child care in 2017 (Table 1).^Note Reported use of child care was highest for parents with two children (71%), compared to approximately 60% of parents with one, three, or four or more children.

Reported use of child care was lowest among parents of infants (15%), potentially reflecting parents’ use of maternity and parental leave. Child care use increased thereafter for parents with children aged 1 to 12, peaking among parents of 4-year-olds (76%) (Chart 1). After children reached school-age, the reported use of child care decreased, dropping to 42% among parents of 12-year-olds.

Lone-parent families were most likely to report using child care for their children aged 1 to 12. Specifically, seven in ten lone-parents – whether single, separated, divorced or widowed – reported using child care. This was somewhat higher than the proportion of partnered parents relying on child care (64%).

Younger parents are more likely to have young children, and young children are more likely to attend some type of child care. Therefore, it is reasonable to observe a higher proportion of young parents using child care services compared to older parents. In particular, 70% of parents aged 30 to 39 used child care in the preceding year, compared to 59% of parents aged 40 to 49, and 52% of parents aged 50 to 79.

Differences in the use of child care were also seen between immigrant and Canadian-born parents. Just over half of immigrant parents (53%) and non-permanent resident parents (54%) reported using child care in the 12 months preceding the survey, compared to 69% of Canadian-born parents (Table 1). This may reflect the lower rate of employment among immigrants compared to those born in Canada,^Note or that immigrant families may be less likely to pay for child care if they live in a multigenerational household.

Differences in child care use between Indigenous parents living off reserve and non-Indigenous parents were not statistically significant. Limitations related to sample size precludes the further examination of child care use patterns among First Nations, Métis and Inuit. More research is needed to provide further insights into child care use among Indigenous parents.

Understanding variations in child care use by other racialized groups is not possible, due to small sample size and corresponding issues with data quality.

Parents of young children more likely to use child care on a regular basis and to use it more frequently

The regularity and frequency of using child care mirrored patterns in the overall use, with regular use of child care being most common among parents of young children, many of whom had not yet entered school. Specifically, 50% of parents of children aged 1 to 3 used child care on a regular basis, as did 55% of parents of children aged 4 to 5. These proportions fell to 39% for parents of 6- to 9-year-olds and 25% for parents of 10- to 12-year-olds (Table 2).

Additional information about child care arrangements was only asked of parents using these on a regular basis. Among those using child care on a regular basis, the majority of parents reported having their children in care five or more days per week, regardless of their child’s age. Approximately one third of parents of young children reported regularly having their child in care 1 to 4 days a week, and fewer reported using child care services less frequently than weekly. For parents of the oldest children (10 to 12 years old), similar proportions reported having their child in care less than weekly (26%) as reported having them in care 1 to 4 days a week (20%).

Daycare or preschool care most common for young children

Among parents of young children (1 to 5 year olds), a daycare or preschool centre care was the most common type of child care used, with home daycares being the second most common child care arrangement (Chart 2). A small proportion (13%) of parents with children aged 4 and 5 reported using before or after school care, whereas a majority of parents of school-aged children (6 through 12) reported using before or after school care, followed by care provided in the child’s home, whether by a relative or a non-relative. It should be noted that kindergarten enrollment for 4- and 5-year-olds varies across the provinces; however, almost all children attend school by age 6.

Convenience is leading reason for choosing a child care arrangement

Parents reported the main reason for which they chose a specific type of child care. Regardless of the child’s age, reasons of convenience, including the location and hours of operation, and the trustworthiness of the child care provider topped the list for selecting a particular child care arrangement (Table 2).

For young children (aged 1 to 5), similar proportions of parents said that they chose a particular child care arrangement because of its convenience and because they felt the child care provider was trustworthy and safe. Convenience was more important for parents of older children. In 2017, nearly half of parents of children aged 6 to 12 said the location and hours of operation were key reasons for selecting the child care arrangement. Other reasons for choosing a particular type of child care, such as affordable cost and for the child’s development, were reported less often.

Parents’ employment and cost of care cited as reasons for not using child care

Among parents who reported not using child care, the predominant reasons were that a parent is at home, whether on parental leave or otherwise, or that the parent did not need or want child care.

The majority of parents of young children (aged 1 through 5) reported a parent at home as the main reason for not using child care. However, the reason for a parent being at home is unknown. A parent may be at home by choice (i.e., parental leave) or not by choice (i.e., parent cannot find appropriate care for child), which can have varying implications for child care use. Between 10% and 15% of parents of 1- to 5-year-olds reported that unemployment or unpredictable work schedules contributed to them not using child care services. An additional 8% reported that they did not use child care due to its high cost. For parents of school-aged children (6 to 12 years of age), the majority reported not needing or wanting child care as the main reason for not using child care.

Cost of child care varies by age of child

The majority of parents reported paying for child care. However, the proportion of parents reporting no cost increased with the age of the child (Table 2). The vast majority (84%) of parents who reported not paying for child care indicated that their child was cared for by a relative, either in the respondents’ home or elsewhere.

Among parents paying for child care, the average cost of care per child was highest for young children, and decreased in older age groups (Chart 3). This downward pattern is consistent with the number of hours a child attends child care per week. Younger children tend to require more hours of care, whereas school-aged children are usually only in care outside of school hours.^Note

A majority of parents (72%) of children aged 1 to 3 years reported full-time (i.e., 30 or more hours per week) attendance in child care, while parents of children 4 to 5 years old were equally likely to report full-time use of child care as they were to report part-time attendance. For school-aged children, between 86% and 90% of parents reported that their child attended child care part-time.

Child care costs also tend to be higher for young children in general, specifically infants and toddlers.^Note In addition, younger children tend to require more hours of care, whereas school-aged children are usually only in care outside of school hours. Greater time spent in child care was generally related to higher cost of care.

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Mothers who worked regular schedules were more likely to use child care

As low-fee child care is often linked to increased maternal employment, examining child care use by mothers’ employment patterns may provide insight into the possible growth in maternal employment. For instance, with the introduction of the Quebec universal child care system, it was estimated that there were approximately 4% more mothers in the labour force compared to the period before the reforms.^Note This suggests that some mothers that are currently unemployed or on leave may switch to working at a paid job if affordable, quality child care became available.

Based on data from the 2017 GSS, 1 in 5 mothers of children aged 1 to 12 reported that did not work at a job or business last week or last year.^Note This was most often the case when the child was between the ages of 1 and 5. The majority of mothers (71%) reported working at a paid job or business, with another 11% being on some type of leave (Table 3).

In this study, child care use was lowest among mothers who were unemployed (30%) or on leave (48%) compared to employed mothers (74%; Table 3). The lower use of child care by mothers on leave can be explained by the lower likelihood of mothers on leave with 1- to 3-year-olds to use child care (52%) as compared to employed mothers (84%).

Not all employed mothers reported using child care. In 2017, 26% of employed mothers did not use child care, with the proportion being highest for older school-aged children – 10 to 12 years (39%; Table 3). For this age group, it is possible that child care was not needed.

Among employed mothers, those working regular schedules were more likely than those working irregular schedules to report using child care (76% versus 68%, respectively; Table 3). However, this difference was only statistically significant for mothers of school-aged children. This follows a similar pattern to differences in the use of child care services between mothers employed full-time versus part-time.

Overall, reported use of child care was consistently higher for mothers who were employed full-time (78%) than those who were employed part-time (65%) (Chart 5). Again, this difference was only statistically significant for mothers of school-aged children (6 to 12 years). For mothers of children aged 1 to 5 years old, there was no significant difference in the percent using child care between full-time and part-time working mothers.

It is possible that part-time employment is a choice or a necessity to accommodate child care, particularly for mothers of school-aged children who may not require full-day child care. Other studies have examined parents’ decision-making process regarding the use of child care, and how parents’ employment affects this process.^Note For example, parents who work nonstandard hours may be more likely to use non-formal types of child care arrangements that can provide greater accommodation for flexible work schedules.^Note

Use of child care varies by women’s sector of employment

Across all five occupational categories, mothers of young children were more likely to use child care than mothers of school-aged children (Chart 6). A larger proportion of mothers working in Business, Finance and Administration, or in Health sectors reported using child care compared to mothers in other occupational categories. This is a unique finding from the present study, and should be corroborated in future work.

Conclusion

The majority (64%) of parents with children under the age of 12 years in the household reported using child care in 2017. Child care use varied by the age of the child, with the proportion of parents reporting using child care peaking for children age 4 and decreasing thereafter.

The present study indicates that the use of child care varied by several geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors, highlighting factors associated with parents’ use of child care services. The present study also illustrated differences in child care use by maternal employment characteristics. Employed mothers were more likely to report using child care services for their children. A larger proportion of mothers who worked full-time and had regular schedules used child care compared to mothers who worked part-time and had irregular schedules.

Future research may further consider how additional factors related to the affordability, accessibility and need for care influence parents reported use of child care services.

Shary Zhang is an analyst with the Centre for Population Health Data at Statistics Canada. Rochelle Garner is a chief with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada. Loanna Heidinger is an analyst with the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics at Statistics Canada. Leanne Findlay is a chief with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada.

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