Before- or after-school programs are the most common child care arrangement in Canada

Released: March 13, 2026

Results from the Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements conducted by Statistics Canada indicate that in early 2025, more than one-third (35%) of children aged 6 to 12 attending school were in child care across Canada. Younger children were more likely to be in child care than their older peers. Just under half (47%) of children aged 6 to 8 were in child care compared to 33% of children aged 9 to 10 and 20% of children aged 11 to 12. The survey also looked into types of childcare. The most common arrangement of child care was before- or after-school programs (52%), followed by care by a relative other than a parent or guardian (38%).

Data for this week’s chart comes from Statistics Canada Chart 1: Proportion of children aged 6 to 12 years in child care, by type of child care arrangement, among those in child care and school, 2025.

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