Kids

Daycare

Sending your little one off to daycare be an emotional experience. Learn how to choose a great daycare, what questions to ask, how to prepare your child, and more.

10 things your daycare may not tell you

10 things your daycare may not tell you

You've looked long and hard to find a good daycare and now you feel you can finally relax. Don't. We highlight some of the things your child care provider might not be doing right.

Liza Finlay

The city with the most expensive daycare in Canada is…

The city with the most expensive daycare in Canada is…

Sky-high daycare costs in Canada are continuing to increase at a rate higher than that of inflation. Here’s how your city measures up.

Suzanne Gardner

My son made it through his first week of daycare but I barely survived

My son made it through his first week of daycare but I barely survived

I was finally going to get some independence back. But instead of relief and excitement, all I felt was dread and sorrow.

Stephanie Gilman

This is what it’s like to run a daddy daycare

This is what it’s like to run a daddy daycare

This stereotype-busting father opens up about the judgments, the fighting and the mental exhaustion involved in wrangling little kids.

Cameron French

Why do dog walkers need more permits than child-care providers?

Why do dog walkers need more permits than child-care providers?

Children die every year in unlicensed child-care facilities, which operate without any oversight. But the government prioritizes choice over safety.

Linda White

8 ways to piss off your kid's daycare teacher

8 ways to piss off your kid's daycare teacher

Turns out you may be unintentionally disrespecting the person who takes care of your kids all day. A daycare teacher offers the inside scoop.

Today's Parent

Canada needs to invest more in early childhood education

Canada needs to invest more in early childhood education

A new report says that Canada has improved over the last decade, but that more needs to be done to catch up to other countries.

Kerry McCuaig

This magical daycare in Alberta is straight out of a fairytale

This magical daycare in Alberta is straight out of a fairytale

Once upon a time, in a town north of Edmonton, there was a man who dreamed of building something magical.

Chris Purdy, The Canadian Press

Finding daycare in Ontario is about to get much harder

Finding daycare in Ontario is about to get much harder

New regulations coming into effect don’t make things easy on families who require extended child care in Ontario.

Katie Dupuis

Print out These Essential Questions to ask on Your Daycare Tour

Print out These Essential Questions to ask on Your Daycare Tour

Keep these questions handy so you don't forget what to ask about when you're visiting daycares.

Ariel Brewster

No surprise to parents: Daycare costs in Canada are out of control

No surprise to parents: Daycare costs in Canada are out of control

Everyone knows daycare costs a lot. A freshly released report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows just how much.

Katie Underwood

How to prepare your baby for daycare

How to prepare your baby for daycare

Before mat leave ends, get your baby—and yourself—ready for a tear-free transition to daycare.

Erin Phelan

Why going back to work doesn’t suck as much as you think it will

Why going back to work doesn’t suck as much as you think it will

Returning to work after mat leave is a huge change, and can be an emotional time for many new parents. But there's also a lot to look forward to.

Ariel Brewster

Home daycares versus larger daycare centres: pros and cons

Home daycares versus larger daycare centres: pros and cons

Katie Dupuis weighs the pros and cons of both daycare experiences.

Katie Dupuis

5 daycare problems solved

5 daycare problems solved

Whatever daycare problems you might have– whether it's the snacks, naps or communication– here's how to get what you need.

Tracy Chappell

Which Canadian city has the most expensive daycare? The winner is...

Which Canadian city has the most expensive daycare? The winner is...

A new report tells us what many parents already know: daycare is expensive, competitive and unregulated, and fees are on the rise.

Ariel Brewster

The politics of daycare in Canada

The politics of daycare in Canada

Quebec is often seen as a daycare utopia to parents—so why haven't other Canadian provinces caught on yet?

Emma Waverman

Daycare subsidy woes: When the system lets you down

Daycare subsidy woes: When the system lets you down

Daycare subsidy: What do you do when the system that is supposed to be helping your family only creates more problems.

Tara-Michelle Ziniuk

Federally funded daycare makes economic sense

Federally funded daycare makes economic sense

One mom believes that federally funded daycare in Canada makes economic sense—and would win over a new generation of voters.

Emma Waverman

Home daycare: Are you cut out for the job?

Home daycare: Are you cut out for the job?

Running a home daycare is a solution to the child-care problem: You get to be with your kids and bring in an income. But is it as easy as it sounds?

Uyen Vu