What a family pays for daycare in Canada depends first on whether the child has a space in a licensed program that takes part in its province’s agreement with the federal government. Those programs charge a fee the province sets or caps, often around $10 a day; programs outside the system, unlicensed care and nannies charge market rates, which are much higher and which no government publishes. This page sets out the reduced fees province by province, then the other costs. It is part of our directory of what things cost in Canada.
The federal government’s goal, set in Budget 2021, was an average fee of $10 a day for regulated child care by 2025-26. Some provinces reached it; others still charge more.
Reduced fees by province
- Ontario: In Ontario, licensed child care programs enrolled in the Canada-wide (CWELCC) system charge at most $22 a day for children under six, with no application needed; programs that aren't enrolled set their own fees.
- Quebec: In Quebec, a child admitted to a subsidized child care centre costs the reduced contribution of $9.65 a day in 2026, indexed every January 1, for a parent who lives in Quebec with an eligible status such as citizen or permanent resident; non-subsidized centres set their own rates, which are generally higher.
- Alberta: In Alberta, children up to kindergarten age in a licensed daycare or family day home that receives affordability funding pay a flat parent fee of $326.25 a month for full-time care ($15 a day) or $230 for part-time care.
- Saskatchewan: In Saskatchewan, families of children under six in licensed child care pay $217.50 a month ($10 a day), and children in kindergarten who turn six on or after April 1, 2026 stay eligible until the end of the kindergarten year or age seven.
- Manitoba: In Manitoba, parents pay $10 a day per child for infant, nursery and preschool programs (regular hours of 4 to 10 hours) at licensed facilities that receive provincial operating grants, with no application; unfunded facilities don't have to follow it.
- British Columbia: In B.C., only designated $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres charge $10 a day, up to $200 a month, for full days; other licensed centres set their own fees, which the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative lowers at participating centres.
In the other provinces and territories, the provincial or territorial government’s child care page sets out the reduced fee. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ 2026 fee survey (published August 19, 2026) found median infant fees of $10 a day in cities including St. John’s and Charlottetown, $19 in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton, and $23 in Halifax.
Turning a daily fee into a monthly cost
At Ontario’s cap of $22 a day and 21.75 billing days a month, full-time care costs about $479 a month, or $5,742 a year (261 weekdays).
Without a reduced-fee space
Families without a space in a participating program, or using a centre that hasn’t opted in, pay market fees set by the provider. These are typically several times the reduced fee, highest for infants (who need more staff per child) and highest in large cities, and no official source publishes them. The survey found the highest fees in British Columbia, outside its $10-a-day centres, with median infant fees of $52 a day in Richmond.
| Type of care | How it is priced |
|---|---|
| Licensed centre in the reduced-fee system | The provincial fee above |
| Licensed centre not in the system | The centre’s own fee |
| Licensed home child care | The provider’s fee, or the reduced fee if the agency participates |
| Unlicensed home child care | Market rate; no reduced fee |
| Nanny | Wages plus the employer’s CPP and EI contributions and vacation pay |
| Family care | Often free or informal |
Spaces in reduced-fee programs are limited, and waitlists, especially for infants in large cities, can be long, so many families join several waitlists during pregnancy.
Extra charges
| Charge | Notes |
|---|---|
| Registration or waitlist fees | Some provinces limit or ban waitlist fees in funded programs |
| Supplies, meals, field trips | Check what the fee includes |
| Late pickup fees | Charged by the minute at many centres |
| Fees during holidays and absences | Spaces are usually paid for whether or not the child attends |
| Summer and school-holiday care | School-age children need separate care |
Nanny vs daycare
A nanny costs the same whether there is one child or three, so for families with two or more young children, or without access to a reduced-fee space, the comparison can tip toward a nanny. A family that employs a nanny is an employer and must register with the CRA, deduct and remit income tax, CPP and EI, and pay vacation pay under provincial employment standards.
Subsidies and tax relief
- Income-tested subsidies: most provinces also run a subsidy that lowers the parent’s share further for low- and middle-income families, applied for through the province or municipality.
- The child care expense deduction: what you pay for child care can be deducted, up to annual limits by age, usually by the lower-income parent; see the child care expense deduction.
- The Canada Child Benefit: a tax-free monthly payment that helps with the cost of young children; see CCB amounts and the CCB calculator.
Related resources
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026. How we check facts.
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: The $10-a-day divide: Child care fees in Canada in 2026 | CCPA
- Department of Finance Canada: Budget 2021: A Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan
- Gouvernement du Québec: Educational childcare rates | Gouvernement du Québec
- Government of Alberta: Childcare fees | Alberta.ca
- Government of British Columbia: $10 a Day ChildCareBC Program Applicant Guide - 2025 Intake
- Government of British Columbia: $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres
- Government of Manitoba: $10 a Day Child Care
- Government of Ontario: Canada-Ontario early learning and child care agreement
- Government of Saskatchewan: Child Care Updates | Early Years and Child Care