Can't get into a licensed daycare centre? Here are 5 alternative options!
TORONTO -- The odds are stacked against parents hoping to get a licensed childcare space for their kid before they are even born. There was only enough room at regulated centres for 28.7 per cent of all Canadian newborns to five year olds in 2016, according to a recent report by the Childcare Resources and Research Unit, and some of those 636,157 openings were only part time.
And for those who do get a space, the cost of regulated childcare in a centre for an infant, the most expensive type of care, can run as much as $22,848 a year, based on 2017 data from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
For parents who don't nab a coveted spot, there are other options such as hiring a nanny, a home daycare, having a relative take care of your child or staying home for either the short or long term.
About 31 per cent of parents in Canada use a home-based daycare, whether by choice or by necessity, according to a 2011 Statistics Canada report.
For some parents, a home-based daycare is more appealing than a more formal environment because of flexibility on drop-off and pick-up times, as well as the intimacy of a smaller group.
Some home-care providers take the kids to drop-in programs and other larger-scale environments to encourage group social skills, but the degree of involvement can vary.The cost of home-based care also has a wide range, depending on the child's age, location, and if it is government-regulated.
At the most expensive end of the range, the median monthly fee for an infant at regulated home daycares in Toronto was $1,020, or $12,240 per year, according to the CCPA report.That's still 46 per cent cheaper than $1,904 median monthly cost at a regulated centre.
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