The Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care gathers information from parents and guardians on early learning and child care arrangements for children aged 0 to 5. The survey asks parents and guardians about the arrangements they use for their child, including the associated costs, the difficulties they may have faced when looking for care, and what their preferences for child care are. This survey also collects information on parents' and guardian's labour market participation to better understand the interaction between work and the use of early learning and child care arrangements. Results from this survey will be used to help improve the Canada-wide early learning and child care system and provide Canadians with a strong baseline of data to measure progress and changes to the system.
Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
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Confidentiality
Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
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Record linkage
To enhance the data from this survey and reduce response burden, Statistics Canada will combine the information you provide with data from the 2021 Census file, personal tax files, the T1 Family File, the Longitudinal Immigration Database, and the Canada Child Benefit file. Statistics Canada may also combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources.
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Topics covered in the survey
The survey asks questions about
- Types of child care arrangements
- Costs associated to child care arrangements
- Difficulties finding child care
- Parents' labour market participation.
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Published data
Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.
Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.
Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.
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Survey-specific questions
- What is the Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care?
- Why is this survey being conducted?
- How long does it take to complete the questionnaire?
- How does this survey benefit Canadians?
- Can't the information be obtained from other surveys?
- I just did a similar survey. Why are you contacting me again?
- Who is conducting or funding this survey?
- When is this survey taking place?
- When will the results be released?
- How will the survey data be made available?
- Are individuals legally obligated to take part in this survey?
- Will the information be kept confidential?
- Could the person responding be someone other than the person receiving the invitation letter?
What is the Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care?
The Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care (CSELCC) collects information from families on the different types of early learning and child care arrangements, the difficulties some families may face when looking for childcare, as well as reasons for not using child care. The survey's definition of "child care" does not include occasional babysitting or care by a parent or guardian.
Questions include the number of hours or days children spent in child care per week, the location of the care, costs for child care, whether the care facility is licensed, and reasons for difficulty in obtaining child care. This survey also collects data on parents' and guardians' labour market participation, to better understand the connection between work and the use of early learning and child care arrangements.
Why is this survey being conducted?
Information from this survey will provide a current snapshot of the use of child care in Canada for young children, and can be used to:
- understand why families choose to use or not use different types of child care arrangements
- guide research for improving early learning programs for children
- create policies aimed at improving the accessibility and affordability of high-quality early learning and child care programs
How long does it take to complete the questionnaire?
It will take approximately 25 to 35 minutes to complete the questionnaire. For respondents who use screen readers (e.g., JAWS, NVDA, Voiceover), the completion time will be longer.
How does this survey benefit Canadians?
The results of the survey will inform the Government's Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan to give every Canadian child the same head start. Participation in this survey will provide information to programs that help ensure Canadian families have access to high-quality and affordable early learning and child care services.
Can't the information be obtained from other surveys?
This survey is being conducted to fill the need for information on child care usage that is not available from other sources.
Although some of the questions in this survey are similar to those in other surveys, the Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care is asking for information specifically from families of children aged 5 and younger to learn about reasons for using child care, or reasons for not using child care. This survey also collects data on parents' and guardians' labour market participation, to better understand the connection between work and the use of early learning and child care arrangements. The intention of the survey is to better understand the challenges families face when looking for early learning and child care arrangements.
I just did a similar survey. Why are you contacting me again?
In 2023, Statistics Canada will be conducting three children and youth surveys. While every effort has been made to reduce the number of surveys that each household will be asked to complete, your household may be contacted for one or more of these important surveys. Although some of the questions are similar to those in other surveys, each survey aims to provide information to programs that help ensure Canadian families have access to high-quality and affordable early learning and child care services.
Your household may be contacted for any of the following surveys:
Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care (CSELCC)
This survey will gather information from parents and guardians on early learning and child care arrangements for children aged 0 to 5. The survey asks parents and guardians about the arrangements they use for their child, including the associated costs, the difficulties they may have faced when looking for care, and their preferences for child care. This survey also collects information on parents' and guardians labour market participation to better understand the interaction between work and the use of early learning and child care arrangements.
Survey collection takes place from January to June 2023.
Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements – Children with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities (SELCCA-CLCD)
This survey will gather information from parents and guardians on early learning and child care arrangements for children aged 0 to 5 who may have one or more long-term conditions or disabilities. This survey contains CSELCC questions that pertain to child care arrangements and additional questions pertaining to a child's long-term conditions and disabilities.
Survey collection takes place from April to June 2023.
Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY)
This survey will gather information about the health and well-being of Canadian children and youth aged 1 to 22. It covers topics such as physical activity, use of electronic devices, time spent at school and in extracurricular activities, mental health, childhood experiences, suicidal thoughts, and substance use.
Wave 1: Survey collection takes place from February (TBC) to June 2023.
Wave 2: Survey collection takes place from September to December 2023.Who is conducting or funding this survey?
The Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care is conducted by Statistics Canada and funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
When is this survey taking place?
Survey collection will take place from January 23 to June 10, 2023.
When will the results be released?
Survey results will be released in late fall 2023.
How will the survey data be made available?
The release will be announced and featured in the Daily, Statistics Canada's official release bulletin. The information collected in this survey will be aggregated and made available to researchers and the general public in summary formats, such as graphs, charts and statistical tables. Many of these resources will be available on Statistics Canada's website.
Additionally, analytical files will be stored in research data centres (RDCs) located on university campuses and staffed by Statistics Canada employees. RDCs are operated under the provisions of the Statistics Act in accordance with all confidentiality rules. They are accessible only to researchers with approved projects who have been sworn in under the Statistics Act as 'deemed employees.'
Are individuals legally obligated to take part in this survey?
No. Statistics Canada cannot collect this information without your explicit consent. This is a voluntary survey, intended to capture the experiences of a representative portion of the Canadian population. Full participation is very important as it will help to ensure that survey results are representative of the Canadian population as a whole. Every individual who participates in the survey helps to make the results more accurate and meaningful.
Will the information be kept confidential?
Yes.
Statistics Canada takes confidentiality very seriously. Under the Statistics Act, all information provided to Statistics Canada is kept confidential and used only for statistical purposes. Individual survey responses are combined with those of other respondents. To protect privacy, the agency ensures that direct identifiers—names, addresses, telephone numbers or other means of identifying an individual—are removed after collection. No data are released that could identify an individual, and no individual data are ever sold to or shared with private companies.
Rigorous security procedures also ensure the protection of all personal information during and after collection:
- The website accessed to complete the survey is protected by firewalls and encryption. Once the questionnaire is submitted, responses are transferred to a separate, secure area which is inaccessible through the Internet.
- Passwords are used to ensure that only authorized individuals can collect or process respondent information. Information is collected and processed on a secure network.
- All employees of Statistics Canada are under oath and liable to prosecution and/or severe penalties if they do not safeguard the information they collect.
Throughout the entire history of the agency, information provided by survey respondents has been consistently safeguarded. For more information on how Statistics Canada is keeping information private, secure and confidential, please visit our Trust Centre.
Could the person responding be someone other than the person receiving the invitation letter?
This survey should be completed by a parent or guardian who is knowledgeable about the household's child care arrangements.
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Brochure
Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care - Brochure (PDF, 1.41 MB)Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care
What is the Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care?
The Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care (CSELCC) gathers information from parents and guardians of children (aged 0 to 5) on their child care arrangements, whether they use child care or not. This includes the cost, the type of services preferred and difficulties they may face when looking for child care. This survey also collects data on parents' and guardians' labour market participation, to better understand the connection between work and the use of early learning and child care arrangements.
The results of the CSELCC will inform the Government's Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan to give every Canadian child the same head start.
Why is your participation important?
Your participation in this survey will provide information to programs that help ensure Canadian families have access to high-quality and affordable early learning and child care services.
What are the key findings from previous surveys?
Some of the key findings from previous surveys are
- 52% of Canadian children younger than 6 years were in child care in early 2022, down from 60% before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
- In early 2022, approximately 4 out of 10 parents who were using child care reported having difficulty finding child care services
- Most common reasons for not using child care include:
- 38% of parents or guardians preferred to stay home
- 27% of parents were on maternity or parental leave
- 25% of parents or guardians found the cost of child care services were too high
How do you complete the survey?
You must enter the secure online access code you received in your invitation letter. To access the survey, go to Statistics Canada's Electronic Collection Website.
This survey should be completed by a parent or guardian who is knowledgeable about the household's child care arrangements.
For more information, contact:
General Enquiries
infostats@statcan.gc.ca
1-877-949-9492
TTY: 1-800-363-7629If you use an operator-assisted relay service, you can call us during regular business hours. You do not need to authorize the operator to contact us.
To learn more about the CSELCC, visit Canadian Survey on Early Learning and Child Care (CSELCC)
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