What do children do before or after school? Are they in child care? In spring 2022, 40% (correction) of Canadian children aged 4 to 12 years who were attending school participated in some form of before- or after-school care. We have more data for you that gives a snapshot of the situation in the Canadian provinces.
Child care programs located in a school: the most popular
In 2022, a program located in a school was the most common arrangement, used by 45% of children aged 4 to 12 who were in child care and were attending school. One-quarter of children were cared for by a relative other than a parent or a sibling, and 11% (correction) were cared for by a sibling.
Location, location, location
According to the 2022 Survey on Before and After School Care in Canada, almost two-thirds (64%) of the parents or guardians of children aged 4 to 12 years attending school said that the choice of their main arrangement was based on location. Parents and guardians also chose their main before-or-after-school care arrangement because it was affordable (42%), based on the hours of operation (38%), or based on the characteristics of the individual providing care (28%) (correction).
Country overview
Across the country, children aged 4 to 12 years in New Brunswick (51%), Quebec (51%), Newfoundland and Labrador (47%) (correction), and Nova Scotia (47%) were more likely to be in before- or after-school care compared with children in Ontario (35%) (correction) and Alberta (34%) (correction).
To learn more, check out the 2022 Survey on Before and After School Care in Canada. If you want to see the data at a glance, check out our infographic.
Correction notice
A weighting adjustment has been applied to the Survey on Before and After School Care in Canada. The weights for four- and five-year-old children have been updated to reflect the proportion of four- and five-year old children attending school. Previously, the weights of four- and five-year-old children represented those attending school, as well as some who were not eligible to attend school during the reference period of the survey and were therefore not in the target population.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).