By Canadian Press

Child care cost less in 2023, but more parents say spots are hard to find: StatCan

Dec 5, 2023 | 1:56 PM

A new report from Statistics Canada says child care was more affordable across the country in 2023, but parents are having a harder time finding it.

The report released today says expenses for children attending full-time centre-based child care decreased from an average of $663 per month in 2022 to $508 in 2023. 

It says the decrease occurred as many provinces and territories began implementing lower child-care fees.

Meanwhile, the proportion of parents who reported having difficulty finding available child care increased from 53 per cent in 2019 to 62 per cent in 2023. 

Twenty-six per cent of parents with children aged five and under who were not using child care reported that their child was on a wait list — up from 19 per cent in 2022. 

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The federal government signed separate agreements with provinces and territories to establish $10-a-day child care by 2026, although the pace of the rollout has varied in different parts of the country. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press