Canada’s daycare unlikely to be disrupted as obstacles to shakeups persist
Natacha Beim opened her first daycare in 1998 and built it into a franchise business that now boasts 21 locations, with plans to open as many as 10 more centres each year.
The founder of Core Education and Fine Arts is an exception to what seems to be a rule in the economics of Canada’s highly fragmented daycare system.
Despite long-standing shortages, rising fees and political promises of change, there has been little disruption of the largely public market by big conglomerates, startups or even automation.
In other well-established industries — from hotels to taxicabs — private sector intervention has ushered in an era of innovation, accessibility and lower prices. But the daycare landscape, with its strict provincial regulations, high real estate fees and low profit margins, presents problems for private companies looking to scale their operations.