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If you have a young child, one of the most important services that you will need is child care. In Canada, children under 12 years cannot be left home unsupervised. You will need a safe, reliable, and affordable day-care centre for them.
Quality child care helps your children learn and have fun while developing their social skills. It also allows you to pursue your career or education without having to worry about your children’s comfort, safety, and well-being while you are away.
The $10 a Day Child Care
Recognizing how crucial child care is to every family, the government launched the $10 a Day Child Care in 2023. This program allows parents of children who are enrolled in infant, nursery, and preschool programs to pay $10 a day per child for regular hours of care (four to 10 hours) at licensed child care facilities that receive operating grants. For school-age children attending for three periods per day (before school, lunch and after school), parent fees are also being reduced to $10 a day.
The $10 a day child care is available to families at over 1,000 licensed child care facilities across the province. This includes non-profit centres (including infant, preschool, nursery, and school age programs) and child care homes that receive provincial operating grant funding. Licensed centres and child care homes that do not receive provincial operating grant funding are not required to follow the regulated fees. To know more about child care fees, and how funded and unfunded institutions can set fees, go to: Child Care Fees.
Here’s are the steps to getting good child care:
Look for a facility
Parents can search for child care facilities by word-of-mouth, through settlement agencies, via social media, or through neighbourhood bulletins. Some child care centres may also advertise their services through Facebook Groups and other online means. The best place to look for licensed care facilities in the province is on Manitoba Child Care Search. When using the using the Manitoba Child Care Search, you can use filters or keywords to come up with a list of facilities that meet your needs. For example, you can look for licensed day-care service by type of facility, if they are funded/unfunded, by location, and age of child/ren.
Generally, there are two types of facilities: child care centres and child care homes. The main difference between the two is that the number of children is less in a home than in a centre. There are also unlicensed home child care providers in Manitoba. However, if you use unlicensed care, you cannot receive subsidies to help with your child care fees. Read Types of child care centres in Manitoba to know more about your options.
Study the facilities
After searching for possible facilities, make a shortlist. Try to learn more about your chosen facilities before making a decision. If you used the Manitoba Child Care Search, clicking on the facility’s icon on will show you a box with contact details and the remaining vacancies. Clicking on the facility’s name will lead you to a page with more details. This will allow you to review important information and check if their offerings fit your needs.
Register for services
Contact your facility of choice directly to verify vacancies and enroll your child. You may need to set an appointment to visit the facility if you have more questions, or if you want to inspect the facility. Visiting the centre or home is a great idea especially if your child has additional support needs. Use the Checklist for Visiting a Licensed Child Care to guide you in decision-making.
Apply for subsidy
Families can get help from the government if they can’t afford child care. Part of their child care fees may be shouldered by the province. A family’s eligibility depends on their income, the number and age of children, the number of days required for care, and the reason for care. To see if you are eligible for a subsidy and to know how to apply, go to: Child Care Subsidy.
Be involved
After you have enrolled your child, you are encouraged to check in and talk to the facility director, staff or child care provider. Always take an active interest in your child’s progress to get the best out of your child care service arrangement.
Article updated August 14, 2024.
Community Resources
If you want to know more about Manitoba’s child care program, visit the Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care site.
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