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: 1-800-363-7629
If 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)