How Much Is Daycare In Ontario? (2023)

Daycare can also be called a nursey facility that supervises and cares for infants and young children during the day so that their parents can work without having to worry about the welfare of their infants during working hours. The terms day nursery or child care facility are frequently interchanged in Canada to refer to various types of child care educational programs.

The average cost of daycare in Ontario is about $1,774 a month or $21,288 per year which makes Ontario one of the highest median daycare services in the country. However, the cost depends on the age of the child as infants from 0 to 18 months can cost up to $52 per day while junior kindergarten to 12 years old kids can cost up to $40 per day which shows that the cost of child care varies with the age of the child.

Daycares have been in existence since the 19^th century and they primarily provide care services for newborns and children. These centers also provide care for older children when they are not in school and pre-kindergarten education. Some of the other functions of a daycare includes;

• Child Care- This is the primary function of the daycare which is to care for the child while the child is in their facility.
• Safety- The safety of the children is paramount and daycare should make this a priority.
• Education- a daycare should have a planned educational program to help the kids learn through both playing and structured learning programs
• Socialization- Through playing with their peers or communicating with adult staff members, children in daycare will learn valuable social skills.
• Health- A daycare must provide a good health structure that also includes healthy and balanced diet meals, snacks, and drinks.

How Much is Daycare in Ontario?

The cost of daycare in Ontario is in the higher median at about $1,774 a month which makes child care in Ontario one of the most expensive in the country. The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) of Ontario posing to be the most expensive area for child care in Ontario.

As mentioned earlier the cost of paying for child services in Ontario depends heavily on the age of the child and whether the children will be receiving full-time or part-time care. This is a breakdown of full-time child-care payments in the province of Ontario.

• Infants: This refers to babies newly born up to the age of 18months. These infants are the most expensive on the list because they require more attention than any other age group and they usually cost $100 per day to watch over them which makes infants cost $36,500 annually to provide daycare services.
• Toddlers: Toddlers are usually between 18 to 30 months old babies and they are the second most expensive to take care of. The average cost to provide daycare services for a toddler is $90 per day which amounts to $2,600 per month and $32,850 annually in the city of Ontario.
• Preschool: Preschoolers are children from 31 months to kindergarten entry. These are groups of children will cost their parents $70 per day and $25,550 per annum to provide daycare services for them. This age group is also provided with a pre-kindergarten educational structure to help the children when they get to the kindergarten level.
• Kindergarten: Daycare services for kindergarten kids in Ontario cost $35 per day which amounts to $12,775 annually. The kindergarten kids are however escorted to and fro from school which gives their parents a safety net concerning the safety of their kids.
• School Age: This age group represents kids from grade 1 to grade 5 and these kids usually require the least supervision and consequentially cost the least amount to provide daycare services for. They cost $32 per day to provide daycare services which amount to $11,680 per year.

The province of Ontario also provides part-time day-care services which means the children will not be in the facilities for the whole day and the average cost of part-time daycare is about $10,000 annually and is usually for children from kindergarten to school grade age as infants, toddlers and preschoolers will need full time care.

Who is Eligible for Free Daycare in Ontario?

Since the breakout of the COVID 19 Pandemic, and the closure of schools during the pandemic year, the Canadian government offered free daycare services to;

• Healthcare workers, including but not limited to Doctors, Nurses, and those who work in long-term care and retirement homes.
• Workers, individuals performing work in relation to the administration, distribution, or manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines.
• Child care workers, including the staff of emergency child care programs.
• Staff of homeless shelters
• Certain federal workers, including RCMP, Canada Border Services, Canadian Armed Forces, and Canada post
• Non-municipal water and wastewater workers.
• Education personnel is obliged to attend schools in order to give in-person instruction and support to kids with special needs who cannot be met through remote training.

Requirements Needed to Own a Daycare in Ontario

Starting a business generally in Ontario generally requires the person to complete three basic steps which include finding out the licenses and regulations needed, registering or incorporating the business, and determining if you will need to collect and remit HST.

• Daycare centers are licensed by the Ministry of Education so a license from the Ministry has to be obtained first and you must have to care for more than 3 children under the age of 2 to be able to receive the license.
• You have to provide provincial health and safety caregiver training standards which means the caregiver must be above the age of 18 and caregivers for special needs kids must have first-aid certification.

A licensed home-based childcare provider will meet with a home visit on a regular basis to conduct general instructions and give support. If you want to care for children with a physical, visual, or auditory disability, or if the child has a developmental communication, behavioral, or persistent medical problem, you may need additional licensing and training.

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How Much is Baby Bonus in Ontario?

A baby bonus is a government payment to parents of a newborn baby or adopted child to assist with the costs of childbearing. Baby bonus is only eligible for parents who are citizens of Canada and their net income is less than $22,504 and the parent will receive $122.83 per month per child under 18 years of age which means the parents qualified for the baby bonus will earn $1,473.96 every year per child before the child turns 18 years.