Alas, Canada does an especially poor job at collecting and analyzing data on how, where and why young children are cared for and what are the effects of this early childhood education and care.
Data on Early Learning and Care/Early Childhood Education and Care – A series of slides with information and an overview of the state of child care data in Canada. (PDF)
Data From The Labour Market Update Study
Number of Children in Various Child Care Arrangements, 1994/1995 and 2000/2001
| Children 0 to 5 years | Children 6 to 11 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994/1995 | 2000/2001 | % Change | 1994/1995 | 2000/2001 | % Change | |
| Child Population | 2,400.000 | 2,076,255 | -13.5 | 2,450,000 | 2,438,920 | -0.5 |
| Relative Care | 200,200 | 176,300 | -11.9 | 122,400 | 186,300 | 52.2 |
| Regulated Care | ||||||
| Child Care Centre | 188,000 | 274,500 | 46.0 | 108,100 | 309,900 | 186.7 |
| Family Child Care | 79800 | 109000 | 36.6 | 28,900 | 50,600 | 75.1 |
| Unregulated Care | ||||||
| Family Child Care | 303,000 | 225,000 | -25.7 | 211,200 | 263,400 | 24.7 |
| Child’s Own Home | 127,600 | 119,000 | -6.7 | 86,300 | 142,000 | 64.5 |
Source: Statistics Canada (2001), NLSCY Cycle 1 for 1994/1995 child care arrangements NLSCY Cycle 4 Remote Data Analysis for 2000/2001 child care arrangements.
Percent employed, women with partners, 1976, by age of youngest child
| Youngest <3 | Youngest 3-5 | Youngest 6-15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| 1976 | 27.7 | 36.2 | 45.7 |
| 1977 | 29.3 | 37.0 | 46.4 |
| 1978 | 32.2 | 40.4 | 48.5 |
| 1979 | 34.8 | 42.8 | 50.3 |
| 1980 | 37.1 | 44.7 | 52.7 |
| 1981 | 40.0 | 46.2 | 55.4 |
| 1982 | 40.1 | 46.4 | 55.1 |
| 1983 | 43.1 | 48.5 | 55.1 |
| 1984 | 45.3 | 49.7 | 56.9 |
| 1985 | 47.9 | 52.8 | 59.1 |
| 1986 | 51.2 | 55.5 | 62.1 |
| 1987 | 52.0 | 57.2 | 64.4 |
| 1988 | 53.9 | 59.6 | 67.2 |
| 1989 | 55.2 | 60.7 | 69.7 |
| 1990 | 55.8 | 61.4 | 71.0 |
| 1991 | 57.2 | 62.4 | 70.9 |
| 1992 | 57.5 | 62.4 | 69.4 |
| 1993 | 58.7 | 62.6 | 70.5 |
| 1994 | 59.8 | 61.9 | 70.3 |
| 1995 | 59.8 | 64.4 | 71.7 |
| 1996 | 61.2 | 63.4 | 71.4 |
| 1997 | 62.1 | 65.1 | 72.8 |
| 1998 | 63.2 | 66.6 | 73.4 |
| 1999 | 63.1 | 68.4 | 74.4 |
| 2000 | 62.9 | 70.0 | 75.1 |
| 2001 | 63.6 | 68.5 | 75.7 |
Source for Tables 6.1 and 6.2 Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, cited in Statistics Canada, Women in Canada:Work chapter updates, Catalogue Number 89F0133XIE
Children in paid child care arrangements with mothers in labour force
| Year | Children (0-5 years) with Mother in Labour Force | Number of Children in Remunerated Child Care Arrangements | Percent of Children with Employed Mothers in Remunerated Child Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 357,000 | 147,000 | 41.18 |
| 1981 | 963,000 | 480,000 | 49.84 |
| 1988 | 1,061,000* | 533,000 | 50.24 |
| 1995 | 1,061,000 | 738,400 | 54.28 |
* Includes children with mothers who are studying or in the labour force.
Sources: 1967 and 1981 Data – Special Parliamentary Committee on Child Care (1987); 1988 Data- Canadian Council on Social Development, Centre for International Statistics; 1995 Data – NLSCY (1996) calculations by consultants.