Licensed daycares in Ontario

Licensed child care in Ontario

Our directory lists 6,305 licensed child care programs in Ontario, taken from the Ministry of Education's monthly list. Each profile shows the address, the operator, the licence number, the programs offered and the languages spoken. 4,139 of them offer full day care. Most of the others run before and after school programs for school age children.

Centres, home child care agencies and unlicensed care

A child care centre holds a licence from the Ministry of Education and follows the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014. A home child care agency is licensed too. It recruits and supervises caregivers who look after up to 6 children under 13 in their own homes, with no more than 3 under age 2.

An unlicensed caregiver can look after 5 children under 13 at most, again with no more than 3 under age 2. In both cases, the caregiver's own children under 4 count toward the limit. An unlicensed caregiver has no ministry licence, so ask for references and call them. The Government of Ontario explains these limits in detail.

What daycare costs in Ontario in 2026

Most licensed centres take part in CWELCC, the Canada wide early learning and child care program. In March 2025, 92% of licensed sites were enrolled, according to Ontario's 2025 annual report on early years and child care. For a child under 6 in a participating program, the base fee is capped at $22 a day, and the average sits around $19. Fees did not change in 2026, and the $10 a day goal has not been reached yet. Programs outside CWELCC set their own fees.

Fee subsidies

A fee subsidy can bring the cost down further for families with lower incomes. The amount depends on your adjusted family net income, and you apply through your municipal service manager, such as the City of Toronto or the Region of Peel. In 2024, 106,070 children in Ontario received a child care fee subsidy.

How to get a spot

In most cities, you apply to each centre and ask to join its waitlist. Ottawa works differently. Families there fill out a single online application, the Ottawa Child Care Registry and Waitlist, and then rank the programs they want. Wherever you live, sign up early, especially for an infant.

French language daycares

463 programs in our directory offer services in French, including 117 in Ottawa and 40 in Toronto. Look for the French services label on each profile.

Where the data comes from

The list comes from the Ontario Ministry of Education and is updated every month. Our current data is from August 31, 2026. Phone numbers, capacity and fees are not part of it, so contact each centre directly before you visit.