For parents · Child care
Should I choose a nanny, a daycare centre or a home daycare?
A nanny gives one-on-one care in your home on your schedule. A daycare centre provides a licensed group setting with trained staff and set hours. A home daycare cares for a small group in the provider’s home, licensed or not depending on your province and group size. The right choice depends on your child, schedule and budget.
In 60 seconds
- A nanny cares for your children in your home, which gives the most flexibility and individual attention, and makes you responsible for most of the checking.
- A daycare centre is licensed and inspected by the province or territory, has trained staff and set hours, and often has waiting lists.
- A home daycare cares for a small mixed-age group in the provider’s own home and may be licensed, agency-supervised or unlicensed.
- Each province and territory sets its own licensing rules, including how many children an unlicensed home provider may care for.
- The Canadian Paediatric Society notes that unlicensed home care can be just as good, but it is not covered by provincial rules such as fire safety standards.
- With unlicensed care, parents need to do the checks a licensing agency would otherwise do, including asking for a police background check.
What is the difference between a nanny, a daycare and a home daycare?
A nanny is an individual caregiver who looks after your children in your home. A daycare centre is a licensed group program in a dedicated building with several staff. A home daycare is a small group program run in the provider’s own home. They differ in setting, group size, oversight and flexibility.
- Nanny: your home, your children only (or shared with one other family), schedule set with you
- Daycare centre: licensed facility, children grouped by age, fixed hours and policies
- Home daycare: provider’s home, small mixed-age group, licensed or unlicensed depending on province and size
When is a nanny the right choice?
A nanny often suits families with irregular or long hours, more than one young child, a child with health or developmental needs, or a strong preference for care at home. The trade-off is that you do the screening, you arrange backup when the nanny is sick, and your child may have fewer chances to play with other children.
Some families share a nanny with another family to split hours and give children company. When someone cares for your children regularly in your home, tax and labour standards rules may apply to your family depending on the arrangement. Check with the Canada Revenue Agency and your provincial labour standards office.
What are the pros and cons of a daycare centre?
A licensed daycare centre gives your child a regulated group setting with trained staff, set ratios of children to staff, and provincial inspections. Staff absences do not leave you without care. On the other hand, hours are fixed, spaces can be hard to find, and children in group care usually catch more common illnesses.
The Canadian Paediatric Society suggests visiting during operating hours, talking to parents whose children already attend, and asking about staff qualifications, first aid training, police background checks, illness policy and whether you can drop in unannounced. Ask about waiting lists early, since some centres have long ones.
Also ask the centre to explain its illness policy in detail. When a child is sent home sick, a parent usually has to leave work to pick them up, so families using a centre often need a backup plan such as a relative or an occasional babysitter.
What is a home daycare and is it licensed?
A home daycare is child care for a small group in the provider’s own home. Depending on your province and the number of children, it may be licensed by the province, supervised through a licensed agency or coordinating office, or legally unlicensed. Ask every home provider directly which category they fall into, and check with your province.
The Canadian Paediatric Society notes that unlicensed home child care is often just as good as licensed care, but children are not protected by provincial regulations such as fire safety and playground equipment standards. With unlicensed care, you need to do what a licensing agency would do, such as asking for a valid police background check and checking safety precautions.
How does home child care licensing differ by province?
Every province and territory writes its own child care law, so the point at which home child care needs a licence or permit is different across Canada. Three examples show the range: British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia each regulate home child care in a different way. Always check your own province’s rules.
These summaries are general and statutes change. For an exact rule, including group sizes and age limits, read your province’s child care act and regulations or contact your provincial child care licensing office.
- British Columbia: the Community Care and Assisted Living Act requires a licence to operate a community care facility, defined as premises where a person provides care to three or more people who are not related to them by blood or marriage.
- Quebec: the Educational Childcare Act requires a permit, or recognition by an accredited home childcare coordinating office, to provide childcare for payment, with exceptions that include a person working on their own account caring in a private residence for up to two children, or only for children who ordinarily live together.
- Nova Scotia: the Early Learning and Child Care Act requires a licence to operate a child care facility, and family home child care programs are delivered by care providers approved and monitored by licensed agencies.
How do I choose between a nanny, a daycare and a home daycare?
Start with your child’s age and temperament, the hours you need, how many children need care, your budget and any subsidies you may be eligible for. Then visit or interview real options in each category. The Canadian Paediatric Society also suggests keeping one consistent caregiver where possible, rather than many changing arrangements.
- What hours and days do you need, and how predictable are they?
- Would your child do better one-on-one or in a group?
- How close to home or work does care need to be?
- Does your child have medical, developmental or cultural needs a caregiver must meet?
- Are you eligible for any provincial child care subsidy or reduced-fee program?
- Who covers care when the caregiver or your child is sick?
Can Maple Care help with any of these options?
Maple Care is best suited to finding an independent care professional, such as a nanny or babysitter, who comes to your home. It is not a daycare directory, and it does not license, inspect or supervise any caregiver or program. For licensed centres and home daycares, use your provincial or territorial child care listings.
If a nanny or babysitter is the right fit, you can post a free, anonymous request showing only your city. Our team reviews every account, and badges for certifications we check are a screening signal, not a background check. You still interview, check references and agree terms directly with the professional.
Free to post. Your contact details stay private.
Frequently asked questions
Is a licensed home daycare safer than an unlicensed one?
A licence means the home must meet provincial standards and can be inspected, which gives you an outside check. An unlicensed provider can still give excellent care, but you are the only one checking. Ask about police checks, first aid, fire safety, supervision and how many children are in care.
How many children can a home daycare look after without a licence?
It depends on your province or territory, and some count the provider’s own children. In Quebec, for example, the permit requirement does not apply to a person working on their own account caring in a private residence for up to two children. Check your own provincial child care licensing office for the exact rule.
Is a nanny more expensive than daycare?
It depends on your region, hours, the number of children and whether you qualify for reduced-fee or subsidized spaces. A nanny for several children can compare differently than for one. Get real quotes from options near you and check your province’s child care fee programs before deciding.
Can I use a nanny and a daycare together?
Yes. Many families combine types of care, such as part-time daycare with a nanny or babysitter for before and after hours. Keep routines, rules about food and screens, and emergency information consistent across caregivers so your child gets the same messages from everyone.
What should I ask a home daycare provider on a visit?
Ask whether the home is licensed or agency-supervised, how many children attend and their ages, who else lives in or visits the home, what the emergency plan is, and whether everyone has first aid training and a police check. Ask to see the rooms where children play, eat and sleep.
Does my child need to be a certain age for daycare?
Age limits depend on the program and your province. Many centres and home daycares take infants, toddlers and preschoolers in separate groups, with different limits on how many children of each age can be in care. Ask each program which ages it accepts and check your province’s rules for group sizes.
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