Research summary: Profile of Informal Child Care Users

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Why this study

In 2021, the Government of Canada invested $30 billion over five years to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. This study helps us learn more about parents who used child care from a family member before the new system was put in place.

What we did

We used data from the 2017 General Social Survey on Family to look at the characteristics of parents who were using child care provided by a relative. Child care by a relative may be used instead of other types of child care, or not using child care at all.

In this sample:

• 8% of parents used care by a relative
• 45% used other types of child care (not from a relative)
• 47% did not use child care

We looked at characteristics such as:

• mother's education
• father's education
• age of the child
• age of mother at birth
• age of father at birth
• marital status
• family income
• mother born in Canada
• father born in Canada
• mother is part of a racialized group
• father is part of a racialized group
• practicing a religion
• number of children reported by the respondent
• irregular work schedule

We also looked at the reasons parents gave for the type of child care they were using.

What we found

The main findings show:

• parents using care by a relative were more likely to be working irregular working hours (24%) 
  • this is more than parents using care by a non-relative (9%) and those not using care (18%)
• parents using care by a relative (31%), and those not using care (30%), were more likely to have an income below $60,000 
  • this is a higher percentage than those using non-relative care (20%)
• most parents who used care by a relative (65%) said they chose it because they trust the person caring for their child 
  • the second most common reason given was that it was a more affordable type of care (26%)
• more parents from racialized groups used care by a relative (mothers: 37%, fathers: 35%) 
  • this is compared to those not using care (mothers: 35%, fathers: 33%) and to those using care by a non-relative (mothers: 23%, fathers: 20%)
• more parents who were born outside Canada used care by a relative (44%) or didn't use care (45%) 
  • this is compared to 31% of those using care by a non-relative

What it means

This study shows the importance of the affordability and inclusivity pillars of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system. Families with lower incomes and those from marginalized groups were more likely to be using child care from a relative instead of more formal child care. This suggests that there may have been barriers to accessing formal child care before the new program started.

Contact us

Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Social Policy Directorate, Social Research Division

Email: esdc.nc.sspb.research-recherche.dgpss.cn.edsc@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca