Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services (CSPCCS)
Detailed information for February 2026
Status:
Active
Frequency:
Every 2 years
Record number:
5338
The purpose of this survey is to collect information on the provision of child care services in Canada for children ages 12 and under at the national, provincial and territorial level. Data is collected from licensed and unlicensed home-based and centre-based child care providers. Questions will be asked about staff, services provided, enrollment and daily fees. The data will be used by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for policy research and development. Information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes.
Description
Statistics Canada is conducting the Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services (CSPCCS) in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Data will be gathered on:
- status and type of licensing of child care providers,
- type of child care services offered,
- maximum capacity,
- number of enrolled children by age group,
- daily fees,
- type of building where child care services are provided,
- number, type of employment, and educational training of child care employees, and
- sources of operating funds;
Results will be produced at the national, provincial and territorial level on child care provision by centres and licensed and unlicensed homes.
Subjects
- Child care
- Children and youth
Data sources and methodology
Target population
The target population for this survey includes all child care locations in Canada with an annual revenue of at least $2,500 per year. To identify these units, the sampling frame was built by taking locations coded to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 624410 (Child day-care services) on the Business Register in addition to providers matched from licensed provincial and territorial lists, whose primary activity may not fall under NAICS 624410. All units with revenue less than $2,500 were excluded from the frame.
Instrument design
The questionnaire was developed by Statistics Canada in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Statistics Canada conducted cognitive testing with selected respondents and made recommendations that were implemented to finalize the questionnaire. Data will be collected electronically.
Sampling
This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.
The sampling frame is extracted from Statistics Canada's Business Register (BR). The sampling unit is the location, as defined in the Business Register.
Sampling unit
The sampling units are all home-based licensed, home-based unlicensed and centre-based child care locations in Canada.
Stratification method
Units were stratified into three groups: Centres, Licensed Homes and Unlicensed Homes. These three strata were further stratified into eleven regions, consisting of the ten provinces and the territories combined into one region.
Centres on the frame that were identified as having a particularly large number of employees on the Business Register formed their own stratum where all locations within it were selected in the sample with certainty.
Sampling and sub-sampling
The total sample size was set at 22,000 units, and units were allocated to ensure similar quality across regions and balance among the estimation domains. The total sample is allocated at the strata level in order to meet the required precision when estimating proportions for the three types of services at the provincial level.
Data sources
Data collection for this reference period: 2026-02-11 to 2026-06-30
Responding to this survey is voluntary.
Data are collected directly from survey respondents.
Data will be collected via electronic questionnaire (EQ).
Respondents with an email address in the Business Register will receive an email invitation while the remainder will receive an invitation letter in the mail with a Secure Access Code to access the EQ.
View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .
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