Understanding Child Care in Manitoba

This is a detailed guide to understanding how child care works in Manitoba.

In this post, I’ll explain the differences between licensed and unlicensed child care and the funded and unfunded child care.

I’ll also discuss child care subsidies, daycare rates, and how $10 a day daycare works.

Let’s jump right in.

Frequently asked questions about child care in Manitoba

How to find daycare openings in Manitoba

If you’re looking for daycare openings in Winnipeg, we recommend using Dianna.

Dianna is an online tool that shows you daycares with short waitlists near you.

Dianna saves you from having to make lots of phone calls to find daycares in Winnipeg with the shortest waitlists.

We do not promise that Dianna will help you find a vacancy or daycare opening for your infant, toddler, preschool, or school age child.

However, using Dianna will likely increase your chances of finding a daycare opening as soon as possible.

How much does licensed daycare cost in Manitoba?

In Manitoba, licensed daycares are classified as either funded facilities or unfunded facilities. Funded facilities are licensed daycares that receive operating grants from the government.

The government sets fixed prices for funded facilities. Meaning, all funded facilities in Manitoba charge the same daycare prices.

Unfunded facilities are licensed daycares that either choose not to receive, or are not eligible to receive operating grants from the government. Unfunded facilities set their own daycare prices.

Daycare rates in funded facilities

Daycare rates for infants, toddlers, and preschool children that attend funded daycare facilities are as follows:

• $10 per day if your child is enrolled full time and attends daycare for 4 to 10 hours per day.
• $15 per day if your child is enrolled full time and attends daycare for more than 10 hours per day.
• $5 per day if your child attends daycare for less than 4 hours per day.

For school age children enrolled in a funded daycare facility, daycare rates are:

• $6.15 per day for 1 period of attendance.
• $8.60 per day for 2 periods of attendance.
• $10 per day for 3 periods of attendance.

A period of attendance for school age children means either before school, after school, or lunch break daycare enrollment.

Daycare rates in unfunded facilities

Daycare prices for unfunded licensed daycares vary based on the daycare provider. Prices also vary according to your child’s age group.

Infant daycare rates are usually the most expensive and daycare enrollment prices become less expensive the older your child becomes.

How much did licensed daycare in Manitoba cost before $10 a day daycare?

Before $10 a day daycare, the cost of licensed daycare in funded facilities was as follows.

Daycare rates for infants:

• $30 per day for full time enrollment at 4 to 10 hours of daycare attendance per day.
• $45 per day for full time enrollment and more than 10 hours of daycare attendance per day.
• $15 per day for less than 4 hours of daycare attendance per day.

Rates for toddlers and preschool children:

• $20.80 per day for full time enrollment at 4 to 10 hours of daycare attendance per day.
• $31.20 per day for full time enrollment and more than 10 hours of daycare attendance per day.
• $10.40 per day for less than 4 hours of daycare attendance per day.

Daycare rates for school age children:

• $6.15 per day for 1 period of attendance.
• $8.60 per day for 2 periods of attendance.
• $10.30 per day for 3 periods of attendance.

A period of attendance for school age children means either before school, after school, or lunch break daycare enrollment.

What age is an infant, toddler, or preschool child in Manitoba?

Child age groups in Manitoba are classified differently than other Canadian provinces. In the context of daycare in Manitoba:

• An infant is a 0 to 23 month old child (under 2 years old).
• A preschool child is a 24 month old or older child who does not attend elementary school. In general, preschool age in Manitoba daycares is 24 to 71 months old (2 to 5 years).
• There is no age classification for toddlers in Manitoba according to the Community Child Care Standards Act. Daycare providers place toddlers in either the preschool or infant age bracket.

However, outside of daycare in Manitoba:

• An infant is a 0 to 23 month old child (under 2 years old)
• A toddler is a 24 to 35 month old child (2 to 3 years old)
• A preschool child is a 36 to 71 month old child (3 to 5 years old)

How many kids can you have in a daycare in Manitoba?

A licensed home daycare in Manitoba can have a maximum of either 8 or 12 children under the age of 12. This depends on the specific classification that the daycare has as a licensed home daycare.

Unlicensed home daycares on the other hand, can only care for a maximum of 4 children under the age of 12.

There is no official maximum number of children that a daycare center can care for. The maximum number of children that each center can care for varies based on square footage of the center among other factors. 

However, the majority of daycare centers in Manitoba are licensed to care for less than 150 children. There are only a handful of centers that are licensed to care for upwards of 300 children.

What to pack for daycare in Manitoba

Is this your first time enrolling your child in a daycare in Manitoba?

Read our guide on what to pack for daycare for a list of items to pack.

The guide also includes a free downloadble daycare packing PDF checklist.

Manitoba Daycare Cost Calculator

Use the daycare cost calculator below to estimate the cost to enroll one or more children full time in a licensed funded or unfunded daycare in Manitoba.

The daycare cost estimator below also shows what Manitoba parents pay for daycare now versus what they paid before $10 a day daycare.

This daycare cost calculator uses daycare price data published by the Government of Manitoba and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

However, the above cost calculator does not take into account any subsidies that you may be eligible for. The estimates provided are for convenience only and will vary from what individual daycare providers charge.

Child care in Manitoba

History of child care in Manitoba

Although officially established in 1884^[1] by the Christian Women’s Union of Winnipeg^[2], the Children’s Home of Winnipeg began its operations as early as 1883^[3]. In its early days, the Children’s Home of Winnipeg provided child care to infants of unwed mothers^[3].

Over the years, the children’s home evolved to provide child care in a variety of contexts. In addition to being an orphanage, child care was provided on a short-term basis to families that were temporarily unable to care for their own children.

For example, children were admitted on a short-term basis due to parent unemployment, critical illness of a parent, death of one parent, and various other circumstances of distress with some families admitting their children to the home multiple times over the course of several years.^[3]

The first day nursery centre in Manitoba, then called “The Winnipeg Day Nursery” but later incorporated as the “Mother’s Association Day Nursery”, officially began operations in Winnipeg in 1909^[4]. However, some records suggest that operations of the day nursery began in 1901^[5]. In 1974, the provincial government introduced subsidies for low income families as well as start-up grants to support the creation of more daycares^[5]. 

The Community Child Day Care Standards Act, which provided child care regulations, standards, and licensing process for child care facilities, was introduced in 1983.

From 1979 to 1986, Manitoba experienced a phenomenal growth in child care.^[5]

In 1987, Manitoba was recognized as the leader in Canadian child care. Dr. Chris Badgley, a University of Alberta researcher stated, “Manitoba has the best system of training and daycare in North America.”^[6]

In 2000, the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba asked the provincial government for a Quebec-style child care system^[6]. At the time, operationally funded daycares in Quebec had a set daily daycare rate^[7].

Between 2000 and 2016, Manitoba experienced ups and downs in government spending on child care^[5]. Various changes were proposed and implemented as the province marched towards its goal of universal child care.

In 2021, the provincial and federal governments entered an agreement to meet certain child care goals by 2026. Included in the agreement, known as the Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, was the goal to decrease parent fees to an average of $10 per day by 2026.^[8]

In 2023, the province achieved its goal of decreasing parent fees to $10 per day in funded daycare facilities.^[9]

Sources:

[1] Manitoba Historical Society, [2] Middlechurch Home of Winnipeg, [3] Ph.D. James Mochoruk, [4] Day Nursery Centre, [5] Childcare Resource and Research Unit, [6] A Decade of Decline, [7] Sounding the Alarm, [8] Government of Canada, [9] Government of Manitoba

Unlicensed daycares in Manitoba

Unlicensed daycares in Manitoba can care for a maximum of 4 children under the age of 12. 

The provincial government does not actively monitor unlicensed daycare providers.

Additionally, unlicensed daycares are not required to maintain the same set of child care standards outlined in the Community Child Care Standards Act. However, they are still required to maintain a safe environment for enrolled children.

Unlicensed daycares are legal in Manitoba and daycare providers can choose to remain unlicensed. They simply have to maintain proper child to staff ratios and provide a safe child care enrivonment.

Licensed daycare in Manitoba

In Manitoba, the provincial government regulates licensed daycare providers through the Community Child Care Standards Act.

The Act outlines minimum health, safety, and operations standards for licensed daycares and was introduced in 1983.

The provincial government also monitors licensed daycares through inspections and supports their operations through a variety grants.

Funded vs unfunded licensed daycares

Licensed daycares in Manitoba are categorized as either funded facilities or unfunded facilities.

Funded facilities are licensed daycares that receive annual operating grants from the government.

The government sets fixed prices for funded facilities. Meaning, all funded facilities in Manitoba charge the same prices for daycare attendance.

Unfunded facilities are licensed daycares that either choose not to receive, or are not eligible to receive annual operating grants.

Choosing not to receive an annual operating grant gives licensed daycare providers more control over how they structure their prices.

Where can I find a list of licensed daycares in Manitoba?

If you’re looking for daycare openings in Winnipeg, we recommend using Dianna.

Dianna is an online tool that shows you Winnipeg daycares with the shortest waitlists near you.

However, if you’re looking for a list of all licensed daycares in Manitoba, the provincial government provides an interactive directory of licensed child care providers that you can use to find a licensed daycare near you.

Enter your address or postal code and search the government website for a list of licensed daycares near you.

You can restrict your search to only show you daycares near you that are:

• 24 hour daycares
• Provide care to infants, toddlers, or preschool children
• Open overnight and on weekends
• French speaking
• Funded home daycares
• Etc

Licensed daycares in Winnipeg make up over half of all licensed daycare providers in Manitoba.

We recently published a list of the best daycares in Winnipeg that includes the best:

• Montessori daycares in Winnipeg.
• Bilingual French and English daycares.
• 24 hour and extended hour daycares.
• Daycares for special needs care in Winnipeg.

According to a 2023 study, the Winnipeg has an average daycare rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars and only 3% of daycares have a 1 star average rating.

What is the difference between licensed and unlicensed child care?

Below are some of the differences between licensed and unlicensed daycares in Manitoba.

• The provincial government monitors licensed daycares but not unlicensed daycares.
• Licensed daycares receive government grants and access to child care consultants while unlicensed daycares do not.
• Licensed daycares can care for more children than unlicensed daycares.
• Unlicensed daycares are required to comply with fewer child care standards than licensed daycares.
• Licensed daycares can choose to provide $10 a day daycare while unlicensed daycares cannot.
• Child care subsidies can be granted to assist with paying for licensed daycare but not for unlicensed daycare.

Specialty licensed daycares in Manitoba

Manitoba has several bilingual French and English speaking daycares. However, 24 hour daycares, after hours daycares, and daycares that operate on weekends are not common in Manitoba.

Daycare programs in Manitoba

The majority of daycares in Manitoba are play-based. Play-based daycare is a form of structured childcare characterised by free play and planned daycare activities.

However, not all play-based daycares are alike. Different play-based daycares may have specific areas of focus.

For example, some play-based daycares, such as francophone daycares, focus on bilingual vocabulary building. While play-based daycares, such as Christian daycares, incorporate elements of faith and religion into daycare activities.

Although the majority of daycares in Manitoba are play-based, there are also non play-based daycares such as Montessori daycares.

Financial assistance for child care in Manitoba

Providing universal child care is an important goal of the provincial government.

The Government of Manitoba provides several programs that help ensure that all parents can afford child care in Manitoba.

Some of these programs include:

• Child care subsidies
• Government-subsidized child care

A child care subsidy is financial assistance provided by the provincial government to help lower income families to pay for licensed daycare in Manitoba.

Government-subsidized child care is financial support provided to daycare providers to assist in meeting the costs of operating licensed daycare facilities.

Receiving financial support through various government grants enables licensed daycare providers to charge parents less fees.

Examples of government-subsidized child care include $10 a day daycare in funded facilities across the province.

How does $10 a day daycare work in Manitoba?

$10 a day daycare is a joint initiative between the Federal and Provincial government to make child care more affordable for Manitoba families.

In 2021, the Federal Government of Canada and the Provincial Government of Manitoba introduced a multi-year plan to lower the average cost of child care to $10 per day by 2026.

However, in March 2023, the Government of Manitoba announced that the goal of reducing the cost of licensed daycare in funded Manitoba daycares to $10 a day had been achieved 3 years ahead of schedule.

There are several differences between how Manitoba implements $10 a day daycare when compared to other Canadian provinces.

For example, $10 a day daycare rates in Manitoba apply to children below the age of seven that are enrolled funded daycares.

However, in other provinces such as Saskatchewan, $10 a day daycare rates apply only to children below the age of six years.

Read: 20 questions to ask daycare providers about their daycare prices