This post is a detailed guide to finding a daycare in Regina.
In this post, I’ll provide answers to frequently asked questions about Regina daycares.
I’ll also explain the different types of child care available and show you how to find a daycare in Regina.
Let’s jump right in.
Frequently asked questions about daycare in Regina
How to find daycare openings in Regina
If you’re looking for daycare openings in Regina, we recommend using Dianna.
Dianna is an online tool that shows you Regina daycares with short waitlists near you.
Dianna saves you from having to make lots of phone calls to find daycares 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 long are daycare waitlists in Regina?
According to a 2023 study, daycares in Regina have a median of 15 children on a daycare waitlist.
How many kids can you have in a daycare in Regina?
A home daycare can have a maximum of either 8 children or 12 children. This depends on whether or not the home daycare is licensed and which classification the daycare has as a licensed home daycare.
Each staff member in a home daycare can care for a maximum of 8 children depending on the age groups of the enrolled children.
Daycare centers can have up to 90 children. However, the actual maximum number of children that a daycare center can have will vary from one daycare center to another.
Each staff member in a daycare center can care for a maximum of either 3 infants, 5 toddlers, 10 preschool children, or 15 school age children.
Are daycares in Regina good?
According to a 2022 study:
- Only 2% of Regina daycares have a 1 star average rating.
- Daycares in the city of Regina are rated 4.4 out of 5 stars on average.
- 56% of Regina daycares with at least one online review have a 5 star average rating.
When do daycares in Regina open and close?
Most daycares in Regina are open between 7:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m from Monday to Friday.
Daycare hours of operation vary and some daycares will open and close earlier or later than others.
Night care in Regina is not common, there are few 24 hour daycares in Regina, and most Regina daycares close over the weekend.
If you work a night shift and need to enroll your child in a daycare during the night, you may find a hard time finding a daycare whose hours of operation extend into the night.
If you need child care on Saturdays or Sundays, you may also find a hard time finding a daycare that is open for business on weekends.
However, home daycare providers tend to be more flexible regarding daycare hours of operation.
You might be able to create a special child care arrangement with a home daycare provider to provide child care for your child at night or over the weekend.
What to pack for daycare in Regina
Read our guide on what to pack for daycare for Regina parents.
The guide also includes a free downloadble daycare packing PDF checklist.
What is the best daycare in Regina?
To find the best daycare in Regina, I compiled a list of daycare providers in Regina for each of the following categories:
- Bilingual French and English daycares
- Montessori daycares
- 24 hour daycares
- Daycares that offer extended hour care
- Daycares that specialize in caring for children with special needs
I then ranked the daycares in each category based on the following factors to determine the best daycares in each category:
- Parent reviews
- The daycare environment
- The daycare program
However, I only used publicly available information when determining which daycares are the best in each category.
No in-person visits or interviews with parents or daycare providers were conducted.
Disclaimer: This list is neither an endorsement nor recommendation of any listed daycare. The daycares below are listed based on subjective evaluation.
The best bilingual French daycares in Regina
Below are the best bilingual French and English daycares in Regina. The list below includes both bilingual daycare centers and home daycares.
These daycares are purported to provide the best French and English immersion environment according to publicly available information at the time of writing this post.
Best Montessori daycare in Regina
Montessori accreditation in Regina is common with preschools and elementary schools but less so with daycares.
Generally speaking, this has to do with the fact that the Montessori method provides little practical benefit to infants and young toddlers.
Therefore, when a Montessori daycare accepts children as young as infants, that daycare may incorporate other philosophies of education into their daycare program, not just Montessori.
However, not being accredited doesn’t necessarily mean that a Montessori daycare doesn’t provide an authentic Montessori experience.
Below are the best Montessori daycares and preschools in Regina according to publicly available information at the time of writing this post.
- Megaw’s Montessori Academy Preschool. Children must be at least 3 years old on their first day of school in order to attend Megaw’s Montessori Academy Preschool at the time of writing this post.
- Montessori School of Regina (East). Children must be at least 2.5 years old on their first day of school in order to attend Montessori School of Regina at the time of writing this post.
- Montessori School of Regina (South). Children must be at least 2.5 years old on their first day of school in order to attend Montessori School of Regina at the time of writing this post.
No guarantees are provided that the daycares listed above are accredited or that the minimum age group information shown is still accurate.
Each Montessori daycare in Regina likely has their own area of focus when implementing the Montessori method in their daycare.
I recommend asking a few questions to find out more about each daycare’s Montessori approach when considering enrolling your child with that daycare provider.
Top rated 24 hour daycares in Regina
At the time of writing this post, only 4 licensed daycares seem to offer 24 hour daycare in Regina.
However, I could not find any public reviews, daycare photos, or information about the daycare programs of any of them.
For a list of licensed 24 hour daycares in Regina, visit the Government of Saskatchewan website.
Best daycare for special needs children in Regina
“Special needs” is a very broad term and different special needs conditions have unique care requirements.
Multiple daycares in Regina provide special needs care.
However, each daycare likely has varying levels of experience in dealing with your child’s specific condition.
Therefore, although parents with special needs children highly recommend the daycares listed below, these daycares may not necessarily be the right fit for your child’s condition.
Below is a list of the best daycares in Regina for special needs care that I could find.
I came across Pathways Learning Centre while researching this post. Although it is not a daycare, parents with special needs children highly recommend Pathways Learning Centre.
Top rated extended hour daycares in Regina
Extended hour daycares in Regina provide child care on weekends or remain open on week days after regular work hours but without operating 24 hours a day.
Below is a list of the best extended hour daycares in Regina.
How much does licensed daycare cost in Regina?
If your child attends a licensed daycare that participates in the $10 a day daycare program:
- Licensed daycare in Regina costs $217.50 per month for children below six years of age that attend daycare for at least 10 days per month.
- Licensed daycare in Regina costs $10 per day for children below six years of age that attend daycare for fewer than 10 days per month.
Although most licensed daycares participate in the $10 a day daycare program, not all licensed daycare providers participate in this program.
Therefore, always confirm whether or not a particular licensed daycare provider participates in the $10 a day program by asking them directly.
Read: 20 questions to ask daycare providers about their child care prices
How does $10 a day daycare work in Regina?
For each child under the age of six years that you enroll in a licensed daycare in Regina, the Ministry of Education will pay a portion of that child’s daycare fees directly to your child care provider.
As a parent, you only pay $217.50 per month if your child attends daycare for at least 10 days per month. If your child attends daycare for less than 10 days per month, then you pay $10 per day that your child attends daycare.
There are no part-time, weekly, or hourly enrollment fees under $10 a day daycare. Your child can only be enrolled on a full time basis or daily basis depending on whether or not they attend daycare for at least 10 days per month.
Who is eligible for $10 a day daycare?
To be eligible for $10 a day daycare, you simply need to have a child under the age of six years old that is enrolled in either a licensed home daycare or a daycare center.
As a parent, you do not have to submit any application forms for $10 a day daycare. Your daycare provider will take care of that for you.
Does immigrant status affect eligibility for $10 a day daycare?
Your status as an immigrant or permanent resident does not affect your eligibility for $10 a day daycare.
You are eligible for $10 a day daycare as long as you have a child below the age of six years that attends a participating licensed daycare.
How much did licensed daycare cost before $10 a day daycare?
According to a 2020 survey, the median full-time monthly child enrollment fees charged by daycare centers in Regina prior to $10 a day daycare were as follows:
- $852 per infant
- $675 per toddler
- $625 per preschool child
The median full-time monthly child enrollment fees charged by home daycares in Regina prior to $10 a day daycare were as follows:
- $775 per infant
- $700 per toddler
- $650 per preschool child
Our daycare cost calculator tool shows you how much you would have paid for daycare before the $10 a day daycare initiative versus how much you are likely to pay for daycare now.
Licensed home daycare prices vs daycare center prices before $10 a day daycare
Based on the median full-time fees provided in a 2020 survey prior to $10 a day daycare:
- Fees for full-time infants are 10% higher in Regina daycare centers than in licensed home daycares.
- Fees for full-time toddlers are 3.7% higher in Regina licensed home daycares than in daycare centers.
- Fees for full-time preschool children are 4% higher in Regina licensed home daycares than in daycare centers.
Types of child care in Regina
Child care in Regina is no different from the rest of Saskatchewan.
There are two types of child care in Saskatchewan:
- Licensed child care
- Unlicensed child care
Licensed daycares are regulated and monitored by the Ministry of Education and are required to maintain specific service standards.
Although unlicensed daycares are not monitored by the Ministry of Education, unlicensed daycares are still required to meet basic standards of child care such as proper staff to child ratios and maintaining a safe environment for enrolled children.
Licensed vs unlicensed daycare in Regina
The decision to enroll your child in either a licensed or unlicensed daycare comes down to how you feel about the actual person that will be caring for your child.
But it also comes down to what you can afford to pay for daycare.
Some unlicensed daycare providers in Regina that are absolutely wonderful.
However, if you enroll your child in an unlicensed daycare, you won’t be eligible for the Early Learning and Child Care grant ($10 a day daycare) or for a child care subsidy.
Use our child care subsidy calculator to get an estimate for the child care subsidy amount that you may be eligible to receive when enrolled in a licensed daycare in Regina.
The Child Care Subsidy program has been replaced by the Saskatchewan Employment Incentive
What does “city licensed” mean?
The city of Regina requires all home daycare providers, whether they provide licensed child care or not, to obtain a residential business license.
A residential business license is a permit to operate a home-based business out of your home.
“City licensed” is a term that some unlicensed home daycare providers use to mean that they possess a residential business license.
Being “city licensed” means that a home daycare provider has been granted permission by the city of Regina to operate a business out of their home.
It does not mean that a home daycare provides licensed child care. A home daycare can only provide licensed child care if that home daycare provider has been granted a license from the Ministry of Education.
Meaning, licensed home daycare providers in the city of Regina possess two licenses:
- A residential business license that allows them to use their home to run a daycare business.
- A license from the Ministry of Education that verifies that home daycare as a licensed child care provider.
On the other hand, unlicensed home daycare providers in the city of Regina only possess a residential business license.
Regina parent and daycare provider online groups
Facebook groups can be a great place to find daycare openings and solicit the advice of parents and daycare providers.
Below are links to Facebook groups that you might find useful as a parent searching for daycare in Regina:
Licensed daycare in Regina
Where can I find a list of licensed daycares in Regina?
Regina has over 170 licensed daycares as of December 2022.
If you’re looking for daycare openings in Regina, we recommend using Dianna.
Dianna is an online tool that shows you Regina daycares with short waiting lists near you.
However, if you’re looking for a list of all licensed daycare providers in Regina, you can find that on the government website.
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
- Daycares accepting infants, toddlers, or preschool children
- Daycares with extended hours
- Francophone daycares
- Daycare centers
- Home daycares
- Etc
Specialty daycares in Regina
4 licensed daycares offer 24 hour daycare, 5 licensed daycares offer extended hours of operation, and there are 6 licensed francophone daycares in Regina as of December 2022.
Map showing licensed daycares in Regina
Below is a map showing licensed daycare centers and home daycares in Regina as of December 2022.
As the map below shows, North and South Regina have a relatively higher daycare distribution than East Regina.
The best place to live for families that need daycare in Regina
One of the most important decisions to make as a parent that needs daycare is deciding where to buy a home or where to rent in the city of Regina.
Read: Where to live, rent, and buy a home in Regina
This article is very helpful thank you.
Thank you!
Great article- thank you!