Question 1

Is DaycareMap free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Searching, comparing, saving centres, the guided application, and waitlist tracking are all free. No account is needed to browse. Signing in just syncs your saved centres across devices.

Question 2

Where does the daycare information come from?

Accepted Answer

Official licence data from the City of Toronto and from Ontario's licensed child-care data, British Columbia's child care registry, Alberta's licensed child care data, Nova Scotia's child care directory, Quebec's child care installation registry, New Brunswick's licensed child care data, Newfoundland and Labrador's child care registry, Yukon's licensed child care roster, Nunavut's licensed child care rosters, Prince Edward Island's licensed child care directory, and Manitoba's licensed child care data anchors the directory. Regional and centre-level sources add vacancies, subsidy, websites, and application details where they publish them or we can verify them. Added details are checked on different schedules. Published coverage has partial freshness: Ontario: source snapshot from Aug 31, 2026; checked yesterday, 8:46 p.m.; British Columbia: frozen snapshot from Aug 6, 2026; Alberta: source snapshot from Dec 31, 2025; last successful check today, 1:09 a.m.; no newer file published yet; Nova Scotia: source snapshot from Jun 30, 2026; checked Oct 4, 12:24 a.m.; Quebec: source snapshot from Sep 29, 2026; checked Oct 9, 11:14 p.m.; New Brunswick: source snapshot from Oct 11, 2026; checked today, 7:52 a.m.; Manitoba: source snapshot from Oct 11, 2026; checked today, 9:54 a.m.; Yukon: frozen snapshot from Oct 1, 2026; Prince Edward Island: frozen snapshot from Jul 30, 2024.

Question 3

What does CWELCC mean?

Accepted Answer

CWELCC is the Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care system. Centres that participate cap their base fees for children under 6, roughly $22/day at Ontario's current cap. Each province sets its own cap and runs its own version, so the figure differs outside Ontario. It's a fee-reduction status rather than a flat price. School-age fees and extras are set by the centre, so always confirm the exact fee directly.

Question 4

How does child-care fee subsidy work?

Accepted Answer

It depends on where you live. Ontario: child-care fee subsidy, through your local child-care service manager. British Columbia: Affordable Child Care Benefit, through the Province of British Columbia. Alberta: child care subsidy, through the Government of Alberta. Nova Scotia: Child Care Subsidy Program, through the Province of Nova Scotia. Quebec: reduced-contribution child care, through the Ministère de la Famille. New Brunswick: child care subsidy, through the Government of New Brunswick. Newfoundland and Labrador: Child Care Subsidy Program, through the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Yukon: child care subsidy, through the Government of Yukon. Nunavut: child care subsidy, through the Government of Nunavut. Prince Edward Island: Child Care Subsidy Program, through the Government of Prince Edward Island. Manitoba: Child Care Subsidy Program, through the Government of Manitoba. Applying for help with fees is separate from applying to the daycare itself. The fee-subsidy filter covers Ontario only, and shows a centre only where participation has been verified in a relevant government source. Confirm eligibility and application steps with the administrator for your province.

Question 5

What does an “open spot” or vacancy mean?

Accepted Answer

It means a government or verified source currently lists a vacancy in that program. Vacancy is centre-reported and can be out of date, so treat it as a strong hint to call rather than a guarantee. Vacancy data is not published consistently, so confirm openings directly with every centre.

Question 6

How do daycare waitlists work?

Accepted Answer

Most centres keep their own waitlists and take applications by email, phone, or a form, and each does it differently. Families who apply early and check in periodically tend to move up. DaycareMap drafts your application, keeps all your waitlists in one board, and flags when it's time to follow up.

Question 7

How many centres should I apply to?

Accepted Answer

Most families apply to several. Eight to twelve is common, because spots are scarce and timing is unpredictable. Your board is built to track them all in one place.

Question 8

Is the fee or tuition information guaranteed to be current?

Accepted Answer

No. Fees change and aren't always published. We show CWELCC status and the most recent fee on record where we have it, marked approximate. Always confirm the current fee with the centre.

Question 9

What about my privacy and my child's details?

Accepted Answer

We're Toronto parents too, so we know how much your family's privacy matters. Without signing in, your saved centres and application drafts stay in your browser, on your device. Correction reports you submit are sent to our team for review. If you do log in, we keep your saved centres and waitlists on secure servers so you can reach them from any of your devices. Either way, we never sell your data. See our Privacy page for the details.

Question 10

Which areas do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Published licensed child care across Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba. Official licence data is province-wide in each; vacancy, subsidy, quality, website, and application details vary by local source and centre.

Question 11

Who are you?

Accepted Answer

We're two moms raising our beautiful son in the west end of Toronto. We built DaycareMap because we lived the daycare scramble ourselves and wished something like it already existed.

Questions, answered