Child Care - Frequently Asked Questions

CFMWS can help you with your child care needs in several ways: 

Child Care Navigators: CFMWS has child care experts who cover each province and territory. Their role is to help you understand the child care landscape, including the types of child care options, to guide you in your search, and to help you connect with a child care provider, whether it's your Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) or a civilian/external child care provider.  

To book an appointment with a Child Care Navigator, complete this intake form or email [email protected].  

Military Family Resource Centres: MFRCs connect military families to a wide range of programs and services, including child care providers. As well, some offer child care services. Check with your local MFRC. 

Family Information Line: You can contact the Family Information Line (FIL) to be connected with a Child Care Navigator or with your local MFRC. Call 1-800-866-4546 (Canada) or 00-800-771-17722 (International). 

Online resources: To find out about various child care topics, consult our online information and tip sheets.

Yes, there’s the following financial assistance: 

Assistance for Military Duty Absence (AMDA): AMDA provides financial assistance for members to offset some of the additional expenses related to the care of their dependants as a result of being absent from their home for service reasons outside of normal working hours. This applies to all CAF families. 

Emergency Family Care Assistance (EFCA): The EFCA provides financial support to military and medically released Veteran families after all avenues of support provided by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Director General Compensation and Benefits (DGCB) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) have been explored and/or enacted and are insufficient to meet a family’s emergency needs. The EFCA partially covers costs incurred during unexpected taskings, medical emergencies, relocations, bereavement support and other unique situations. 

Dependant Care Assistance: Under the House Hunting Trip (HHT) of the Canadian Armed Forces Relocation Directive (CAFRD), a member is entitled to dependant care assistance. Dependant care assistance reimburses dependant care expenses that are in excess of existing dependant care arrangements. The expenses may be at both the member’s current and new location.  

Support Our Troops National Summer Camps: Offers reimbursement for eligible military families to send their dependents to accredited summer camps.  

Caregiver Benefit: Reimburses child care expenses for ill or injured members. To be eligible, a member must have a dependent child living with them and require caregiver assistance due to their impairment. Benefit covers reasonable expenses for child care activities and supervision.

Licensed: Includes full-day child care centres, some home-based care, nursery schools, and preschools. They’re inspected and regulated by provincial/territorial authorities. 

Unlicensed: Most often, unlicensed child care is home-based. They’re not inspected nor regulated by provincial/territorial authorities. 

Centre-based: Services in commercial buildings that must meet licensing requirements and early learning standards. 

Kindergarten: In most provinces/territories, kindergarten is integrated into the public school system and regulated by provincial/territorial governments, with starting ages varying by province/territory. Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec operate 2-year part day or full day kindergarten beginning at age 4; other provinces/territories begin at age 5.   

Before and after school programs: These programs can be licensed or unlicensed, complementing the school day with activities, quiet times, and outdoor play.  

Home-based (also known as family day home): Care provided by a relative or non-relative in the caregiver’s or child’s home. Can be licensed or unlicensed. They have fewer children and more flexible hours than centre-based or community-based child care. They often offer several types of care (full-time, part-time, emergency, before and after school). 

Community-based: Provided by community resources. Can be licensed or unlicensed. An unlicensed community child care program has to follow standards, by-laws and requirements set out by other governing authorities. 

• Camps/recreation programs: Available part-time or full-time, typically during holidays (e.g., Christmas) and summer break. 
• Drop-in playgroups: Activities for children where caregivers attend with their children. 
• Prenatal and Postpartum Program (PNP3): Offers member takes part in targeted fitness and wellness services during the specific life stages of pregnancy and maternal/parental leave, targeted fitness and wellness services during the specific life stages of pregnancy and maternal/parental leave. 

Flexible care: Short-term, adaptable child care for specific needs (e.g., emergencies, respite during deployment or relocation, medical appointments, or regular weekly schedules). Can be licensed or unlicensed. 

• Occasional: Drop-in programs offering part-time and temporary child care to provide primary caregivers with a break from care. Includes casual care, transition care (i.e., during deployment and relocation), and respite care. Can be licensed or unlicensed. Available through some MFRC programs. 
• Respite care for special needs: Provides extra support or a temporary break for caregivers of a child/ren with special needs. Can be licensed or unlicensed. Available through some Military Family Resource Centres, Special Needs Program, and the National Child and Youth Disability Reimbursement Program. 
• Emergency: Temporary, short-term care for emergencies, unexpected events, and short-notice situations that disrupt the normal child care arrangements, or when primary and secondary family care providers are unavailable.
• Extended hours: Offered outside standard business hours (e.g., evenings, nights, weekends). Can be licensed or unlicensed. Includes PSP Weekend Clubs and other extended hours MFRC programming. 

That’s a tricky question since the terms can refer to different stages and types of early childhood education. Following is what is commonly understood across Canada: 

Nursery school: Generally for children aged 2-4 

• Structure: Focused on play based learning and socialization 
• Duration: typically part-time, a few hours a day, a few days a week 
• Note: Also referred to as a part-time program 

Preschool: Typically for children aged 3-5 

• Structure: Play-based learning is a common approach in early childhood education across Canada. Some provinces follow specific curricula, such as Ontario’s ‘How Does Learning Happen?’ pedagogy.” 
• Duration: Full-time and part-time options 

Kindergarten: Generally for children aged 5, available for children aged 4 in some provinces/territories 

• Structure: Kindergarten is an early childhood education program offered in all provinces/territories, either part school day or full school day. It’s part of the school system with no parent fees, with the exception of the private schooling system.

Full-time: Typically, more than 30 hours a week. Usually covers standard work hours (generally 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM). 

Part-time: Typically, less than 30 hours a week. Can include care for a few hours each day, specific days, or specific hours.