Child care for young children with disabilities.

Background: More than half (56%) of Canadian children aged 0 to 5 years are in non-parental child care, but data on child care attendance among children with disabilities is limited. This study examines child care participation among young children with disabilities in Canada, with a focus on different disability types.

Data and methods: Analyses were conducted on 1,189 children aged 0 to 5 years identified with disabilities from Statistics Canada's 2023 Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements - Children with Long-term Conditions and Disabilities. Rates of child care participation, difficulties finding child care, difficulties within child care, and whether parents reported that their child had ever been denied a child care space because of their condition were examined. Logistic regression models tested for differences in the main child care arrangement and difficulty finding child care based on the child's disability while controlling for sociodemographic variables.

Results: Among children aged 0 to 5 years with disabilities, 45% attended a daycare centre, preschool, centre de la petite enfance, or before or after school care as their main child care arrangement; 17% attended another type of child care, such as a family child care home or care by a relative; and 38% did not regularly attend non-parental child care. The parents of nearly half of children with disabilities reported difficulty finding a child care arrangement, particularly for children with emotional conditions. Close to 1 in 10 parents of children with disabilities who were using child care reported that their child had been denied a child care space because of their condition.

Interpretation: These findings highlight the need for information to support inclusive policies, practices, and resources for children with disabilities within the Canada-wide early learning and child care system.