Statistics Canada recently released a report on childcare participation among off-reserve First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children under the age of 5. The report states that in 2022, 49.3% of First Nations children living off-reserve, 55.9% of Métis children, and 36.2% of Inuit children were in childcare. Participation was higher in large urban centres compared to smaller population centres and rural areas and, for Inuit, higher outside of Inuit Nunangat than inside of the region. Compared to centre-based and home-based childcare, Indigenous-specific childcare had higher rates of parental satisfaction, cultural support, and perceptions of provider understanding of the needs of Indigenous communities. Indigenous parents interested in alternate childcare arrangements generally preferred Indigenous-specific childcare above other forms, but many reported that it was either unavailable to them (25.3%) or that they were on a waitlist (24.9%).
