By Canadian law, children under 12 years of age cannot be left at home by themselves or care for younger children.
moreThe following organizations have been selected for this topic page from our Community Directory.
Children under the age of 12 can't be left alone at home or care for younger children, according to Canadian law.
Parents often require someone to take care of children while they go to work, attend classes or look for a job. Understanding the child-care system in Ontario will help you decide the type of care that suits your needs.
Kingston offers a range of services for children, including full-time daycare, part-time daycare, home daycare and nursery school. Some families hire a licensed child-care worker to come to their home.
Kingston is also home to child-care centres that encourage children to speak different languages, such as French and Spanish. Many elementary schools also offer before- and after-school care that allows parents to drop off their children early and pick them up later in the day. Many daycares accept children who have special physical needs or disabilities.
Newcomers enrolled in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs may be eligible for free on-site child care while they take language training classes.
The City of Kingston maintains an up-to-date list of home child-care programs and daycare centres that operate within the city (see For More Information links below). It is important to contact daycare centres and put your child on their waiting list as soon as possible, as daycares often have long waiting lists, especially those for infants (up to 18 months).
This website is generously supported by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration and by the Government of Canada through Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Before you arrive
After you arrive