Licensed Daycares in Ottawa, ON

Daycare & Childcare in Ottawa

Ottawa has 279 licensed childcare providers (265 group centres and 14 licensed family homes), all regulated by Ontario's Ministry of Education. Every provider in the MapleCub directory participates in CWELCC (Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care), the programme that has reduced parent fees substantially for children under six. Ottawa is a distinctly bilingual city, and its licensed childcare network reflects that: French-language, English-language, and bilingual centres all appear in the directory. Whether your family needs English or French programming (or a community cooperative), Ottawa's 279-provider network offers meaningful variety. This guide helps you navigate it.

What to know about childcare in Ottawa

**Ontario licensing in Ottawa**

All 279 Ottawa providers on MapleCub hold licences from Ontario's Ministry of Education under the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA). This framework sets staff-to-child ratio requirements, indoor and outdoor space standards, and Early Childhood Educator qualification rules. Ontario's public dataset does not break out age-group or capacity data by centre, so this directory cannot confirm which ages each Ottawa provider serves. That information is best obtained by contacting centres directly.

**CWELCC fee reductions across all providers**

All 279 licensed Ottawa providers in this directory participate in CWELCC, which delivered a targeted 50% average fee reduction to eligible families in Ontario. The City of Ottawa also serves as the Service System Manager for childcare in the Ottawa area, which means income-tested subsidies are coordinated locally. Families with lower incomes should contact the City of Ottawa's Early Learning and Child Care team to apply for additional fee assistance beyond CWELCC.

**The bilingual dimension**

Ottawa's licensed network includes providers operating entirely or partly in French. Providers like La Toupie and Garderie Tunney's Child Care are among the French-language options in the directory, and Children On The Hill / Les Enfants de la Colline operates bilingually. Families seeking French-language childcare in Ottawa should filter for French-named centres and confirm the language of instruction directly, as language programming is not captured in the provincial dataset.

**Community-based and multi-site providers**

Ottawa has a strong tradition of community-based childcare. Andrew Fleck Children's Services (now operating under the name Andrew Fleck Child Care Services) is the city's largest single operator, running multiple locations including Alta Vista, Carleton Heights, Charles Hulse, Overbrook, Colonel By, Wellington, Kanata, Manotick Nursery School, Glebe Fifth Ave., Glebe First Ave., Glebe Hopewell, Glebe Muchmor, Forest Explorers, Vanier 2, and others. Andrew Fleck also operates a home child care network. Other providers include Tiny Hoppers (Downtown Ottawa, Orléans, and Findlay Creek campuses), ABC Infant and Toddler Centre, ABC Preschool Centre, Acorn Early Learning Centre, Mooney's Bay Early Learning Centre, and the Bettye Hyde Cooperative Early Learning Centre, one of Ottawa's long-standing co-op models.

**Planning your search**

Start by clarifying whether you need English, French, or bilingual programming, and whether a large multi-site operator or a smaller independent centre better fits your family. Because age-group breakdowns are not available in the provincial dataset, call or email your shortlisted providers to confirm they have space for your child's age. Waitlists in Ottawa can be competitive, particularly for infant rooms, so beginning your search early (ideally before or during pregnancy) is strongly recommended.