Licensed Preschool in Saint Lazare, QC

Preschool in Saint Lazare

Saint-Lazare's rated centres average 4.58, against 4.52 for Quebec as a whole. Eight of the 14 have at least three reviews, which is a better-than-usual sample for a town of this size. Thirteen of the 14 carry the reduced-contribution rate. One doesn't. That leaves an unusually simple picture on cost and an unusually crowded one on supply, because Saint-Lazare has grown fast as a Vaudreuil-Soulanges commuter town and the licensed places have not kept pace with the subdivisions. The three top-rated centres all sit at 5.0. Two of them are the same operator.

What to know about childcare in Saint Lazare

Le Royaume des Enfants de Saint-Lazare runs two installations, and both hold 5.0 across nine reviews each. Treat that as one data point, not two. CPE les Amis du Carre de Sable also sits at 5.0, on four reviews. The CPE label matters more than the score. A CPE is non-profit and board-governed. It is required to hold the subsidised rate, and in Vaudreuil-Soulanges that combination means its waiting list is usually the longest in the area.

Twelve of the 14 are licensed for infants under a year and all 14 cover toddlers and preschool, and because Quebec publishes those permits in its registry the infant figure here is a fact rather than an estimate, which is not true of the Ontario pages on this site.

Saint-Lazare is a commuter town, and that shapes the day more than any centre's rating does. A lot of parents here drive to Montreal's West Island or take the exo train from Vaudreuil, which means opening and closing times decide the shortlist before quality does. Ask about the closing time first. Ask what the late fee is second. A centre that shuts at 17:30 is unusable if you get off the train at 17:50, however good it is.

One centre in town does not carry the reduced rate and bills market fees instead. Families there claim Quebec's refundable tax credit for childcare expenses, which for most incomes lands close to the subsidised daily figure by the end of the year but requires paying the full amount monthly and waiting for the credit, so if cash flow is tight that difference is the whole story. Register on the Portail d'inscription aux services de garde regardless of which route you expect to take.