Recent data obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the City of Toronto, responsible for administering child care programs locally, provides new insight into how staffing shortages are affecting the availability of child care spaces.

Results from the 2024 Operator Survey indicate that 17% of child care operators reported closing rooms for a considerable period, or being unable to open rooms, due to a lack of staff in the past two years. 

The survey, conducted in June 2024, gathered responses from 456 operators and supervisors across Toronto’s licensed child care sector.

The survey also highlights broader workforce pressures. Many operators reported that filling staff vacancies has become significantly more difficult in recent years, particularly for full-time, part-time, and relief positions. These hiring challenges suggest that staffing shortages remain a key constraint on centres’ ability to operate at full capacity. 

While this data provides a local snapshot of conditions in Toronto, provincial findings suggest the issue may extend beyond individual room closures. In its 2025 Performance Audit of Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Program, the Ontario Auditor General reported that approximately 80,500 CWELCC spaces – about 27% of licensed spaces – were unused in 2023 because they were vacant or not operational. 

These figures are not directly comparable. The Toronto survey measures room closures specifically caused by staffing shortages within one municipality, while the Auditor General’s figure reflects unused spaces across the entire province and includes all reasons spaces may not be operating, such as staffing shortages, operational decisions, or other barriers. 

However, considered together, the two sources highlight a broader challenge in Ontario’s child care system: licensed spaces do not always translate into operational spaces that families can access. Local survey data from Toronto shows how staffing shortages can prevent centres from opening rooms, while provincial audit findings suggest that unused capacity exists across the system more broadly.

As governments continue to invest in expanding affordable child care through the CWELCC program, addressing staffing shortages will be essential to ensuring that expansion targets translate into real access for families. Without a sufficient workforce, licensed spaces may remain closed or underused despite increased funding and system growth.