Child Care Centres provide care for children in a group setting. All child care centres are licensed under the Day Nurseries Act and are annually inspected by staff from the provincial Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Centres are licensed for a maximum number of children who are grouped together by age. There are also maximum group sizes and staff to child ratios that vary according to the age of the children. Every group of children must have at least one trained staff that has their Early Childhood Education diploma or equivalent qualification.

Child care centres can offer services for children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. Some centres provide care for all ages within this range, while others only offer care for certain ages, such as toddlers and pre-school children. The operating hours for centres varies, but most provide full-time care Monday to Friday during regular working hours. Some centres also offer part-time care as well as before and/or after-school care.