National Child Care Survey, 1988 [Canada]: Other Child Records

In addition to information on child care regulated by provincial or territorial legislation, the CNCCS examines 'informal child care'. Informal arrangements include self-care, often called 'latch-key' arrangements, care provided by parents and other family members, neighbours, friends and by licensed and unlicensed in-home providers.

The survey also provides reliable estimates of the number of children using these informal arrangements. Further, differentiating between paid and unpaid informal day care allowed the CNCCS to examine familial, non-familial, formal and informal child care separately. Finally, the CNCCS examines care used by at-home parents as well as care arrangements used while parents work, study, participate in voluntary organizations, or attend to personal and family matters.