Child care in Manitoba – and Canada – has changed a great deal in recent years, with the creation of thousands of new child care spaces and the advent of $10 a day child care in most provinces, including Manitoba. As well, Manitoba recently announced significant wage increases for child care workers in the province.
To better track the impact of these changes on frontline staff, parents and even businesses, the Manitoba Child Care Association asked Probe Research to conduct a series of surveys to help provide a 360-degree look at the improvements and challenges in child care.
This study builds on previous work Probe Research undertook in 2016.
Between February and April 2025, Probe Research, in close collaboration with the MCCA, created and deployed four interlocking surveys of:
- Child care workers, including centre directors and family care providers. Using both MCCA’s membership list and outreach and sharing by directors and on social media, Probe surveyed N=830 child care staff to understand their workplace experiences and policy views.
- Parents. Again with the help of centre directors, social media outreach and Probe’s proprietary panel, Probe surveyed N=1,878 parents across the province.
- Business leaders. Using our annual Manitoba Business Leaders Survey, Probe polled a random and representative sample of N=200 business executives, owners and senior managers to understand the impact of child care on their workforce.
- Average Manitobans. Using our quarterly omnibus survey, Probe polled a random and representative sample of N=1,000 Manitobans about their views on the state of child care.