FAQ
Common questions
Everything you need to know about finding childcare in Greater Vancouver.
The Service
What exactly does Daycare Finder do?
We help Greater Vancouver families find licensed childcare in two ways: (1) Free search — browse and filter 196 licensed daycares by neighbourhood, age, schedule, and budget. (2) Matching Concierge — you tell us your needs, we contact 10 matched daycares on your behalf, and send you the top 3 that confirm they have availability. Both are completely free for families.
Is searching really free?
Yes, always. You can search, filter, and save a shortlist of daycares at no cost. The Matching Concierge is also free for families — we contact daycares on your behalf at no charge to you.
Who operates Daycare Finder?
Daycare Finder is a local service based in Greater Vancouver. We are not a franchise or a national platform — we focus exclusively on the Metro Vancouver childcare market.
Matching Concierge
What happens after I submit a matching request?
Our team reviews your needs and uses our matching system to identify the 10 most suitable licensed daycares from our database. We then email each daycare on your behalf, describing your child's age, neighbourhood, and schedule — without sharing your personal contact details. Within 3–5 business days, we send you a warm introduction to the daycares that confirm availability.
Will the daycares know my name and contact details?
Not until you consent. During outreach, we describe you only as "a family in [neighbourhood] looking for care for a [age] child." Your name and email are only shared when we make the final introduction — and only to daycares that said yes.
What if fewer than 3 daycares respond positively?
We will let you know honestly. If the initial round does not produce 3 confirmed matches, we explain why and discuss options — such as broadening your neighbourhood range or trying again in a few weeks.
How long does the matching process take?
Typically 3–5 business days from the time you submit your request to receiving your top 3 introduction. We follow up with non-responding daycares at 72 hours.
Is the matching service really free for families?
The matching service is completely free for families. We contact daycares on your behalf at no cost to you. Daycares pay for qualified parent leads — you never pay anything.
Availability & Listings
How do you know which daycares have availability?
We contact daycares directly and ask. That is the key insight behind the Matching Concierge — instead of you emailing 10 daycares and waiting for replies, we do it systematically and only bring you the ones that say yes. Availability signals on listing pages (open/limited/waitlist) are based on the most recent information we have, but confirmed availability only comes through the matching process.
Are all listed daycares licensed?
Yes. Every daycare in our database is licensed by the Province of BC under the Child Care Licensing Regulation. We do not include unlicensed home-based care.
How current is the availability information?
Availability changes frequently. The status shown on each listing (open, limited, waitlist) reflects the most recent signal we have, but it may not be real-time. The Matching Concierge gives you the most accurate picture — we confirm availability directly with each daycare before making an introduction.
For Daycare Providers
How do I get listed on Daycare Finder?
If you are a licensed BC childcare provider in Greater Vancouver, you may already be in our database. Visit the Provider section to claim and update your listing.
How do families contact my daycare through the service?
Through the Matching Concierge, we email your daycare to describe a family that matches your programme. If you respond with availability, we introduce that family to you directly. You are never charged for these introductions — only Partner Providers ($89/month) get priority placement and proactive matching.
Ready to find your daycare?
Browse free or let us find daycares with confirmed availability.