What Child Care Costs Markham Families Now and How It Fits a Home Budget

Family Budget Guide · Markham · November 2026

By Michael John Lau, REALTOR® · Kaizen Real Estate Team · Updated November 4, 2026

Every young Markham family knows this moment. You find a home you love. The numbers work on paper. Then the first daycare bill arrives, and the monthly budget suddenly feels very different.

Child care is one of the biggest monthly costs for families with little ones. Yet it is often the last thing people count when they choose a price range. The good news is that the cost of child care in Markham is clearer today than it has been in years.

Michael John Lau, REALTOR®, leads the Kaizen Real Estate Team in Markham. This guide explains what child care costs right now, what is confirmed and what is not, and how to count it before you fall in love with a home.

What does child care cost Markham families in 2026?

Ontario sets the fees for licensed child care that takes part in the Canada wide Early Learning and Child Care program. Here is where things stand today:

• Since January 1, 2025, fees at participating licensed centres have been capped at $22 a day for children under six.
• That cap brought the average down to about $19 a day.
• On September 29, 2026, Canada and Ontario announced a four year extension of their child care agreement.
• Ontario committed to keep fees at about $19 a day on average until June 30, 2027.

Two details matter. First, $19 is an average. Your centre could charge less, or up to the $22 cap. Second, the cap applies to centres enrolled in the program. Before you sign anything, ask each centre if it participates and what your daily fee will be.

A tale of two Markham families

Picture two young couples. Both have a toddler. Both receive the same mortgage approval. Both start shopping in the same price range.

The first couple shops right up to their approval. They find a beautiful home with an extra bedroom and a bigger yard. Then daycare starts. Every month feels tight, and the home they wanted starts to feel like pressure.

The second couple does one thing differently. Before they look at a single listing, they write down the daycare bill. They choose a price range that leaves room for it. Same approval. Same city. A very different feeling at the end of every month.

This is an example, not a real client story. It shows why Michael John Lau starts every family home search with the monthly budget, not the listing photos.

Why your approval number is not your budget

When a lender reviews your application, the focus is on your income, your housing costs and the debts you already pay. A daycare bill is not a loan, so it may not show up in that math at all.

That means a lender can approve a payment that your real life cannot carry comfortably. Your approval tells you the most you can borrow. Your budget tells you what you can live with.

Ask your mortgage professional how your lender treats child care, then plan with the number that lets you sleep well at night.

How to count child care in your monthly home budget

Five steps to build a family home budget

1. Start with your monthly take home pay, not your gross income.
2. Subtract child care. For a safer plan, use the $22 cap rather than the $19 average.
3. Subtract your other fixed costs, such as your car, insurance, groceries and savings.
4. What is left is your comfortable range for the mortgage payment, property tax, utilities and any condo fees.
5. Compare that range with your approval. If your approval is higher, let the comfortable number lead.

Why plan at the cap? Because fees after June 30, 2027 have not been announced. Planning at $22 builds in a cushion. For one child in this example, that cushion is $63 a month. If fees stay near $19, the difference simply becomes savings.

What happens after June 30, 2027?

What is confirmed: the extension brings Ontario nearly $12 billion in federal funding from March 31, 2027 to March 31, 2031. Both governments say they will work together over the next year on a sustainable path for child care in Ontario.

What is not confirmed: any fee level after June 30, 2027.

New funding is a good sign. It is not a fee promise. A careful family plans for both possibilities, and that is exactly what the example above is built to do.

Where new child care centres are planned in Markham

The York Region District School Board lists three new Markham elementary schools that are planned to include a child care centre. All dates below are proposed and subject to municipal and ministry approvals.

School	Proposed opening
Angus Glen South ES	September 2028
Markham Centre ES	September 2028
Village Parkway ES	September 2029

For Markham Centre ES and Village Parkway ES, the board says a boundary review to set the attendance area begins in fall 2026. A planned centre is not a promised spot, and timelines can move. If a future school matters to your family, check the board's latest plans before you buy and again before you register.

Where the October rate hike fits

On October 28, 2026, the Bank of Canada raised its policy rate to 2.50%. That matters for anyone with a variable rate or an upcoming renewal. It is one more reason to know your full monthly number, child care included, before you set a price range. For the full picture, read Michael John Lau's guide to the October 28, 2026 Bank of Canada decision and Markham mortgage renewals.

The lesson: buy for the life you are building

The right home is not the most expensive one you qualify for. It is the one that still feels good on a Tuesday in February, when the mortgage, the daycare bill and real life all arrive in the same week. Families who count child care first choose with confidence, and they enjoy the home they choose.

Keep reading

• The Markham Neighbourhood Guide for Families in 2026
• What Can a First Time Buyer Afford in Markham?
• The 2026 First Time Buyer Money Guide for Markham
• The October 28, 2026 Rate Decision and Markham Mortgage Renewals

Frequently asked questions

How much does child care cost in Markham right now?

At licensed centres enrolled in Ontario's child care program, fees for children under six are capped at $22 a day, and the average is about $19 a day. Centres outside the program set their own fees.

Will child care stay at $19 a day in Markham?

Ontario has committed to keep fees at about $19 a day on average until June 30, 2027, as part of the four year extension announced on September 29, 2026. No fee level has been announced after that date.

How much should I budget each month for child care?

As an example only, $19 a day for 21 billed days is about $399 a month for one child. At the $22 cap, it is about $462 a month. Ask your centre for its actual monthly fee.

Do mortgage lenders count child care when they approve me?

Lenders mainly look at your income, housing costs and existing debts. Child care is not a loan, so it may not be part of the approval math. Your own budget should always include it. Ask your mortgage professional how your lender handles it.

Are new child care centres planned at Markham schools?

Yes. York Region District School Board plans include child care centres at Angus Glen South ES and Markham Centre ES, both proposed to open in September 2028, and Village Parkway ES, proposed to open in September 2029. All dates are subject to approvals.