A prospective student asked how solo parents (applying with kids but no spouse) manage childcare while attending university in Canada. The thread laid out the real trade-offs:
- Option A — childcare centres in Canada. Members confirmed daycare/childcare centres are the standard route, and some school-linked subsidies can offset the cost. But others warned centres are expensive, and the numbers matter (see point 3).
- Option B — leave the child with childcare in your home country for the study period. Several members argued this is far cheaper and easier for a short program: hire help or rely on family at home for the months (or a year) of study, then reunite. One member described a family splitting the application — one parent studying while the other stayed behind with the kids on a later visitor-visa plan.
- Do the budget honestly before deciding. The most substantive comment ran the economics: with a child along you generally can't take the cheapest shared/PG accommodation, so housing costs rise; you're capped at part-time work hours while studying; and childcare fees come on top. Solo-parent study is possible, but the combined cost structure is much heavier than the single-student budget most applicants plan around.
- Note: work-hour caps for students and childcare subsidy programs change over time — verify current rules and provincial subsidy eligibility before building your plan on them.