Indicator of Your Child’s Rank on the Waiting List

A rank indicator is available in the Childcare Services Registration Portal for any child who is registered on the waiting list of a childcare centre (CPE) or a subsidized day care centre.

This monthly updated indicator helps you track the approximate evolution of your child’s rank.

To view the rank indicator associated to each admission request in a CPE or a subsidized day care centre, follow these steps :

1. Go to My admission requests.
2. On the following page, click on the arrow on the right side of the desired childcare service’s name.
3. Select “Display.”
4. Click on “View rank indicator” to see the information.

Home childcare services and non-subsidized day care centres use a different admission process and do not display a rank indicator.

The indicator is updated on the first day of each month. It displays a graphic that shows your child’s rank compared to other children who are in the same age bracket and who are registered on the waiting list of the same childcare service as your child.

The classification takes two key criteria into account: the ordering category assigned to your child and the preferred admission date.

Ordering Categories

Ordering categories are used to ensure that childcare spaces are distributed fairly.

The order on the waiting list is set automatically according to five categories:  

• category 1: child of a member of the childcare service staff residing at the same address as a child who is already admitted to the childcare service
• category 2: child of a member of the childcare service staff
• category 3: child residing at the same address as a child who is already admitted to the childcare service
• category 4: child who is not already admitted to a CPE or a subsidized day care centre
• Category 5: child who does not fit in any of the above categories.

Time Elapsed on the Waiting List

For each category, the children’s ranking order is determined by the time elapsed on the waiting list since the preferred admission date indicated in their file.

If a child is registered on a waiting list after the preferred admission date, the elapsed time will be calculated from that registration date for that childcare service.

Although spaces in childcare services can become available throughout the year, two periods are particularly favourable to new admissions: at the beginning of the year in January and when 4–5 year-old children return to school in September.

The rank indicator is updated monthly to offer an estimated projection of your child’s rank for the next admission period.

Your child’s rank changes regularly, depending on:

• the addition of new children who could be prioritized depending on the ordering categories or the time elapsed on the waiting list
• the withdrawal of children who have found a space elsewhere, who have moved, or whose family situation has changed
• indicator updates for the ranking of children in categories

As a result, these fluctuations may cause your child’s rank to drop or rise in the waiting list, regardless of the time they have waited.

For your child to be admitted in a childcare service when a space becomes available, they must meet the specific characteristics required for the space and have the highest rank among children who meet those criteria.

If the available space meets your needs and your child is at the top of the waiting list, they will be referred for admission.

Watch this explanatory video on how the rank indicator works and is calculated.