Formal child care is regulated care which takes place away from the child's home and includes attendance at preschool, a child care centre, family day care and occasional care.
Informal care is care which is non-regulated and can take place in the child's home or elsewhere.
It includes care by family members, friends, neighbours and paid babysitters. Parents often use a combination of formal and informal arrangements to provide for children's care needs. The increase in use of formal care by age reflects preschool attendance of three and four year old children. Use of informal care generally decreased as the age of children increased. This pattern contrasts sharply with that for children who used informal care.