From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 31 of 36
Growing Up at a CPE
1997
Since 1997, many Québec children have gone to a CPE, a childcare centre, before kindergarten. They play, sing and learn there with early childhood educators while their parents are at work.
Look together
What would you build with these blocks?
An idea to try
Build a small tower together with large blocks. Before starting, decide how to share the pieces and ask for help.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
In January 1997, Québec announced a new family policy that emphasized educational childcare. The reform created the centres de la petite enfance network, building on existing non-profit daycares and home-childcare agencies. Places with a parental contribution of $5 a day were introduced gradually: not every family had access as soon as the policy was announced. The policy aimed to support children’s development, equal opportunities and the balance between family and work responsibilities. That price belongs to the reform’s history; it is not today’s rate.
The scene shows an educator and children around blocks. It opens a conversation about the people who accompany play and group life. Every family’s experience is different: your child may talk about a CPE, another kind of daycare or a moment shared with a relative. The picture shows no particular centre.
Sources and illustration notes (4)
An imaginary play scene and educator; no particular CPE is represented.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Légis Québec - Loi sur les centres de la petite enfance, version historique (in French)The 1997 legislative reform that set up the CPE (early childhood centre) system; definition of educational childcare services for young children. Historical version of the 1997 Act.
- Assemblée nationale - Journal des débats du 8 décembre 2005 (in French)Remarks in the National Assembly on the CPE network, created in 1997 from existing services and a community movement.
- Radio-Canada — Le Québec avant les CPE (in French)The 1997 family policy; $5-a-day spaces; a goal of 200,000 spaces.
- Conseil de la famille et de l’enfance — La politique familiale au Québec : visée, portée, durée et rayonnement (2008), BAnQ numérique (in French)Pages 15–16: the January 1997 white paper, the gradual rollout and the goals of the policy.
Page prepared on September 15, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
Tax calculated at checkout. Terms of sale