The cost math, honestly
A nanny in Ontario commonly costs twenty to twenty-five dollars an hour or more. For a fifty-hour week that is roughly a thousand dollars a week before vacation pay, holidays, and your obligations as an employer. A nanny is a job you are creating, with the paperwork that comes with it.
Licensed daycare for a child under six, after CWELCC, often costs a small fraction of that per week. For one child, daycare is usually far cheaper. The math can shift if you have two or three children at once, because a nanny's cost does not multiply by child the way daycare fees do.
Socialization and structure
Daycare gives a child a peer group, daily routines, and programming designed for their age. For many children, learning to share, wait, and play with others is a big part of the value. A nanny offers one-on-one attention but a smaller social world, unless they actively arrange playdates and outings.
For an infant, one-on-one care has real appeal. For a two or three-year-old who is ready for peers and a busy room, a centre often becomes the better developmental fit.
Reliability and illness
A nanny is one person. When they are sick, on vacation, or they quit, your care stops until you solve it. A centre stays open through staff illness because it has a team, and it follows clear policies for when a child should stay home.
Neither option removes sick days entirely. Children in any group setting catch more colds early on. But a centre does not leave you scrambling for coverage because a single caregiver is unwell.