Child care, preschools and tutoring

Parents and guardians rely on a child care centre's website at every stage. They check availability, join a waitlist, register, read the parent handbook, look up fees and closure dates, and follow newsletters about what their child is doing. Tutoring services work the same way, with sign-up forms, schedules and progress updates. If a parent or grandparent who uses a screen reader, magnification or keyboard navigation cannot complete the waitlist form, their child may lose a place in line.

About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). The adults who register children, pay fees and pick them up include people with disabilities, and they need the same access to information as every other family.

Where websites in this sector usually fail

The patterns below come up often on child care, preschool and tutoring websites. They are typical issues, not findings about any particular centre.

What the regulation requires

Under the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation, Man. Reg. 47/2022, organizations with one or more employees in Manitoba have been covered since May 1, 2025. Web content must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA if it was published on or after that date or is needed to access the organization's goods or services (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)). Waitlist and registration forms, fee schedules and parent handbooks are needed to enrol a child, so they are likely to fall within that requirement.

Many centres use a third-party enrolment or parent communication app. Where the centre has no direct control over it, the exceptions in s. 7(2) (opens in a new tab) may be relevant, but they are narrow, and families should still have another way to register and receive updates.

• Notice of accessible formats (s. 5 (opens in a new tab)). Families should know they can ask for the handbook, forms and newsletters in a format that works for them, such as large print or an accessible electronic file.
• Feedback process (s. 9 (opens in a new tab)). There should be an accessible way for families to report barriers, by form, email or phone.
• Training (s. 4 (opens in a new tab)). The director, staff who write newsletters or update the website, and whoever chooses enrolment software fall within the training requirement. Large employers must also document a training policy (s. 4(4) (opens in a new tab)).

What we test first

1. Checking program availability and joining a waitlist
2. Completing a registration form for a child
3. Reading the parent handbook and policies
4. Finding fees, hours and closure dates
5. Reading the latest newsletter
6. Contacting the centre or booking a tour

Each journey is tested with keyboard only, NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, text resized to 200% and content reflowed at 320 CSS px, in addition to automated scans. See our method.

Fixing without a redesign

Child care websites are often bright and playful, and they can stay that way. We work with the least visible change: colours are adjusted by a shade to reach the required contrast, slideshows gain a pause control, form fields gain proper labels, and fee schedules become real tables. We never install overlay widgets, and if anything we repaired is later found not to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, we correct it at no charge.

Read about our services, see a sample report, or contact us for a fixed written quote after an audit. You can also call (431) 816-6210 or email [email protected].

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.