Quebec’s daycare sector faces possible closures after new staffing rules reduced licensed spaces by 12% in three months. Operators say stricter quotas on educator-child ratios forced cuts. The regulations officially took effect June 1, 2026, causing 400 fewer spots in Montreal alone. Parents report scrambling to secure care as waitlists lengthen or disappear immediately. Some facilities now limit hours or shut down, leaving families scrambling for backups. Hundreds of toddlers today share spots in classrooms already operating over capacity. The challenge comes as Quebec City investigators probe a toddler’s fall from a second-floor window at an unlicensed centre last week. No major injuries were documented in that incident.