Childcare, schools and kids' activities in Manotick
Two things are worth knowing before anything else. First, there is one waitlist for the whole city — the City of Ottawa Child Care Registry and Waitlist — and registering on it is the mandatory first step for every licensed centre here. It is free, and anyone asking you for a waitlist deposit is an outlier. Second, register early for everything. Andrew Fleck, which runs the village nursery school, says plainly that it is not unusual to contact more than twenty families about a single vacancy. The tennis club's 2026 season is already full. This is not a hedge; it is how the village works.
Licensed childcare in the village
Five licensed centres have premises in Manotick, and between them they cover from six months to Grade 3.
| Centre | Address | Phone | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rideau Valley Child Care Centre | 5858 Rideau Valley Dr N | 613-692-4625 | 6 months – Grade 3 · 7:00am–5:45pm |
| Manotick Nursery School (Andrew Fleck) | 5572 Doctor Leach Dr | 613-692-2188 | 18 months – 3.8 yrs · half days |
| Earth Kidz Early Learning Centre | 1138 O'Grady St | 613-692-7177 | 12 months – school age |
| My Little Preschool | 815 River Rd | 613-692-0004 | Toddler and preschool · 7:30am–5:30pm |
| Montessori by BrightPath Manotick | 5710 Longshadow St | 1-888-808-2252 | National chain, 15-acre site |
What it actually costs, and why "$10 a day" is not the number
The federal-provincial CWELCC programme cut licensed fees for under-sixes in stages: up to 25 per cent in April 2022, up to a further 37 per cent at the end of 2022, and since 1 January 2025 a cap of $22 per day. Ten dollars a day is the programme's stated goal, not a present entitlement — do not budget on it. Two other details matter locally. CWELCC covers children under 6, continuing to the end of June of the year they turn six if they are in a licensed preschool, kindergarten or family group. And it does not touch school-age care, which is why the before-and-after rates at St. Leonard are higher for Grades 1–6 than for kindergarten.
Before and after school
Manotick Public School at 1075 Bridge Street (613-692-3311) is the village's public elementary school, and Rideau Valley Child Care Centre provides its before-and-after care. St. Leonard School at 5344 Long Island Road (613-692-3521) runs the Ottawa Catholic School Board's own Extended Day Program for kindergarten through Grade 6, with published daily rates — for 2026-27, kindergarten mornings $10.25 and afternoons $12.00, school-age mornings $11.27 and afternoons $14.57. Registration for the EDP goes through the City waitlist first and is then confirmed by the board. St. Mark Catholic High School at 1040 Dozois Road covers Grades 7 to 12.
How to check a licence — and why you should
Ontario publishes a searchable register of every licensed centre and home childcare agency, and it includes recent inspection reports and any findings of non-compliance. You can search by postal code, so a K4M search returns the local list. There is a separate register for unlicensed home caregivers where you can look up a safety record. The practical rule: if a provider does not appear in the licensed lookup, it is not a licensed centre — which may still be a fine arrangement, but it is a different thing, with different oversight. Licensed home childcare through an agency such as Andrew Fleck or Global Child Care Services sits in between: the individual home operates under the agency's licence.
Hockey, soccer, skating and the rest
Hockey. Two minor hockey associations are registered at the Manotick arena address — Osgoode Rideau Minor Hockey (U7 through U21, with competitive and recreational tiers) and the Osgoode Richmond Romans (U10 through U18). Note that the Manotick Mariners, which a lot of people search for, is not minor hockey at all — it is a senior men's team that played its first season in 2024-25 and has signed former NHL draft picks.
Soccer. Ottawa South United has its office at 5650 Mitch Owens Road, in Manotick. It is a not-for-profit club running everything from under-5 development through the Force Academy pathway to adult men's and women's leagues.
Skating. The Rideau Skating Club is a Skate Canada club in its fiftieth season, skating at the Manotick arena with some sessions at Fred Barrett Arena. It runs CanSkate for beginners of all ages, STARSkate for figure skating, and adult programmes.
Tennis and curling. The Manotick Tennis Club at the community centre (613-692-3353) runs junior camps and after-school programmes for ages 6 to 17 from around $100 — its 2026 season is full with a waitlist. The Manotick Curling Centre at 5519 South River Drive (613-692-1489) has a youth programme and warns every year that it expects full membership.
Basketball. Ottawa South Basketball is based on Bank Street rather than in the village but serves it, running house league and competitive divisions from U10 to U19 for more than 700 players since 1994.
YOMA — the one worth knowing about
The Youth of Manotick Association is the village's youth drop-in organisation, run for youth by youth: Pre-Teen Nights for Grades 4 to 6 at the Community Centre, drop-ins for ages 12 to 17 at 1139C Mill Street, D&D nights, youth advisors and a parent support group. It is non-denominational and explicitly 2SLGBTQIA+ ally, and it runs free or minimal-cost activities specifically so that money is not what keeps a young person out. It also partners with Manotick Counselling to provide a free youth counselling space — a genuinely useful local resource that is not widely known. Phone 613-296-1202.
Camps and PA days
Locally-run options include Manotick Tennis Club junior camps (ages 6 to 17), summer camps at Manotick Martial Arts, and a youth summer programme at Body and Mind Athletics. St. Leonard's Extended Day Program publishes PD-day rates, so in-school care is available on those days. The City of Ottawa runs March Break, PA-day, winter and summer camps through its registration system, though the Manotick-specific offering changes season to season.
Common questions
How do I get a daycare spot in Manotick?
Register on the City of Ottawa Child Care Registry and Waitlist first — it is one list for the whole city and it is the mandatory first step for every licensed centre here, including the school board's extended day programmes. It is free, and no legitimate provider charges a waitlist deposit. Then contact the centres directly. Be realistic about timing: Andrew Fleck, which runs the village nursery school, says it is not unusual to contact more than twenty families about a single vacancy.
Which daycares are in Manotick?
Five licensed centres have premises in the village. Rideau Valley Child Care Centre at 5858 Rideau Valley Drive North, 613-692-4625, has the widest coverage — six months to Grade 3, 7:00am to 5:45pm — and provides before and after care for Manotick Public School. Manotick Nursery School at the community centre, 613-692-2188, runs half days for 18 months to 3.8 years. Earth Kidz at 1138 O'Grady Street, My Little Preschool at 815 River Road, and Montessori by BrightPath on Longshadow Street complete the list. BrightPath is a national chain; the rest are independent or non-profit.
Is daycare $10 a day in Ontario in 2026?
No, not yet. CWELCC reduced licensed fees in stages and has capped them at $22 per day since 1 January 2025. Ten dollars a day is the programme's stated goal rather than a current entitlement, so budget on $22. It also only covers children under six — school-age before and after care sits outside the reduction, which is why kindergarten rates at St. Leonard are lower than the Grade 1 to 6 rates at the same school.
How do I check whether a daycare is licensed?
Ontario runs a public search of licensed child care centres and home child care agencies that you can query by postal code, and it publishes recent inspection reports and any non-compliance findings alongside each listing. There is a separate register for unlicensed home caregivers where you can look up a safety record. If a provider does not appear in the licensed lookup, it is not a licensed centre.
What is the Manotick Mariners?
Not minor hockey, which is what most people searching the name expect. The Manotick Mariners are a senior men's hockey team that played its inaugural season in 2024-25 and has signed former NHL draft picks. For children's hockey, the two associations registered at the Manotick arena are Osgoode Rideau Minor Hockey, running U7 through U21, and the Osgoode Richmond Romans, running U10 through U18.
Where do kids play soccer and skate in Manotick?
Soccer is Ottawa South United, a not-for-profit club with its office at 5650 Mitch Owens Road in Manotick, running programmes from under-5 through to adult leagues. Skating is the Rideau Skating Club, a Skate Canada club now in its fiftieth season, which skates at the Manotick arena with some sessions at Fred Barrett Arena and offers CanSkate, STARSkate and adult programmes.
Is there free counselling for teenagers in Manotick?
Yes. The Youth of Manotick Association runs a free youth counselling space in partnership with Manotick Counselling, alongside its drop-ins for ages 12 to 17 at 1139C Mill Street and Pre-Teen Nights for Grades 4 to 6 at the Community Centre. YOMA is non-denominational and 2SLGBTQIA+ ally, and deliberately runs free or minimal-cost activities so cost is not a barrier. Phone 613-296-1202.