Child care (or "childcare", "child minding", "babycare", or "daycare" "preschool") means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. Child care is a broad topic covering a wide spectrum of contexts, activities, social and cultural conventions, and institutions. The majority of child care institutions that are available require that child care providers have extensive training in first aid and are CPR certified. In addition, background checks, drug testing, and reference verification are normally a requirement.

It is traditional in Western society for children to be taken care of by parents or legal guardians. In families where children live with one or both of their parents, the childcare role may also be taken on by the extended family. In the absence of one or both parents and the extended family willing to care for the children, orphanages are a way of providing for children's care, housing, and schooling.

The two main types of child care options for employed parents needing childcare are centre-based care (including creches, daycare, and preschools) and home-based care (also known as nanny or family daycare). As well as these licensed options parents may also choose to find their own caregiver or arrange childcare exchanges/swaps with another family.