Police have issued an arrest warrant for a Toronto bookkeeper after 21 child-care centres were defrauded of $750,000.

David Reiner, a 60-year-old self-employed bookkeeper who specialized in child-care centres, is wanted on charges of fraud. Toronto police believe Reiner is in Nairobi, Kenya.

Accounting discrepancies were first noticed at 12 Toronto child-care centres last October, about a month after Reiner abruptly quit his job without notice, police say.

The discovery prompted police to warn child-care centres to check their books.

Reiner's personal website listed more than 40 child-care centres as clients. He had worked for some of the centres for nearly two decades.

"This has completely drained their contingency funds and put them on shaky ground," said Jane Mercer, spokeswoman for the Toronto Coalition for Better Child Care.

Mercer is calling for staff at child-care centres to become better trained to spot suspicious account activity so they can prevent becoming victims of fraud.