Strategy for Early-Childhood Development Released
COMMUNITY SERVICES--Strategy for Early-Childhood Development Released
The provincial government released details today of a plan for a range of programs and supports that will make a difference in the lives of Nova Scotia’s youngest children and their families.
Under the Early Childhood Development Strategy, $66 million in new money will be spent over the next five years.
The priorities for this year are: $1.5 million for a home visiting program, $6 million to stabilize and enhance the current child care system and $1.6 million to develop a co-ordinated system of early childhood development.
“The early years lay the foundation for lifelong health and well- being,” said Community Services Minister Peter Christie. “We need to create a climate supportive of early childhood development. Many parents cannot do this alone.”
New funding for home visiting will enhance existing programs -- which now vary across Nova Scotia –- and will establish a standard, provincewide home visiting program.
Approximately 10,000 babies are born in the province each year. Every one of these families will get a home visit by a public health nurse. An estimated six per cent of families needing additional support will be offered continued home visiting from the baby’s birth to age three, by either a public health nurse or a specially trained “lay home visitor” from the community.
“A healthy population begins with healthy babies, and we want to ensure that every child gets the best start in life,” said Health Minister Jamie Muir.
The enhanced home visiting program, which will be implemented over five years, will be an entry point into the early childhood development system, linking families to a range of community supports such as family resource centers or child care.
The Department of Community Services will undertake a number of initiatives designed to improve the quality of and access to child care. A first step will be to strengthen and stabilize the existing licensed child-care programs. Funding will be used to support the inclusion of children with special needs in community-based child care programs; to improve salaries in order to attract and retain qualified child care workers, and to provide professional development opportunities for child care workers.
"Recognizing all staff who work with young children is an important goal," said Goranka Vukelich, executive director of St. Joseph''s College of Early Childhood Education. “It''s promising to see the emphasis on improved salaries, professional development and training. These measures should improve the overall quality of child care in the province and enable us to find and keep quality staff, while supporting the ongoing professional development of the people working with children now.
Nova Scotia currently spends $16 million annually on early- childhood development programs.
Mr. Christie said the recent federal/provincial/territorial Agreement on Early Childhood Development presents Nova Scotia with an excellent opportunity to make substantial improvements to our system. Over the next five years, the province will weave together existing programs, as well as introduce new options for parents. Among other things, funding will go toward start-up and expansion grants for non-profit child care centres to improve access to child care throughout the province.
A vision for an early childhood development system for Nova Scotia, as detailed in the publication, “Our Children . . . Today’s Investment, Tomorrow’s Promise,” builds on programs and services offered by the Departments of Community Services and Health. The document is available on the Internet at: www.gov.ns.ca/coms/ecd.htm .