Expanding Access to Regulated Child Care for Families
Government will help more families across the province by creating up to 1,000 new regulated child care spaces as part of a $8.9-million investment.
“An investment in the child care sector is an investment in children and families, and an economic investment in our communities,” said Zach Churchill, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “It is our priority to make regulated child care more affordable, accessible and inclusive for children and families.”
Up to 500 new child care spaces will be created in the home-based regulated child care setting. The other 500 spaces will be part of 15 new regulated child care centres being created in communities in need of child care. A portion of this funding will be used to support a new infant incentive for child care providers across the province. This will account for $6.9 million over the next two years.
The remaining $2 million has been designated as a one-time grant in 2018-2019 to support existing centres to convert their space to meet the changing child care needs of their communities.
“The Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia continue to work together towards a long-term vision where children and their families have access to high-quality early learning and child care in their communities,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
Municipalities identified to receive new centres include:
- Cape Breton Regional Municipality
- Colchester County
- Halifax Regional Municipality
- Hants County
- Inverness County
- Kings County
- Lunenburg County
- Pictou County
- Queens County
- Shelburne County
- Yarmouth County
“As an operator of a child care centre and a family home day care agency, I am happy to see the release of a plan that will support more child care spaces in areas of our province with identified need,” said Donna Buckland, operator of Giant Steps Childcare Centre in Upper Tantallon. “This funding will help ensure long-term, sustainable, high quality, inclusive child care programs for our families and children.”
In January 2018, the province signed a three-year, $35 million early learning and child care funding agreement with the federal government. A portion of that funding has been designated to increase the number of spaces and set up the one-time grant funding.