Province invests in child care centres

The biggest problem that the province has faced since the introduction of the pre-primary program last fall is keeping up with the demand for it, says Nova Scotia Education Minister Zach Churchill.

By September, when new centres are added, the government expects to have 50 per cent of the province covered.

While Churchill sees this as a positive, he said it’s clear that the addition of the program has had an impact on the business model of child care centres in the province who have suddenly seen many of the students who would ordinarily be in their care go to the free pre-primary program.

In light of that, he said he was happy to announce supports earlier this week to help child care centres adjust and continue to have success. Two Pictou County child care centres are among 51 recipients of money announced by the provincial government on Thursday.

Creative Beginnings Early Learning Centre Pictou County is receiving $137,000 and Spring Garden Child Care Centre Pictou County $97,000.

The money will be used by the child care centres to convert 570 spaces to support families with infants, toddlers and after-school care, with the assistance of federal-provincial funding.

Provincially the government increased its support from $2 million to $2.7 million to meet the changing needs of communities.

A new infant incentive, announced in March, will ensure the 144 new spaces for infants remain affordable.

Centres will also convert 346 spaces for toddlers and 80 spaces for pre-primary wraparound care.

“Families want child care options that are affordable, accessible and inclusive, and government is responding to that need in our communities,” said Zach Churchill, minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

“We have increased our original investment to meet this demand and create more spaces for children and infants.”

In January, the province signed a three-year, $35 million early learning and child care funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

A portion of that funding has been designated to support this and other initiatives to grow the regulated child care sector for children, families and operators.

Since signing the agreement, the province has changed Nova Scotia’s Child Care Subsidy Program to make regulated child care more accessible and affordable for more families and will invest an additional $6.9 million in 2018-19, to create up to 1,000 new regulated child care spaces for toddlers and infants in communities.

In an interview with The News, Churchill said that current studies show that only one in four families has access to affordable child care.

“That’s not good enough for our families,” he said.

Early education programs are beneficial in many ways, he said, because it helps youth with social and emotional challenges as well as academic learning.

Kids who have access to early learning tend to perform better academically and achieve greater levels of success as they advance through the education system.

“We know this is really important for those kids who might not be getting the supports they need at home,” he said.