Portable Child Care Spaces

Nova Scotia's first 100 portable child care spaces are now being assigned.

Portable subsidized child care spaces are assigned to the child and not to the child care centre. The space and the subsidy will follow the child if the family has to move within the province.

"We are honouring our government's commitment to ensure that there are child care spaces in Nova Scotia that are portable," said Peter Christie, Minister of Community Services. "These first 100 spaces will help us learn how to make portable spaces work for families needing subsidized child care. We are taking a phased in approach so that all child care centres can adjust to portability."

Fifty of the new portable subsidized spaces will help parents on income assistance overcome child care barriers that prevent them from being employed.

The remaining 50 spaces are provided through the Department's Healthy Child Development Initiatives and are available to any family meeting the eligibility requirements for a subsidy. Five of the spaces are reserved for children with special needs.

The portable seats have been evenly distributed among the department's four provincial regions. The seats will be portable only to licenced, full-day commercial or non-profit child care programs. Parents wanting more information should contact the nearest office of the Department of Community Services.