National Child Day Celebrated with New Child-Care Spaces

COMMUNITY SERVICES--National Child Day Celebrated with New Child- Care Spaces

Nova Scotia celebrated National Child Day, Nov. 20, a day early this year by announcing plans that will help even more families access quality child-care services.

At a ceremony held today, Nov. 19, David Morse, Minister of Community Services, announced the addition of 50 new, portable, subsidized child-care spaces for low-income families in Nova Scotia. Funding for these additional child-care spaces is being made possible under the Multilateral Framework for Early Learning and Child Care.

"The addition of 50 new, portable, subsidized child-care spaces is one more way Nova Scotia supports children and families," said Mr. Morse. "Now more low-income families will access quality child care in order to attend work or school."

A family accessing a portable space can choose to use any licensed full-day child-care centre that has signed the portable subsidized child-care spaces funding agreement. Parents can take the subsidy with them if they move to another area of the province. The spaces will be distributed in areas across the province.

There are now more than 2,750 subsidized spaces in Nova Scotia, 398 of which are portable. Portable subsidized child-care spaces were introduced in 2000.

The National Child Day celebration was held at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia operates Red, Yellow, Blue and You!, a gallery tour and studio program for children ages three to five in licensed child-care programs. Using specially designed art kits and the gallery collection as inspiration, young visitors engage in interactive dialogue and hands-on art activities.

The art gallery also offers professional development opportunities in art education for early childhood educators in collaboration with St. Joseph's College of Early Childhood Education. Art curriculum resource kits are available to early childhood educators that include unique materials and ideas to support children's learning and creative expression across the curriculum through the visual arts. These programs are offered in partnership with the Department of Community Services through the Early Childhood Development Initiative, a federal, provincial and territorial agreement to enhance services for children and families.

"Our programs for early learners are designed with both child development and art education in mind, in order to provide meaningful art education opportunities," said Dale Sheppard, educator with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. "The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is thrilled to work in partnership with the Department of Community Services to help provide unique and innovative arts education programming for Nova Scotia's young people."

Three new brochures with information on quality child care and early childhood development were also launched today. Copies of the brochures can be found on the website at www.gov.ns.ca/coms .

Funding for early childhood development programs in Nova Scotia is provided by the Early Childhood Development Initiative, the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care and the province of Nova Scotia. These child and family programs and initiatives include child-care subsidies, parent education and supports, home-visiting services, enhanced training for child- care practitioners, inclusion initiatives for children with special needs and early language and learning services.

To date, more than $36 million has already been invested in children's services in Nova Scotia through the Early Childhood Development Initiative. The Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care builds upon the commitment made by the initiative. To date, more than $700,000 has been invested in quality child care under that framework. Both investments have been made on behalf of the government of Canada. The province of Nova Scotia has invested more than $59 million in early childhood development supports and services for children and their families.

For more information on early childhood development programs and services, see the website at www.gov.ns.ca/coms.