Child-care Centres Get Help to Repair and Renovate

Thirty child-care centres across the province will be safer and more comfortable for Nova Scotia's children.

The Department of Community Services is providing $600,000 for the day cares to spruce up their facilities. Non-profit and commercial centres will be using the loans to make improvements like replacing windows, installing accessibility ramps and adding energy efficient furnaces.

"We're helping child-care centres access the capital they need to improve their facilities," said Ms. Streatch. "This in turn will benefit Nova Scotia families, children and child-care professionals."

The repair and renovation funding, provided under the Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Plan, will provide financial assistance to child-care centres to improve or enhance their properties. This will include energy upgrades and accessibility for children and families with special needs.

"Sydney Day Care is very pleased to meet the funding criteria," said Wilma Hutchison, director of the Sydney Day Care. "Being a non-profit centre we are very excited to enhance our building and make it even safer and healthier for our children and families. Renovations will begin right away to replace the windows, furnace, flooring and new interior paint. The long-term benefits will make our building more energy efficient and more cost effective."

The child-care centre repair and renovation funding is available to licensed, non-profit and commercial child-care centres to help with the costs of improving their child-care space. Non-profit child-care centres may be eligible for forgiveable amounts of up to 75 per cent of the loan. Commercial child-care centres will receive repayable loans and are responsible to repay the full loan amount.

A new 10-year, made-in-Nova Scotia, child-care plan was announced in May. The Early Learning and Child Care Plan will add more day- care spaces, increase subsidized spaces, and provide on-going support for the provinces child-care sector.

More information on the child-care plan is available by calling 1-877-424-1177 and on the department's child-care website at www.gov.ns.ca/coms/families/elcc.html .