Province Invests $5 Million in Child Care

The province is making life more affordable for families by investing another $5 million in early learning and child care.

The funding will help make child care more accessible and affordable for hundreds of low-income families and provide more support for the child-care sector.

Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse was at the Mawio'mi Child Care Centre in Dartmouth today, April 12, to announce 400 new child-care subsidies, the elimination of a fee for families and a new grant for child-care providers.

"We are acting on our commitment to support more affordable child care and make life better for families in every region," said Ms. Peterson-Rafuse. "We have a four-year plan and we will be adding more child care subsidies in the years ahead."

The 400 subsidies are available to qualifying families across Nova Scotia, bringing the total number of subsidies created through the Early Learning and Child Care Plan to 1,100. Community Services is also eliminating its Assessed Daily Parent Fee, saving families with subsidies up to a dollar a day. This change represents an investment of almost $800,000 and will help ease the financial pressure for parents.

Ms. Peterson-Rafuse also announced an Early Childhood Enhancement Grant for child care providers. The new grant combines two existing grants into one and will provide another $2-million to child-care operators for staff salaries and benefits, professional growth, and general operating expenses. It will be worth $15 million annually to licensed full- and part-day child-care facilities.

"Good quality, affordable child care is important to every parent," said Cathy Ramos, director of Mawio'mi Child Care Centre. "Anything government can do to support the child-care field enhances the quality of care that children receive."

"This grant will help child care centres recruit and retain the talented and caring people who look after our children," said Ms. Peterson-Rafuse.

This investment is part of the $50 million that government will spend in early childhood development and early learning and child care this year, and is part of the government's ongoing efforts to make life more affordable for families in every region of the province.

More information on the Early Learning and Child Care Plan is available at www.gov.ns.ca/coms/families/elccprogram