Child Care Awareness Days Celebrated

Province House became a playground today, June 14, as ministerial assistant for Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Kent, on behalf of Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse, joined children and early childhood educators to celebrate Nova Scotia's annual Child Care Awareness Days.

June has been proclaimed as Child Care Awareness Days in Nova Scotia to recognize the importance of quality child care, and the contribution of early childhood educators to children, families and Nova Scotia's communities.

"We are proud to support families and want to ensure that all children in Nova Scotia get the best possible start in life to grow into healthy, happy and confident adults," said Ms. Kent. "Child-care centres, and the practitioners who provide quality care every day, help make this happen."

The province supports children and their families through programs and services in the community that are essential to the health and well-being of generations to come.

Since 2009, the province has made significant investments in children and families, including creating more than 1,800 new child-care spaces and investing more than $171 million in child care through expansion and renovation loans, opportunities for professional development and early childhood education training, child care subsidies, and grants to support salaries and operations costs.

"Child Care Awareness Days is when we recognize the impact on Nova Scotia's economic and social well-being made by child care and those who provide it," said Elaine Ferguson, executive director of Child Care Connection Nova Scotia, the organization spearheading Child Care Awareness Days. "It is a time to celebrate child care's valuable contributions to Nova Scotia children and families."

Earlier, this year the province created the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, which includes an early years branch of early childhood development experts from the departments of Community Services, Health and Wellness, and Education. The specialized team is designed to enhance collaboration, strengthen expertise and expand knowledge on early years.

In April, the province also announced it will establish three early years centres across the province that will provide support for young children and their families at accessible locations in the community. The province is also setting up a program for comprehensive screening of children at 18 and 36 months to identify a child's needs early and ensure supports are in place when the child starts school.

Child Care Awareness Days, is organized by Child Care Connection, a community-based organization that promotes quality child care and provides information and support to child-care practitioners.