More Child-Care Spaces for Cumberland County
The Province is providing about $4.5 million in funding to two child-care operators in Cumberland County. (Province Nova Scotia / File)
Child-care operators in Cumberland County are adding more spaces with funding from the Province, giving families more options and improved access.
The Province is providing about $4.5 million in funding to two child-care operators, resulting in 77 new spaces.
“By investing in child care, we invest in our future, helping families participate in the workforce and grow Nova Scotia's economy,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and MLA for Cumberland South, on behalf of Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “We will continue to work with all of our partners to add more spaces for Cumberland County.”
The funding recipients are:
- Wentworth Learning Centre Co-operative, Wentworth; 41 new spaces (opening October 2025)
- Oxford Community Centre Association, Oxford; 36 new spaces (opening February 2026).
Projects are funded through the Early Learning and Child Care Major Infrastructure Program. The Wentworth project is an expansion to the existing centre and the Oxford project is new construction.
Quotes:
“In our area, we see an increasing number of families struggling to make ends meet with an extended 18-month parental leave. Expanding our centre to include infant care will help our parents and guardians with infants return to work sooner than they would otherwise. Offering this service may also give families the choice to stay in the community when they might otherwise feel pressured to relocate to urban areas where licensed infant care is currently provided.”
— Jordan Sprague, Executive Director, Wentworth Learning Centre Co-operative
Quick Facts:
- funding for the major infrastructure program is through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement
- to date, the government has announced 10 projects under the major infrastructure program
- since 2021, more than 6,500 new child-care spaces have been created across the province
- Nova Scotia has signed a five-year extension to the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, worth more than $1 billion total
Additional Resources:
More information about child care in Nova Scotia: https://www.childcarenovascotia.ca/
Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement: https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/nova-scotia-canada-wide-2021.html