Province Expands Pre-primary Program

The province will add 130 new pre-primary classes this fall, in 87 school communities across Nova Scotia.

“The first year of the Pre-primary Program has been a success, with more than 800 four-year-olds and their families benefiting from this early learning opportunity,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “We want our children to have a strong foundation for school regardless of where they live or what their socio-economic background. Pre-primary provides just that.”

This year, the department will be seeking a partnership with a licensed child care provider to deliver pre-primary as a pilot project in Kings County.

“Our intention is to always deliver pre-primary in schools, but when space is an issue, partnering with the community makes sense and will serve families well,” said Zach Churchill, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “The demand from families for a program in more communities is high and delivering the program through a licensed child care provider may give more children in Nova Scotia the opportunity, more quickly, to have access to this program.”

This fall, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial will deliver the provincial Pre-primary Program through its Grandir en francais program.

The expansion of pre-primary will create more opportunities for early childhood educators in Nova Scotia, as the program will be rolled out province wide by September 2020. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is partnering with Nova Scotia Works Employment Services and the Department of Labour and Advanced Education to attract and recruit early childhood educators to Nova Scotia.

Families who live within a school community that is offering pre-primary and wish to register their child for the program, can contact their local school board to learn more about the registration process.

For a full list of the new pre-primary locations and more information about the program, visit
www.ednet.ns.ca/pre-primary .