Families across Nova Scotia will soon be paying less for child care as part of the government’s efforts to make life more affordable by reducing fees and improving access to affordable child care.
A $76-million contribution through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement will reduce child-care fees for Nova Scotians, effective December 31. Most families will see a decrease in fees, following a previous spring reduction. The result will be fees that are 50 percent lower on average than in 2019 for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
For example, the reduction will mean families with an infant in licensed child care will pay $23 less per day, savings that add up to about $500 a month and $6,000 a year.
About 3,000 families who use Nova Scotia’s Child Care Subsidy Program will see their fees reduced to zero.
The Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement will achieve $10-a-day child care, on average, for families by March 31, 2026.
The funding announced today, November 28, is in addition to the early childhood educator wage package recently announced, which increased wages by up to 43 percent, at a cost of about $100 million annually.
Click here for the news release.
Quick Facts:
- the fee reduction estimates in licensed, funded child-care centres and regulated family home child-care programs are based on 2019 average fees
- licensed centres that sign their amended annual funding agreement, which reflects the principles of the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, will be provided with full funding to offset the additional fee reduction
- regulated family home child-care programs will be provided with full funding to offset the additional fee reduction
- by the end of 2022, about 1,100 new child-care spaces are expected to have been created in licensed child-care centres and family child-care homes, and in the before and after school program