Childcare Now N.S. welcomes new action plan

Childcare Now Nova Scotia is weighing in on a new action plan from the provincial and federal governments.

Coordinator Kenya Thompson says the $440-million deal is a substantial investment for a quality childcare system, with good priorities like affordability, access, quality, and inclusion.

However, she’s disappointed there’s no central agency in the deal.

“A central agency would allow administrative burdens to be lifted from non-profit centres that maybe don’t have the capacity to perform those functions. It could also have a centralized wait-list to connect families with childcare more efficiently,” says Thompson.

The agreement promises to add 9,500 new childcare spaces by 2026.

Thompson says they welcome the expansion, as they’ve heard from too many families that are on months-long waitlists.

She adds, they’ll continue advocating for better wages for ECEs.

“To ensure that we can recruit new educators to help expand and roll-out this plan, and maintain retention. We need to make sure we have ECEs that are in the field that can really help in the transition to a stronger program in Nova Scotia.”