More daycare spaces slated for Halifax area, Cape Breton

The Nova Scotia government is giving nearly $9 million to daycare operators in Halifax and Cape Breton to expand their operations.

The money is expected to create up to 335 new spaces which will open within the next year.

Pam AuCoin, the Education Department's executive director of early learning and child care, said some spaces may be available before then.

"Most of the ones that were announced have a completion date by March of 2026," said AuCoin. "Of course, we're always hopeful that those spaces will become available sooner, but right now the due date would be March 31 of 2026."

The Halifax-area operators who are expanding include:

• ForestKids Early Learning Organization in Hammonds Plains, with up to 12 new spaces.
• Silver Crescent Academy in Bedford, with up to 40 new spaces.
• Tots Early Learning Society, with up to 76 new spaces, including 24 in Enfield and 52 in Lantz.
• Cunard Street Children's Centre in Halifax, with up to 54 new spaces.
• By the Sea Early Learning in Upper Tantallon, with up to 64 new spaces.
• North End Community Day Care in Halifax, with up to 40 new spaces.

The Glace Bay Youth and Family Centre in Cape Breton has promised to create up to 49 new spaces.

The money is coming from a $605-million agreement, signed in 2021, with the federal government to create 9,500 spaces by March 2026. Other than paying for expansions, the money has also been used to drive down the cost of child care to parents, with a goal of having families pay an average of $10 a day for care.

AuCoin said Nova Scotia has been making progress toward that goal.

"So far, we've achieved an average of a 50 per cent reduction in child-care fees," said AuCoin. "We do still have a little ways to go and our goal is to achieve the $10 a day on average by March of 2026."

As for the agreement's other main goal, the province has created roughly 5,200 new spaces.

Time is running out, but AuCoin remained optimistic Nova Scotia would fulfil its obligation.

"March 31 of 2026 is not that far away, but we have many initiatives underway across the province through our space creation initiatives and we feel confident with the providers that we are working with and the projects that are underway that we have enough initiated to get us to that 9,500," said AuCoin.