Excerpts from the press release:
Premier Rodney MacDonald and Community Services Minister Judy Streatch announced today, Nov.21, at the Family Home Child Care Society of Pictou County in Stellarton, five child-care initiatives, supported by a $5.2-million investment.
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Along with the increased number of spaces, the initiatives include:
- change in income eligibility, meaning more families will qualify for child care subsidy, making child care more accessible and affordable.
- an enhanced stabilization grant to provide more funding to licensed child care centres in accordance with the level of early childhood education and training of staff. This funding will enhance staff wages.
- developing a recruitment and retention strategy to encourage potential teachers to work in early childhood education and to retain current members of the workforce.
- extending the child care operating grant to include school-aged children which is directly tied to increasing wages and benefits of child care staff.
Under Nova Scotia's Early Learning and Child Care Plan, a total of 1,000 spaces will be created by year five of the 10-year plan.