Recent investments in child care in Nova Scotia have been positively received by many; however, concerns have been raised by some advocates regarding the potential negative impact of allocating expansion funds to private daycares. Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Brendan Maguire has suggested that investing in the private daycare sector, in addition to federal funding, is essential to achieve the goal of providing $10-a-day child care on average by March 2026.
Maguire stated during a legislative session that a small percentage of private daycares could be included to meet the required child care spaces. This would involve renegotiating the 2021 Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, a $605-million bilateral agreement with Ottawa signed by the previous Nova Scotia Liberal government.
The Nova Scotia Non-Profit Directors Association, representing around 30 to 40 daycare directors in the province, strongly opposes the idea of directing public funds towards private operations. They believe child care is a public service, not a business, as outlined in the initial agreement that mandates federal funding be used to support the not-for-profit child-care sector.
While acknowledging the importance of private daycare providers in the current system, the Association emphasizes the importance of focusing on building a publicly funded child care system akin to the public school system. Despite the provincial Department of Education declining an interview, they reiterated the commitment to collaborate with federal counterparts to achieve $10-a-day child care on average.
Efforts to include private operators in expansion funding have faced challenges in the past, with the current federal government considering potential revisions to child-care agreements. Advocacy groups like Child Care Now Nova Scotia argue against funding private daycare operators, emphasizing the stability and quality assurance offered by the non-profit sector compared to for-profit centers.
Under the existing bilateral agreement, Nova Scotia aims to create 9,500 new daycare spaces by March 2026, with progress reported on track. The province has introduced grant programs for not-for-profit providers to build or expand child-care facilities, although the demand exceeds available funding. The rejection of a recent expansion application signals the strong interest within the non-profit sector to enhance child-care services without extending funding to for-profit operators.