Province says private childcare operators will still be funded under new agreement

The Nova Scotia government has scrapped a deadline for private childcare operators to make a decision on the future of their businesses, and says those who choose to remain private will still be funded

CITYnews halifax \ Mark Hodgins

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The minister in charge of Nova Scotia’s childcare file is confirming the province has dropped the March 18 deadline it had given private childcare operators to make a decision about their future. 

A group of nearly 200 private childcare operators has been pushing back against options offered by government which they said would essentially force them to change to a non-profit model. The options are part of an agreement with the federal government aiming to bring in $10 per day childcare by 2026.

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan says government has heard the concerns of operators and is backing off the March deadline, and says there’s been lots of confusion about what the options are.

“So to be clear, one of the options on the table actually is indeed a private model, not at all a not-for-profit model,” Druhan explained. “There are a lot of questions and there is a lot of confusion over what these options mean.”

Druhan says operators who choose to remain private will continue to receive government funding.

The minister said there is no new timeline for when a decision will need to be made, and an offer of a $15,000 grant to operators to cover consultation costs remains on the table.

“There’s a lot more clarity emerging now, and we’re really excited,” Druhan said. “We really value this group of private operators as well as our non-profit operators and we want to make sure they all feel valued and see their path forward in this exciting change in Nova Scotia.”

Last week, government announced families will see childcare fees reduced by 25 per cent this year.