N.S. introduces first step in achieving $10/per day child-care; fees reduce by 25 per cent Friday

A preschooler gets up on her toes to reach into her assigned cubby at a preschool center Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Nova Scotians using licensed, funded child-care centres in the province will be paying a little bit less for their services beginning Friday.

That's thanks to the Nova Scotia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – which will see fees drop by 25 per cent. Parents will save anywhere between $3 and $10.50 per day, per child, based on the child's age.

"I'm incredibly excited to offer real savings to families across the province," said Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Druhan.

The change is the first step in reducing child-care fees in Nova Scotia by 50 per cent, on average, by the end of 2022, and achieving a $10-a-day child-care by March 31, 2026.

Licensed centres that accept the annual funding agreement will be provided with full funding to offset the fee reduction.

So far, 98 per cent of operators have signed the agreement – making up 99 per cent of child-care spaces in the province.

"This is the first fee reduction on our way to achieving $10 a day daycare, on average, for families by 2026 and a major step towards making child care more affordable and accessible for parents," said Druham.

Reduced fees are applied retroactively to Jan. 1, meaning parents will receive a cheque or credit from their child-care centre for amounts paid above the new rates since then.

Those retroactive funds can be expected by the end of May.

"The 25 per cent fee reduction is going to free a large amount of money each month that normally goes towards my daycare bill," said Kelly MacDonald, a parent of two young children in Nova Scotia.

A breakdown of daily fee reduction amounts can be found online.