DARTMOUTH -- A Dartmouth-area MLA believes Nova Scotia is on the cusp of what could be a daycare crisis and is calling for universal childcare.

Claudia Chender, the NDP MLA for Dartmouth South, has heard from about 35 parents this week after Dartmouth Day Care Centre shared plans to consolidate its Crichton Avenue and Caledonia Road locations – leaving some children without a spot.

"I would say the overall mood is panic," Chender said, adding that she believes the real issue is the introduction of pre-primary de-stabilized the early childcare sector.

CTV News was unable to interview the Board of Directors at Dartmouth Day Care Centre, but its letter to parents said Nova Scotia is experiencing fundamental changes, which have been further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our current model is no longer sustainable," the letter reads.

"It feels as though we are on the cusp of what could be a crisis. When I spoke with a daycare operator this morning, she said we could see another 15 centres go this way in the next six months," Chender said.

The province said more than 15,000 four year olds have had access to the pre-primary program. Early educators have also been creating another challenge for owners of daycares.

"We in the childcare field can't afford to keep up with their pay scale and the benefits they're getting from that particular program," said Leanne Thomey, owner of Fox Hollow Childcare Centre in Upper Tantallon.

Thomey credits her staff and families for helping her childcare centre during the pandemic. At one point, she had to let three workers go. Government support helped bring the staff back, but not all the children have returned.

"Some of the crisis is the fact that people aren't returning back to work. So the spots are not being filled. I also think we are unable to hire and find trained ECEs (early childhood educators) to come into our centres," Thomey said.

Chender believes the solution is to extend universal child care to all children under five in Nova Scotia.

'THERE'S NOT AN EASY FIX'

"There's not an easy fix. It's not just that the government can increase the grants. It's a more complex and multifaceted."

Derek Mombourquette, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development said his government is talking with Ottawa about the issue.

The province has invested more than $70 million in grants to support childcare and provided $30 million to help facilities cope with COVID.

"We'll continue to invest in our early childhood centres. We continue to provide funding to support wages, to support training," Mombourquette said.

Mombourquette also said he's reached out to Dartmouth Day Care Centre and was told it was a business decision to consolidate.

"What we have requested is any of the parents, please reach out to us, we're reaching out to them. We're going to find new spots for their kids. We're fortunate that there's a number of centres within that community that have open spaces," he said.