As federal and provincial ministers responsible for early learning and child care prepare to meet this week, advocates in Nova Scotia are warning that momentum to build a reliable, high-quality child care system has stalled, putting recent gains at risk for families, educators and operators.
Child Care Now Nova Scotia says inadequate funding from both levels of government, combined with weak public accountability, is undermining efforts to establish a universal, affordable and accessible early learning and child care system. While investments since 2021 have reduced parent fees, the organization argues that affordability alone does not guarantee quality, stability or access across the province.
“The system must be universal and fully accessible for all families who need it — and it is not, currently,” said Margot Nickerson, a unionized early childhood educator and steering committee member with Child Care Now Nova Scotia. “Demand has increased, classrooms are supporting more children with complex needs, and educators are being asked to do more with less time, support, and recognition of their professional skills. Without changes, the progress families are relying on will be rolled back.”
The warning comes amid heightened expectations tied to the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement, which commits provinces to reducing average fees to $10 a day while expanding access to licensed care. Child Care Now Nova Scotia says the province risks falling short of that target without additional, sustained investment and clearer accountability for how public funds are used.
According to the organization, staffing pressures remain a central challenge. Advocates point to the absence of clear requirements around staff composition and insufficient funding to support appropriate educator-to-child ratios. They say the strain is being felt most acutely in classrooms, where educators face rising workloads without commensurate increases in resources or professional recognition.
Nickerson also raised concerns about how responsibility for funding gaps is being framed. While federal contributions are essential, she said, the province has an obligation to uphold the commitments it has made to families and the sector. Increasingly, the consequences of shortfalls are being shifted onto educators and operators, even as responsibility is portrayed as a federal issue.
Non-profit child care providers say the financial pressures extend beyond staffing. Karen Wright, executive director of North End Day Care Centre, said operators were promised a new operating funding model that would reflect the true cost of delivering quality care when the current agreements were introduced.
“Public investment since 2021 has made a meaningful difference for families, but child care operators were promised a new operating funding model that would reflect the real cost of providing quality care,” Wright said. “If that model is not delivered, non-profit operators will be left holding the financial load — absorbing rising costs without adequate or predictable funding.”
Wright cited several cost drivers that centres are struggling to absorb, including rising rents, higher food expenses following updated nutrition standards, and the lack of funding to cover paid sick leave and vacation for educators. Without predictable operating funding, she said, providers face difficult choices that could undermine equity and access.
Child Care Now Nova Scotia warns that expecting non-profit centres to fundraise, operate at a loss or raise parent fees would deepen disparities across the system and run counter to the goal of universality. Such approaches, the group argues, risk creating a patchwork of services that depends on geography or a centre’s ability to subsidize costs, rather than on consistent public support.
“A system built on broken promises cannot deliver stability for families, fairness for educators, or quality care for children,” Wright added. “Non-profit providers are ready to expand and deliver high-quality licensed care, but we need a funding model and public governance structure that supports that work.”
Looking ahead, the organization is calling on the provincial government to protect existing licensed child care spaces, strengthen oversight and accountability for public investments, and move toward public management of child care services. Advocates say those steps are necessary to ensure long-term stability, transparency and equitable access for families across Nova Scotia.
With ministerial discussions set to take place, Child Care Now Nova Scotia says the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether the province can translate reduced fees into a durable, high-quality system that meets the needs of families, educators and communities alike.
