3 Things You Need to Know About Increase to Child Care Subsidies

Starting today, eligible families across Nova Scotia will receive more funding toward the cost of regulated child care.

This will make child care more accessible and affordable for about 1,600 eligible children. We’re increasing the income threshold for families, and for the first time, making the child care subsidy available to children in part-day programs.

Changes to the program include:

  • increasing the income threshold from $25,000 to $35,000 so that 550 more children will be eligible to receive the maximum child care subsidy
  • increasing the subsidy for families who make $35,000 to $70,000, to support 675 more children
  • for the first time, part-day programs are eligible for the subsidy, to support an estimated 375 children

Families who now receive the child care subsidy will be notified about their rate change by their regulated child care provider.

“For too many families, the absence of affordable and quality child care services means making difficult choices such as using retirement savings early, abandoning a career or delaying new training or work opportunities,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “Through the Canada-Nova Scotia early learning and child care bilateral agreement signed in January, we are working together to better support children and their families so that more parents can afford quality early learning and child care.”

In January 2018, your Liberal government signed a three-year, $35-million early learning and child care funding agreement with the Government of Canada. A portion of that funding has been designated to support the changes to the child care subsidy.