IMAGINATION TOWARD A THRIVING SOCIETY
 
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    Child Care by the Numbers - Nova Scotia

    The federal government intends to implement a national universal child-care program that will require the provinces to exchange autonomy for funding directed toward a one-size-fits-all system. A national universal child-care program is structurally opposed to equity for all families, because it limits funding based on the type of care families use. There are better options.

    Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of Nova Scotia parents and their reasons for the type of care they choose.

    Topics: Family, Daycare, Children
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    Child care is the care of a child, no matter who provides that care. Families have diverse care needs and rely on a variety of forms of care to meet those needs. Public policy best serves families when it offers flexibility and choice. Child-care policies should be equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they choose. Universal child-care systems fail to recognize the diverse care needs of Nova Scotia parents and their reasons for the type of care they choose.

    • Of Nova Scotia children under age six, about 39 percent are in parental care only.1
    • The majority of Nova Scotia children under age six will receive no benefit from funds designated for centre-based spaces.
    • Of Nova Scotia parents who use non-parental child care, about 64 percent report that they have no problem finding the care.2
    • Of all Nova Scotia children  under age six (those in non-parental child care and those who are not), about 34 percent

      are in centre-based care or preschool.3

    Nova Scotia should take a neutral, evidence-based approach and respect the diversity of care that parents use.

    References

    Source: Statistics Canada, “Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.

    Source: Statistics Canada, “Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.

    Calculations based on Statistics Canada, “Table 42-10-0004-01 & Table 42-10-0005-01: Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.



    CITATIONS

    1) Source: Statistics Canada, “Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.

    2) Source: Statistics Canada, “Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.

    3) Calculations based on Statistics Canada, “Table 42-10-0004-01 & Table 42-10-0005-01: Early Learning and Child Care for Children aged 0 to 5 years: A Provincial/Territorial Portrait,” https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-626-x/11-626-x2019013-eng.htm.