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Excerpt: "These increases are partially offset by a $67.5 million decrease in the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program due to construction delays, a $47.8 million decrease related to the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement due to timing delays associated with various action plan initiatives, and a $12.3 million decrease in municipal contributions for correctional facilities and public housing related to the service exchange agreement"

Excerpt: "It will enhance school breakfast programming for all 373 schools across the province, which is currently serving approximately 52,000 kids this school year. With this agreement, families in Nova Scotia with two children in school can save $800 in grocery bills a year on average. As part of this agreement, the Government of Canada will invest approximately $12.4 million over the next three years to feed more kids. For the 2024-25 school year, that will include offering a more robust and consistent breakfast program in schools across the province, purchasing new kitchen equipment, hiring additional program coordinators, and developing new recipes for the launch of the next phase of the pay-what-you-can lunch program. These enhancements are particularly significant for rural and remote communities in Nova Scotia and will provide children most affected by food insecurity with access to more consistent and nutritious meals at school."

Excerpt: "Children and families in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and East Hants will have more options and improved access to child care with up to 286 new spaces. Through Nova Scotia’s child-care space creation programs, the Province is providing $7.6 million to support six child-care operators to add the spots. “These investments are opening more access to affordable child care to help families in our fastest growing regions,” said Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “By investing in child care, we invest in families to participate in the workforce and grow our economy.”"

Excerpt: "Families in Cape Breton Regional Municipality are getting more access to child care with the addition of up to 49 spaces in Glace Bay. New Dawn Enterprises, a non-profit community organization, received funding to create the spaces, which will be located in its Glace Bay Youth and Family Centre."

Excerpt: "Phase 1 of the school lunch program includes every school that has elementary school grades, which adds up to more than 75,000 students and potentially more than 13 million lunches served in the coming school year. It is a pay-what-you-can program, meaning families can choose to pay the full $6.50 cost of the lunch, part of the cost or nothing. All payment information is kept confidential. Lunches will start in schools on October 1, 15 or 28, with ordering opening two weeks before the first lunches are served. Families will be able to choose between two lunch options every school day, with at least one vegetarian (no meat) lunch offered each day. In total, there will be 40 menu options that rotate weekly when the program starts in October. Each meal provides balanced nutrition and meets the standards outlined in Canada’s Food Guide and the Nova Scotia School Food and Nutrition Policy."

Excerpt: "The Province is making it easier for families to apply and qualify for Nova Scotia’s child-care subsidy program. To help more families afford child care while balancing other financial priorities, eligibility criteria now hinge solely on family income and no longer consider assets like savings. Households with an annual income of $70,000 or less remain eligible and will now also be able to save for things like a down payment on a home while benefiting from the subsidy."

Excerpt: "But more families need access to affordable child care. That’s why, today in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, joined the Honourable Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, to announce a federal investment of an additional $19.8 million over four years to help reach our goal of building 9,500 $10-a-day child care spaces in Nova Scotia by March 2026. Today’s investment to build more spaces in Nova Scotia through the new $625 million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund will help more families save up to $6,000 per year, per child. This includes creating more spaces for underserved communities, including Indigenous, rural, and remote communities, as well as for children with disabilities and French language minority communities."

Excerpt: "Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) will add more spaces to its child study centre in Halifax and expand the age groups it serves with funding support from the provincial and federal governments. This will help meet the need for child care in the community and enhance the education and professional development of aspiring early childhood educators in the university’s child and youth study program, while offering research opportunities in the field. “We are pleased to support the expansion of MSVU’s child-care facility. Families need greater access to reliable and affordable child care, and we need more professionals to provide that care,” said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “We’re proud of the work MSVU is doing to help meet the needs of families in the community.” The larger facility will add an additional 82 spaces and introduce up to 32 infant spaces. Parents who are on the existing wait list will be given priority."

Excerpt: "Whereas Nova Scotia indicates that since signing the agreement, there have been challenges expending its 2022 to 2023 allocation due to diverse implementation challenges. Whereas the parties agree to increase in fiscal year 2022 to 2023, Nova Scotia's carry forward allowance from 30% to 63% for 2022 to 2023 into 2023 to 2024. Now therefore, the parties agree to amend the agreement, as follows: section 4 is amended by replacing article 4.6.2 with the following: "4.6.2 In fiscal year 2022 to 2023, at the request of Nova Scotia, and subject to the approval of Canada's Treasury Board by the federal Minister, Nova Scotia may retain and carry forward to the following fiscal year any unexpended funds remaining from Nova Scotia's annual funding payable under section 4.2, up to a maximum of 63% of the contribution payable. Any unexpended funds in excess of 63% of the contribution payable represents an overpayment subject to section 4.7.""

Excerpt: "Families in Hammonds Plains will see more early learning and child-care spaces opening in their community this summer. It Takes a Village Child Care Centre on Parkland Drive in Halifax is opening a second location at 1432 Hammonds Plains Rd. The new centre is expected to create about 75 new child-care spaces for toddlers and preschool-aged children. “Nova Scotians have told us they need better access to child care, and that’s exactly what we are providing,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan. “These new spaces are part of our updated expansion plan to increase access to child care across the province.” This is the first project approved under the Province’s new Minor Infrastructure Program for New Early Learning and Child Care Space Creation that offers funding to licensed not-for-profit child-care providers to quickly renovate and expand."

Excerpt: "Joint federal and provincial funding of $1.2 million supported the projects, which include: an outdoor nature trail at Gaspereau Valley Elementary School, Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education; an outdoor classroom constructed of natural material at Oceanview Education Centre, Cape Breton Regional Centre for Education; a ball play area and outdoor amphitheatre upgrades at Petite Riviere Elementary School, South Shore Regional Centre for Education; a covered outdoor classroom with accessible walkway at Maple Grove Education Centre, Tri-County Regional Centre for Education; accessible picnic tables for more than 40 schools across the Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education."

Excerpt: "$28 million more for public schools to address growing enrolment, hire more teachers and address inflationary pressures; $42.5 million more this year in child-care funding to lower fees for families, create more spaces and enhance after school care, fully recoverable from the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement"