Bonnie Minard’s daycare centre in Dartmouth, N.S., is full and there’s a lot of demand for her 91 spaces. “Accessibility is, unfortunately, not great,” Minard says. Minard has a waitlist, but parents could be on it for years. There’s an especially long wait for parents who a spot for infants. “I have eight infant spaces. My waitlist for infants is 385 so when you look at how many people are actually going to get a spot. It’s disheartening for families that have put their name on the list for years and they may never get in,” says Minard. New mother Josie Toulany knows how hard it is to find childcare in Halifax. “I would apply as soon as you find out you’re pregnant,” Toulany says. Toulany’s first child is now eight months old and her maternity leave is wrapping up. “I applied in March and I didn’t hear anything back up until now so I reapplied again to other cares. I was reapplying and I just got an email from one place that said they had a two-year waitlist. “We can’t live on one income for another year so it’s very stressful and I’m trying to figure out what to do, where I can leave my child.” Minard has been trying to open more spots at her daycare for years. She’s waiting for the proper supports to be in place. “Permission from the government, funding. We would definitely be interested, we have expressed interest previously,” says Minard. A recent study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the provincial government has met funding targets in a bilateral agreement with the feds but there are challenges when it comes to affordable fees and enough regulated childcare spaces. One of the authors of the report says extra funding for childcare should be in the next provincial budget. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
