New child-care centre with 104 spaces coming to St. Francis Xavier University

A child-care centre with a capacity of 104 will be built at Cape Breton University.

A new child-care centre at St. Francis Xavier University will create 104 daycare spaces in Antigonish, N.S.

The Nova Scotia government is partnering with St. FX for the project, which will see an existing building on campus removed to make space for the new facility.

“Once constructed, the new child-care centre at StFX will make a big difference for parents and students in the community, helping them save thousands of dollars on child-care costs,” said federal Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu in a statement Monday.

The province says the centre will offer spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The university will maintain the facility once construction is complete.

“Antigonish needs more access to child care, and I’m pleased that our government and StFX are able to deliver solutions for our community,” said Antigonish MLA Michelle Thompson on behalf of Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Brendan Maguire.

The government says St. FX is currently preparing for the centre’s operation and a public process for selecting a child-care service provider.

CTV News has reached out to the province for a timeline of the project.

The centre is part of the provincial government’s efforts to expand access to child care through the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

Nova Scotia has signed a five-year extension to the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the Canada-Nova Scotia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, worth more than $1 billion total.

The extended agreements will be in place until March 31, 2031.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page