Ottawa, province help fund $10-million expansion of daycare at Halifax university

HALIFAX — Government funding is expected to cover half of the cost of a $10-million expansion of the child care centre at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.

A provincial government news release says Ottawa is providing $3 million through a federal-provincial child care agreement, while the province is contributing $2 million and the university $5 million.

The centre currently operates a full-day care program for 40 children from 18 months to five years of age and the expansion is to add 82 more child-care spaces and introduce up to 32 infant spaces.

The university says the funding will also enhance the education of students in its child and youth study program as they study to become early childhood educators.

Design work for the expansion is underway, with construction expected to take about two years to complete.

The Nova Scotia government has pledged to create 9,500 new child-care spaces across the province by March 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press