Nova Scotia increases wages for daycare workers to national average

Pay increases are coming for Nova Scotia daycare workers, who are the lowest paid in the country.

The provincial government says as of October early childhood education workers will see their pay rise with their level of training, from an average low of $12.84 an hour to between $15 and $19 an hour.

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The government says the increases will push wages to the national average, based on data from 2012.

Daily subsidies for parents will also be increased, which means parents could pay about $140 less a month for infant care and $80 less for toddler and preschool care.

Currently, families earning more than $21,000 a year are not eligible for the maximum subsidy, but that threshold will be increased to $25,000 on July 1.

The changes, to be implemented over five years, will also require all early childhood educators to have a degree, diploma or certificate.