Monday, Nov. 14 was the deadline put forth by the province for daycare operators to sign onto the wage scale agreement that was announced on Oct. 11.
“It was short notice to get this new funding agreement rolled out and the planning in place,” said Lisa Beddow who owns and operates six daycare centres across Nova Scotia.
She says she’s signed the agreement, but says speaking with other operators, the general feeling is that they’ve been “backed into a corner.”
“If we do not sign, our staff will not be entitled to the wage increases, or the retro pay they have been promised since July 4th,” she said.
For operators who still need to think it through, the province has extended the deadline until the end of the month, but operators who wait will have their funding even further delayed.
“A lot of people were forced to sign today,” said Beddow.
But she says funding delays are going to be a challenge even for those who have now signed on. The funding for the wage increase isn’t expected until the end of the month which is too late for some operators, depending on their payroll schedule, and it’s creating cashflow challenges.
Becky Druhan, minister of education and early childhood development, was not available for an interview on Monday but in a statement, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan said that “all centres have and will continue to receive funding for parent fee reductions as long as a funding agreement remains in place….Centres that sign an ammended funding agreement witht he Province will receive funding for enhanced wages.”
During the fall sitting at the legislature last week, the minister acknowledged the transformation can be a challenge.
“We are fundamentally changing the nature of childcare,” Druhan told the house during question period on Nov. 8.
“We are shifting to a system to support parents to be able to better afford childcare.”
Last summer Nova Scotia signed onto the Canada-Wide early Learning and Child Care Agreement which has a goal of providing an average of $10-a-day childcare by 2026. The province has already reduced fees by an average of 25 per cent, and is expecting to reduce them by 50 per cent by the end of the year.
The transition has been a challenge for private operators who would previously rely heavily on parent fees to cover operational costs and wages. Those fees have been frozen for several years, and as the province transitions to a more public model, private operators are prohibited from opening any new spaces, with extra spaces only being opened to not-for-profit centres.
“With the incredible rate of inflation, the highest since 1982, we’re not able to manage our operating expenses and we’re struggling financially,” said Beddow.
When pressed about challenges daycare operators are facing during question period, Druhan said operators with questions should reach out to the department.
Beddow says there is a round table committee with representatives from private operators that sits with the minister and the department, but says it hasn’t been productive.
“The department has not engaged us at the level we require,” she said.
“They’re not hearing us, it’s falling on deaf ears. They’re not listening to what is required to keep these operations going.”
Already about a dozen childcare centres have closed since the province since the Canada-Wide early Learning and Child Care Agreement. Currently, private centres make up about 60 per cent of childcare spaces in the province.
However, Beddow says if they don’t get more support, more will likely have to close their doors leaving more families without care.
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