Kids & Company operate seven childcare centres across the province and they, like others in the sector, have been struggling to find qualified educators to fill their job needs.

The study says that 82 per cent of the employers who responded indicated they had trouble recruiting and retaining qualified staff in the past year.

With Nova Scotia's pre-primary program in full swing here's how many students have registered at each school board.

Critics from both says the government should take another year in order to ensure it will have appropriate staffing levels in place.

The Education Department says the province's eight school boards are reporting "early interest" in job postings and that several competitions still haven't closed.