New Liberal daycare plan to be more accessible to families, Casey says

Education Minister Karen Casey has released her government's plans to increase wages for daycare workers and create new spaces for children.

The report, released Wednesday, includes 27 action items to be phased in between this year and 2021. Of particular note are increased wages for early educators and increased subsidies.

Wages increased to 2012 average

Using the $6.6 million in new funding from this spring's budget, the government will increase wages to the national average that existed in 2012.

That means that as of October, the average hourly wage in Nova Scotia for daycare workers will increase from $12.84 to between $15 and $19 an hour, depending on an employee's qualifications.

About 64 per cent of Level 1 workers will see a raise. Eighty-five per cent of those with Level 2 qualifications will get a pay bump and about 82 per cent of Level 3 workers will get a raise.

Casey said she believes the changes are sustainable and will have an impact. The 2012 average was picked because those were the most recent statistics available, she said.

Wage and subsidy rates in Nova Scotia were at the bottom of the national average, she said.

Past rates sent a bad message

"That's where we wanted to start because that's what was really quite unacceptable," said Casey.

"Unfortunately, it sent a message to those in the industry about how much they were valued by the public and by the government

Parent subsidies will be increased, more people will become eligible and there will be a cap placed on increases to parent fees.

Savings of $140 a month for infant care

Right now, 4,900 families receive a subsidy and about 80 per cent of them get the maximum. As of July 1, the change means a parent with the maximum subsidy at a daycare with average fees would pay $10 per day. That equals a savings of about $140 a month for infant care and $80 a month for toddler and preschool care.

Rates will be assessed annually to see if there need to be more changes.

"This will bring us to an excellent position," said Casey.

More access for more people

The income threshold to qualify for the maximum subsidy is being raised from $20,800 to $25,000, which could impact about 700 families. The ceiling for a partial subsidy will be $70,000 and department officials expect about 1,200 vacant spaces to be filled as a result of the subsidy increases.

"We know we have families who are eligible but who then turn away the subsidy because it's not enough to enable them to afford the difference between the subsidy and the actual cost," said Shelley Thompson, the director of Early Childhood Development Services.

The cap on fee increases will range between one and three per cent, depending on a daycare's rates. The government will work to develop a provincial early learning curriculum and set quality standards, to be phased in over time.

Changes coming to standards

Changes will also see training standards raised to require everyone working at regulated daycares to have a degree, diploma or certificate and there will be grant funding to help existing staff upgrade their skills.

The report outlines a plan to increase the number of spaces in communities that need them most, with an emphasis on infant care and direct new funding to those areas. There is also a plan to expand the number of centres offering programming for kids with special needs.

The new funding criteria will require daycares to have capped parent fee increases, wages paid based on the new wage floor, deliver the new provincial curriculum, provide inclusive programming and meet quality standards.

Industry feels heard

Casey said the process has elicited positive feedback from people in the sector and, for the most part, that was reflected in people's comments on Wednesday.

Kelly Goulden, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Childcare Association, said people she's talked with are happy.

"This is something that has been a long time coming," she said. "We are very pleased with the commitment, I guess, to recognize the value of the early childhood educators."

Unionzed workers penalized?

Margot Nickerson, an early childhood educator and president of CUPE's largest local in the Halifax area, said she feels workers have been consulted and "the intent is really exciting," but she's disappointed with the money.

Nickerson said unionized workers tend to make more than the average already and she worries few will see a pay bump.

"I feel like in some ways the people who work in [union] settings will be penalized."