The Nova Scotia Government has announced more than $1.75 million in emergency funding for child-care centres as the province deals with the third wave of the pandemic.
The province says the money will be delivered by Friday to help the centres through the current COVID-19 restrictions, which have capped their capacity at 60 percent.
The money will not compensate for loss of profit, but will cover staffing and operational costs. The province has also delivered personal protective equipment to the centres at no cost, including masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, and gloves.
In a news release, Education Minister Derek Mombourquette says the province is committed to keeping child-care centres open for parents who need to go to work during the lockdown and to ensuring these spaces are still there for families when the restrictions are lifted.
The funding was promised in April when the lockdown restrictions were announced to replace fees paid by parents who chose to keep their children home temporarily.
The province says the financial support will continue as long as necessary at an estimated cost of $850,000 per week.
There are 334 licensed child-care centres in Nova Scotia and 14 licensed Family Home Child Care Agencies.
