Information for Operators

Quality Assurance : Helping Make Child Care Safe and High-Quality

The Quality Assurance (QA) team  plays a critical role in supporting the delivery of high-quality, safe, and inclusive early learning and child care services across Nova Scotia

Our Quality Assurance Specialists (QAS):

• Monitor compliance with licensing and safety standards
• Audit programs and policies for alignment with departmental expectations
• Respond to complaints or concerns raised by families, service providers, or the public.

They also help child care providers learn and grow by achieving compliance through education of the early learning and child care regulations, policies, and key indicators. Through regular visits and reviews, they support programs in creating safe and positive spaces where children can learn and thrive.

What the Quality Assurance (QA) Team Does  

The QA team helps make sure child care programs in Nova Scotia are safe, high-quality, and are compliant. Their work includes:

• Reviewing and assessing applications for child care licences 
• Supporting and working with child care partners 
• Checking that programs follow licensing and safety requirements 
• Monitoring programs and helping them improve 
• Investigating complaints about licensed and unlicensed child care

Contact the Quality Assurance Team

• If you have questions or concerns about child care in your area, please connect with a member of our team at: ECDServices@novascotia.ca 
• Child Care complaint phone: 1-877-223-9555
  • Leave a voicemail message including your name, phone number, and the reason for your call. 
  • One of our team members will get back to you.

Licensing Services inspects and issues licenses to day care facilities, which provide care for more than six children of any age combination (birth to 12 years), or for more than eight school age children (all attending school), as well as family home day care agencies.

Temporary Staffing Plan

A Temporary Staffing Plan provides a licensee a temporary exemption from having a full 2/3 of the staff trained, as per Regulation 36(4) of the Day Care Regulations.

English:

• Temporary Staffing Plan: Process for Licensees
• Early Learning and Child Care Application Temporary Staffing Plan
• Temporary Staffing Plan: Frequently Asked Questions

French: 

• Plan De Dotation Temporaire: Processes pour les detenteurs de permis
• Education et garde des jeunes enfants: Demande de plan de dotation temporaire
• Plan de dotation temporaire faire aux questions

Related information

• Early Learning and Child Care Act
• Early Learning and Child Care Regulations
• Ministerial Requirements – Regulated Child Care Settings
• Early Childhood Development Services (information on the program)
• Child Abuse Register (Information on how to obtain a child abuse registry check)
• Fire Inspections (Conducted by the Office of the Fire Marshal)
• Health Inspections (Conducted by Agriculture Food Safety Specialists)  

Contact Information

For further information or to register a concern, contact us via our contact form (https://childcarenovascotia.ca/contacts) or by phone 1-877-223-9555.  

Licensing change requests are required for alterations that will affect license capacity, program type, change in age range, relocation, any substantial renovation, registered name change, or any change that significantly affects the care of children.

Any proposed changes to program age ranges will be required to demonstrate that there is a need within the community (such as a waitlist or other evidence of unmet need).

Please note:

• Changes to a license require review and approval by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 
• Changes must not be made (such as advertisement of changes that require a new license issued, enrolment of children outside of current license that require an age change renovations that affect licenced floor space for use by children, use of name change, etc.) until the department has approved the change request. 
• Approval is a requirement pursuant to the Early Learning and Child Care Act. 
• Change requests are not required for alterations to the facility, indoors or outdoors, that do not require a new license. Such changes include expansion of a playground, playground upgrades such as surfacing, sheds, equipment, fencing, or renovations that are part of regular maintenance.

The licensing change request process is described below:

1. Contact your Early Childhood Development Consultant or Licensing Officer to discuss the change you wish to make to your centre/agency and whether you need to submit a Change Request Application. 
2. To apply for a change request, the licensee must complete the Change Request Application Form. 
3. Submit the completed application form via the submission upload form. 
4. The application will be reviewed by the department within six weeks. 
5. Notification will be provided from the department indicating your change request has been either: 
   • Approved (new license to be issued); 
   • Approved in principle with conditions that must be met before a new license is issued per the Regulations under the Early Learning and Child Care Act; or 
   • not approved with accompanying rationale. 

If approved in principle

Your Early Childhood Development Consultant or Licensing Officer will contact you about any required conditions, such as work with other provincial or local government agencies for fire prevention, health/safety, zoning, registered name change, or where an inspection by Licensing is required before a license can be issued.

A new license will be issued when you have met all the conditions applicable to the change request. 

What is the purpose of licensing? 
Licensing protects the health, safety, and well-being of those receiving out-of-home care by ensuring compliance with the standards set out in the legislation and regulations for these Day Cares and Family Home Day Cares. 
 

What is the role of the Licensee? 
The Licensee is responsible for ensuring that the facility complies with the applicable legislation and requirements for their facility. They may delegate this responsibility to the Facility Director, who would be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the facility. 
 

How often are facilities inspected? 
Facilities are inspected at least twice a year. Facilities that are non-compliant with licensing requirements in some area(s) receive more frequent inspections.

How is it determined that a facility complies with licensing requirements? 
Licensing Services makes objective assessments based on first-hand observations, reviews of written records, files and other documentation; and interviews with operators, their employees, and clients. 
 

How are the licensing requirements determined? 
The licensing requirements applied to a facility are based on the acts, regulations, and standards applicable to the type of facility.

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement is a five-year federal-provincial agreement which was signed on July 13, 2021.

The long-term vision is to provide families with access to affordable, high-quality and inclusive child care province wide. Key milestones for 2022 include:

• April 1, 25 per cent, on average, parent fee reduction
• Establish the Engagement Table on Early Learning and Child Care
• Improve ECE wages based on new compensation framework (Fall)
• Reduce parent fees by a total of 50 per cent, on average (December)
• 1,500 new early learning and child care spaces

Fee reductions are standardized amounts that vary based on the child's age group and the type of program. Licensed child care operators with a signed provincial funding agreement are required to apply these reductions to their child care fees for all families. 

Operators without a funding agreement are not eligible to receive funding for fee reductions. However, all licensed child care programs, regardless of their funding status, can support families in accessing the Child Care Subsidy Program when needed.

Daily Fee Reduction Amounts by Age Category

Fee Reduction Table (PDF)

Each of these age categories is defined in the Early Learning and Child Care Regulations. Definitions are as follows:

• “Infant” means a child who is younger than 18 months old.
• “Toddler” means a child who is between 18 months old and 35 months old, inclusive.
• “Preschooler” means a child who is 36 months old or older and is not attending school.
• “School-age child” means a child who is attending school and is not older than 12 on December 31 of the school year.
• “School-age program” means a child-care program that provides childcare for children attending school or a pre-primary program.

• What is Operational Support?
• Operational Support Application
• Quality Investment Grant (QIG) Operator Guide

The Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Minor Infrastructure Program provides funding for the creation of not-for-profit child care spaces. 

For program details please visit - Create Child Care Spaces – Funding Programs.

Child Care Space Expansion

1,500 new daycare spaces are being created before the end of 2023, at various locations throughout the Province. Here is what you need to know.

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