Child care supports needed during the pandemic and beyond

Halifax -- As parents and students wrap up an unexpected extra week of the holiday break it’s increasingly clear that the child care needs of families continue to be ignored by the Liberal government.

“We’ve heard from parents and teachers about the struggle this past week has created and the Liberal government’s lack of planning for parents’ needs,” said NDP Education and Early Childhood Development spokesperson Claudia Chender. “This week, businesses were able to open earlier than expected, but no thought or concrete support was offered to workers who need child care to go to work.”

The economic impact from the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women and working parents. Plans for economic recovery must expand access to affordable child care.

“Finding child care this week has been a struggle since we didn’t expect to have an additional week of schools being closed,” said Amanda Dodsworth. “For my family that’s meant figuring out care for a 10-year-old child day-by-day just to make it work. It feels like the government isn’t thinking and has no plan for parents who need help.”

The NDP Caucus has called for an economic recovery task force that would include education and child care experts to help plan how Nova Scotia will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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