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The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development wants to ensure Nova Scotia child-care operators have quality programs in place that meet the needs of all children to help them reach their full potential," said Education and Early Childhood Development Karen Casey.

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Karen Casey announced Jan. 20, the government will address four key areas of early intervention to improve services to children and their families. The four areas are: improving access to early intervention for families; strengthening early intervention programs across the province; supporting and developing the early intervention workforce; aligning early intervention programs with the early years system and the public school system.

Excerpt: "A stronger emphasis on math and literacy in the early grades is one of the initiatives parents and students will see next September from a new five-year education action plan."

Excerpt: "Providing our youngest with a strong foundation: $1.3-million increase to reduce the wait lists for community-based Early Intervention; $700,000 increase for Early Learning Initiatives; $500,000 increase for four new SchoolsPlus sites. The additional $20.4 million invested this year will bring the total amount reinvested in our education system to $37.9 million. It’s all part of the four-year commitment to reinvest $65 million in education. A greater focus on Primary to 12 means better-prepared graduates ready for the workforce or post-secondary education."

Excerpt: "Four communities now have access to increased supports for young children with the official opening of four new early years centres. The expansion means there is now an early years centre in every school board in the province."

Excerpt: "Learning does not start on the first day of school. Research shows that the early years are the most important years in a child’s development. It is a critical stage that has a significant impact on their future long-term health, growth and well-being."

Excerpt: "This year’s budget will recognize the early years as the most important years in a child’s development, investing in child care, and giving a much-deserved increase in wages for workers."

Excerpt: "The province has added an additional $3.6 million per year in Budget 2016-2017 to ensure that all preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder can receive Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention treatment, or EIBI, before they start school at age six."

Excerpt: "Government will make child care more affordable for families while improving wages for early childhood educators. "We know that investing in early childhood education now will provide a direct, immediate benefit for Nova Scotia children, which is why we committed $6.6 million to begin implementing this plan," said Karen Casey, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development."

Excerpt: "Starting on July 1, families with an income of $25,000 or less will be eligible for the maximum subsidy, up from $20,800. About 700 families currently receiving a partial subsidy will be eligible for the maximum. This change will attract about 1,200 new families into the program. Families with an income of more than $25,000 up to $70,000 will be eligible for a partial subsidy."

This report presents the findings of Year 2 of the four-year evaluation of the Nova Scotia Early Years Centre initiative, led by an evaluation team from Dalhousie University, research Power Incorporated, and Mount Saint Vincent University) and funded by the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. Key lessons learned and issues for further consideration are provided to support continuous program improvements at the local and provincial levels of the system.

Excerpt: "In 2017-18, the department will introduce play-based pre-primary programming in a number of schools across Nova Scotia. This program will be available to 4 year olds the year before they enter school and will provide them with access to high-quality early learning programs based on Nova Scotia's first ever Early Learning Curriculum Framework."