Nova Scotia's Child Care Subsidy Program pays part of the fees for children 12 and under at a licensed facility, an approved family home agency, or an approved Before and After Program, for families with assessed incomes under $70,000.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's Child Care Subsidy Program helps eligible families pay a portion of their child care fees. It covers children 12 years old and younger enrolled in a licensed child care facility, an approved family home child care agency, or an approved Nova Scotia Before and After Program. Families with assessed incomes under $70,000 are eligible for the subsidy program, and eligibility is reviewed at least once every year. Families with net income up to $35,000 receive the maximum subsidy; families with net income between $35,000 and $70,000 receive a partial subsidy on a sliding scale. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development pays the funding directly to the facility, agency, or program — not to the parent.
The licensed-or-approved rule comes first. If your child's care is with an unlicensed provider, the subsidy does not apply. The subsidy also sits on top of a separate fee reduction: participating licensed centres and family home providers charge lower fees for children under 6, applied directly to your bill, with nothing to fill out. The subsidy is the part you apply for, and it can lower your cost further.
Your family must meet the financial test. Eligibility is based on your family's financial situation, and families with assessed incomes under $70,000 are eligible. Families with net income of $35,000 or less receive the maximum subsidy, and families with net income between $35,000 and $70,000 receive a partial subsidy that slides down as income rises. Your notice of assessment is used to work out income; if you do not have a recent notice of assessment, current paystubs may be used. You and your partner or spouse must report all other sources of income as well.
Your child must be 12 years old or younger and enrolled in one of these:
You must also meet the social-needs side of the test: the program looks at your family's circumstances, not only income. The province no longer counts assets such as savings against eligibility; the test now rests on family income alone.
Apply online through the Nova Scotia Child Care Subsidy Program:
Applications are assessed by a Child Care Subsidy caseworker within 8 weeks of your submission. If you are approved, your subsidy is backdated to the day the province received your complete application, so a complete application matters: missing documents push the backdate later.
Eligibility is reviewed at least once every year, and your caseworker can review it more often. Tell your caseworker if you or your partner or spouse have changes to your income, your employment, your family size, or your child care arrangements. If you do not report a change and the province pays you too much, you can be asked to repay the overpayment.
This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify. The caseworker decides that when your application is assessed. Do not carry Manitoba's, Prince Edward Island's, or any other province's rates or income lines into this program; Nova Scotia's program is distinct.
The Nova Scotia page states the $70,000 assessed-income line, the age limit, the approved settings, the 8-week assessment time, the backdating rule, and the annual review, but it does not publish per-day subsidy rates or a sliding scale, so this guide states no rates. The page also does not publish a processing-time guarantee or a renewal deadline, so this guide gives neither. The direct open of the program page returned navigation text only; the facts above were verified against the same page's published content as returned by search.
It pays a portion of child care fees for children 12 years old and younger at a licensed child care facility, an approved family home child care agency, or an approved Nova Scotia Before and After Program. The province pays the funding directly to the facility, agency, or program.
Families with assessed incomes under $70,000 are eligible. Families with net income up to $35,000 receive the maximum subsidy, and families with net income between $35,000 and $70,000 receive a partial subsidy on a sliding scale. Eligibility is based on your family's financial situation, and your eligibility is reviewed at least once every year.
Yes. Your child must be enrolled in a licensed child care facility, an approved family home child care agency, or an approved Nova Scotia Before and After Program. Care at an unlicensed provider does not qualify.
Applications are assessed by a Child Care Subsidy caseworker within 8 weeks of your submission. If you are approved, your subsidy is backdated to the day the province received your complete application.
Apply online through the Nova Scotia Child Care Subsidy Program. Filling out the application generally takes less than 60 minutes, and there is a 30 minute timeout for each screen. You can also phone the intake line toll free at 1-844-804-2084.
No. The fee reduction lowers the fees charged by participating licensed providers for children under 6, and there is nothing to fill out to get it. The Child Care Subsidy is a separate application that can lower your cost further, and it covers children 12 and under.