HALIFAX-
Staffing shortages made worse by COVID-19 in Nova Scotia daycares are forcing some centers to reduce services.
Bonnie Minard, chair of the Private License Administrators Association for child care, says some daycares have had to close sporadically or cut operating hours due to a lack of workers.
Minard says staffing issues in the sector are not new but the situation has been made worse by rising COVID-19 infections.
She says there are far more job vacancies in early childhood education than there are applicants.
Cathy Montreuil, the deputy minister of early childhood development, told a legislative committee Tuesday daycare workers who left the sector are expected to return when the new compensation structure is released.
Montrueil says the department is reviewing the compensation structure, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2022.
—
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.